Alex Kline Article

[capeorange]

Lets not forget that Hofstra is in the NCAAT as a 13 seed. Only 2 seeds worse than USF.
It is not like we lost to the Little Sisters of the Poor.

I was at that game, Hofstra played pretty well.
Yes, we should have won but it was not sheer humiliation.

Don't you remember when losing to a 13 seed was an embarrassment?

 

[atlanticuse]

Great that Alex is loyal.
But this isn't a charity. Red is a terrible head coach. He doesn't sound like a head coach, doesn't act like a head coach, doesn't improve players, and failed miserably.
That is fact. Everything else is conjecture.
(I like the Stockholm Syndrome comment above)

 

[BonaCuse]

In 15-20 years, with a lot more experience, I think Alex will look back on this article and wish he hadn't written it. It just reeked of inexperience...not even in the NCAA D1 basketball world...just the job place. Also, the whole "You can't fire me, I was going to quit anyways" is not a good look. Just a lot of inexperience there...he will learn from this.

I get that online social media bullying is a thing, and not good. But I actually thought that Syracuse fans in attendance at games were overall supportive...it could have been a lot worse. There wasn't as much booing, bags over the heads, etc. Generally, I think the people who wanted to be there were supportive. On the other hand, people voted with their feet and just didn't show up.

Also, I am by no means a social media whiz, but I don't think Syracuse did Red many favors on social media, either. What is the point of always posting the final score after a loss, with a "We are onto Pitt next" comment? It just opens up the trolling. One Saturday, I opened social media, and there was a happy birthday to Red post. Is he deserving of a happy birthday post on social media? Of course. But you know it is just going to open up comments of "I hope it's his last", "I hope he gets a pink slip", etc. I think SU athletics could have helped the problem.

 

[cuseman2016]

It was every day… whether he was playing golf with onondaga members or going to dinners, it was constant. I usually golf a ton with griff and I rarely saw him unless it was for dinner

So he just wasn’t very good at it and couldn’t close? I know we’re not some big state school but there should be enough out there given the Syracuse network.

(Not looking to be combative I appreciate all the inside peaks we get)

 

[M2MPrinciples]

I get that online social media bullying is a thing, and not good. But I actually thought that Syracuse fans in attendance at games were overall supportive...it could have been a lot worse. There wasn't as much booing, bags over the heads, etc. Generally, I think the people who wanted to be there were supportive. On the other hand, people voted with their feet and just didn't show up.

Social media attracts the looniest of the looney. Seriously, what share of the fanbase engages with the department, staff or player accounts on the regular? Is it more than, say, 15%? And Kline believes that's representative of the fanbase as a whole? No wonder looking at social media made him miserable.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Who's going to tell Alex that Ted Lasso isn't real?

Be a Goldfish!!!

 

[Irishsecra1]

It honestly read as if he was defending his hero, the first person who had treated him decently in his career.
As I said earlier, it was really sad. It is not a good look for him if he wants to stay in this industry.

 

[Scooch]

It was every day… whether he was playing golf with onondaga members or going to dinners, it was constant. I usually golf a ton with griff and I rarely saw him unless it was for dinner

The word I heard was that Red was unenthused with fundraising his first year on the job, and had to be dragged to situations to do it. Then when the offseason heading into 2024-25 crashed and burned (the infamous Dakota Laffew whiff) he understood how important it really was and finally got cranking on it.

Maybe you know differently. But that was the talk 18 months ago.

 

[sufan59]

It honestly read as if he was defending his hero, the first person who had treated him decently in his career.
As I said earlier, it was really sad. It is not a good look for him if he wants to stay in this industry.

Perhaps he doesn't plan to stay in the industry and this article was almost a farewell and deep dive into his time in it....

 

[kingtidge]

It honestly read as if he was defending his hero, the first person who had treated him decently in his career.
As I said earlier, it was really sad. It is not a good look for him if he wants to stay in this industry.

Honestly, this will be a learning experience for him, as it would appear he's young and a bit of a greenhorn as college professional workplace experience goes (and the article pretty much confirms that.) That's fine, and everyone has to start somewhere. As talent analyst, I am sure he has good chops.

Also, if we look at the Toledo model, it would appear Blair has his own people and hierarchy structure for filling the needs and workflows for player target analysis, transfer negotiation, NIL facilitation, etc... and will work with whomever on the bball and fball coaching sides for player targeting and recruitment ...and honestly, it would not surprise me if Blair's team are more experienced (which would be a good thing). I expect Blair will facilitate a full restructuring on how we do this stuff, which is also a good thing, and a primary reason why he got the job... Modernize the support and capabilities infrastructure for player targeting, negotiation, and funding.

Tirico's interview with Steve and Paulie on OrangeNation yesterday basically confirmed this... He said the AD search team was really wowed by how Blair structured the department at Toledo to do all these modern athletics department management needs more efficiently... So things really sound like they are moving in a positive direction.

 

[rrlbees]

It honestly read as if he was defending his hero, the first person who had treated him decently in his career.
As I said earlier, it was really sad. It is not a good look for him if he wants to stay in this industry.

he was in the NBA 8 years as a scout and analyst. he was twice on Forbes 30 under 30. he's very well respected. i don't know what his next move is but he won't have a problem getting something in this industry if that is his want.

here's a pretty good article on him from his earlier days. includes quotes from guys like dan hurley and jay wright.

Meet Alex Kline, Knicks’ 26-year-old scout with makings of front-office star

He was all sneakers, backpack and glasses, dwarfing his slight frame. He was impossible to miss at AAU events, a high school-age kid who clearly wasn’t a player. A “cool, nerdy, little geeky guy” i…

nypost.com

 

[atlanticuse]

my opinion of Alex turned (positively) once I saw the players on the floor.
But (from where I sit in my cheap recliner), Red did nothing for these players.
So Alex is defending the leader of a trainwreck - awesome he's a nice guy - but this reverts me back to "what exactly did he do for the program?"
Hope isn't a strategy. If we had a better coach, maybe Alex would be better too... Dunno.