Basketball program needs a fresh set of eyes

[OrangeDW]

It's actually simple and ironic if you think about it (Ennis is the only one who doesn't fit into my theory):

- JB recruits to the zone. What does that mean? Long wingspans, height, springy athletes.
- What does the NBA care about? Aside from skill, MEASURABLES AND POTENTIAL. Our players are oozing with NBA potential based on who JB is recruiting.

Think about it - Waiters, MCW, McCullough, Grant - all elite athletes with long arms and superior jumping ability. Hell, even Ennis has a big wingspan for his size. Mali wasn't as elite of an athlete as the others, but he had crazy long arms and huge hands.

The NBA loves 19 year olds who exhibit the atheleticism and height our players have - why do we have them? Because they are perfect for the zone. Joel Berry, Marcus Paige, Denzel Valentine, etc. don't fit into the zone mold (maybe Paige does). Therefore they lack the extra measurable that NBA teams want to see.

Of course I'm not saying that every recruit we get fits into that mold, but I think that's what it stems from. Remember people going crazy because JB "recruits to the zone" instead of players that fit offensively? This is a by product of it. What JB wants in the zone defensively from players are the same traits that NBA teams look for in draft picks. We don't recruit 6'0 PG's (Monte Morris), we prefer longer, taller PGs a la MCW, Ennis, Howard, etc. - this is the also the same type of PG that most NBA teams are looking for. Jalen Adams is a really good college player for UConn - does he fit what JB wants in a PG? Probably not. Will he leave early for the NBA? Probably not.

Listen to opposing coaches talk about us - without a doubt one of the first words they'll talk about is our length and our athletes - which is coincidentally, exactly what NBA teams want

Agreed. Makes me wonder if we would still recruit a roughly 6 ft. PG like Douglas or GMac or Flynn. Or a 6'5 or less SF like a Thompson or Moten. I miss being good on offense.

 

[iommi]

GMac being the lead recruiter over Mike Hopkins. I think that is the biggest reason for our struggle this cycle. The 2 commits we got were primary recruited by Autry according to Francis stats.

Sidibe's coach at St. Benedict's, Mark Taylor, told me Sidibe was recruited, "almost exclusively by Coach G-Mac." He said Hop came by to see Sidibe once and absolutely loved Bourama and JB helped seal the deal when Sidibe visited SU.

 

[Alsacs]

Sidibe's coach at St. Benedict's, Mark Taylor, told me Sidibe was recruited, "almost exclusively by Coach G-Mac." He said Hop came by to see Sidibe once and absolutely loved Bourama and JB helped seal the deal when Sidibe visited SU.

Then I guess Francis was wrong.
I still think the guy is in over his head. He shouldn't be the lead recruiter for anyone that is top priority until Hopkins is HC.
Hop should be lead recruiter till then and if USA basketball is taking up time then that is a problem.

Our recruiting for guards specifically PGs post Ennis which is 3 years now has been awful for a program like Syracuse.

 

[jdubs30]

The NBA loves all of our "zone" measurable as long as they have am offensive game. Most NBA execs dont care about zone defense skills.

Oh, I agree. They aren't drafting them based on how well/not well they play in the zone - it's all about the wingspan, vertical, etc. It just so happens that we prioritize those kind of athletes very highyly - sometimes instead of basketball skill.

 

[iommi]

Then I guess Francis was wrong.
I still think the guy is in over his head. He shouldn't be the lead recruiter for anyone that is top priority until Hopkins is HC.
Hop should be lead recruiter till then and if USA basketball is taking up time then that is a problem.

Our recruiting for guards specifically PGs post Ennis which is 3 years now has been awful for a program like Syracuse.

Just relaying what the coach said, not trying to call out Francis in any way, to be clear. I love Sidibe and think he has potential but this wasn't some huge recruiting victory for SU/ G-Mac. Sidibe is a skillful big with upside.

 

[Ish88888]

Oh, I agree. They aren't drafting them based on how well/not well they play in the zone - it's all about the wingspan, vertical, etc. It just so happens that we prioritize those kind of athletes very highyly - sometimes instead of basketball skill.

Very true but i do think our kids get over hyped based on these zone measurables and their draft stock is overblown. Need to have an offensive game especially since zone isn't played too much in the NBA. For the love of God, can Lydon please stay and develop his shot!?

 

[Ish88888]

This is going to be an unpopular post for the take Hopkins/GMac/Autry to the stake crowd. The basketball program has been very successful. There's a large group of influential alumni and donors that are very loyal to JB and are in Hopkins corner. I get the frustration that we stink, but there's a lot that goes into hiring coaches and a lot of that is making your most loyal supporters happy. Hopkins is going to get a shot. It may work out, it may not. We have no evidence. I think people are missing the entire picture when it comes to replacing JB here.

Also getting Jay Wright or Shaka smart doesn't guarantee us anything. Wright had a horrible stretch from 2010-2013. Two losing seasons and no tournaments. He might be worse than JB here, we don't know. JB had a much higher winning percentage than Wright at this point in his career.

I like your take but remember, tbe dome and our gx recruits itself. I just believe that a young stud who likes to play up tempo and/or press could do anazing here as recruiting wouldn't be a battle, actually would be set up for the new coach.

 

[Francis03]

Then I guess Francis was wrong.
I still think the guy is in over his head. He shouldn't be the lead recruiter for anyone that is top priority until Hopkins is HC.
Hop should be lead recruiter till then and if USA basketball is taking up time then that is a problem.

Our recruiting for guards specifically PGs post Ennis which is 3 years now has been awful for a program like Syracuse.

Red was one of the first coaches from the staff to notice Sidibe. He was involved in the recruitment but focused more on trying to get Nick Richards. So GMac was assigned to keep tabs on him. Real talk, Sidibe never really took SU seriously until it became inevitable that Richards was going to UK and we started to push hard for him late in the signing period. If Hop and Red didn't make frequent visits to his workouts in early fall then I doubt "lead recruiter" GMac would've been able to close. It was a group effort by the staff to get him.

 

[iommi]

Red was one of the first coaches from the staff to notice Sidibe. He was involved in the recruitment but focused more on trying to get Nick Richards. So GMac was assigned to keep tabs on him. Real talk, Sidibe never really took SU seriously until it became inevitable that Richards was going to UK and we started to push hard for him late in the signing period. If Hop and Red didn't make frequent visits to his workouts in early fall then I doubt "lead recruiter" GMac would've been able to close. It was a group effort by the staff to get him.

Thanks, Francis. I guess Coach Taylor gave G-Mac credit because he was the main guy when Sidibe started focusing on SU and vice-versa. It makes sense that Red spotted Sidibe first for us since he's been so involved in the recruitment of NJ kids in the past.

 

[Alsacs]

Tonight cemented to me we need atleast a change in the assistants.