Big Props for Hop

[Alsacs]

Depressed is not the right word perhaps, ... how about melancholy? Hop is the right person for this job, always has been. I am very excited for him and his team in Washington. He's not going to come back. Minimal chance.
Instead, in five years, the job is going to go to someone like Buzz Williams or someone similar with zero attachment to SU and the community. And that is going to sting a lot more than people can appreciate right now.

And for those of you that want G-Mac, what do you say to Adrian Autry, who has significantly more coaching experience? This is likely to get messy.

We had the answer identified and let him walk out the door.

Autry >>>>>>>> GMac.

Autry has at least spread his wings out and coached for another HC and has multiple influences in coaching.

Unless GMac takes another job before JB leaves he shouldn’t be the guy. I would take an outsider who doesn’t have attachment over GMac.

 

[Brooky03]

Two things

1. I am incredibly happy for Hop and what he's doing with UW. It's a remarkable feat, especially for a 1st year head coach. I hope he keeps it rolling, builds up that program, and gets a look from SU down the road.

2. The Pac 12 sucks

 

[Alsacs]

I do not believe that UW has more talent than SU in the 4-5 UW games I have watched. Hop has them grinding and working hard. Obviously the ACC schedule is much more difficult to navigate than the PAC 10. I am surprised how far they have come after getting absolutely thrashed by VA Tech. Good for Hop.

We have played Pitt x2
BC
At Virginia
At Wake
Virginia Tech
At Florida State
Notre Dame
That isn’t murders row. That schedule is soft.
Washington getting throddled by Virginia Tech is 1 game.
We lost at home to St. John’s by 30 last year and that didn’t derail us.

Washington’s offense is fun to watch and isn’t stagnant. Hop is showing he is better than I and many thought.
Washington mixes it up as well.

 

[TinyManInside]

So awesome. So predictable. So depressing.

I am frustrated with the "4-5 in 9 games as interim coach, so he cannot coach at SU" crew. You had a role in this, as did Boeheim himself. We may collectively pay for this the next 20 years, as it birthed the potential (that did not exist previously) that SU will follow on the same unknown path blazed by UConn, St. John's, Indiana, UCLA, Georgetown ... all of whom struggled in replacing a legendary coach.

This.

 

[supp]

If he continues to have success and shows that he is indeed a good coach then I would have to think his name will be called when Boeheim hangs it up 4 years from now.

When Roy Williams left KU for UNC, he said it was the only job he wouldve left KU for. He played and coached at UNC. It was his 'home'.

Hopkins is SU's Williams. If it turns out that Syracuse wants him when the time comes it will be hard for him to say no.

SU will have to pay big bucks to bring him back and if they're willing to do that, then let's have a real national search.

 

[Alsacs]

So awesome. So predictable. So depressing.

I am frustrated with the "4-5 in 9 games as interim coach, so he cannot coach at SU" crew. You had a role in this, as did Boeheim himself. We may collectively pay for this the next 20 years, as it birthed the potential (that did not exist previously) that SU will follow on the same unknown path blazed by UConn, St. John's, Indiana, UCLA, Georgetown ... all of whom struggled in replacing a legendary coach.

This is only partially true.
While Hop obviously realized the fanbase was frustrated at his 4-5 tenure.
He also realized he was being setup to fail as to how the roster was constructed and what he was going to take over starting next year.
JB wasn’t engaged with recruiting and Hop was being forced to shop for groceries in JB’s mold and not for what he wanted when was taking over.
JB wasn’t helping the situation either.
So you can take the fans pissed at Hop’s 4-5 but you can also blame JB for not making the transition smooth and Hop realizing he was going to enter a full rebuild and his patience would have gone quicker. JB’s wasn’t leaving the stock full of talent.

 

[HSPORANGE]

We have played Pitt x2
BC
At Virginia
At Wake
Virginia Tech
At Florida State
Notre Dame
That isn’t murders row. That schedule is soft.
Washington getting throddled by Virginia Tech is 1 game.
We lost at home to St. John’s by 30 last year and that didn’t derail us.

Washington’s offense is fun to watch and isn’t stagnant. Hop is showing he is better than I and many thought.
Washington mixes it up as well.

I'm not sure what your point is? Are you suggesting the PAC is on par with ACC? I understand our ACC schedule has been soft to this point but it doesn't change the fact that we will still play UVA a second time, Duke, UNC, Louisville, etc...

I'm happy for Hop but lets not pretend like they have more talent than SU.

 

[TinyManInside]

So does UW right now have more talent? Even our thin roster has more ‘talent’ on paper via any sort of recruiting matrix. I know I watch UW and often think that our guys cannot execute, perform, and just from skill set point of view; we are behind where they are, IMO.

I think SU's roster has a lot more talent. Washington has a decent post threat in Dickerson, a great one-on-one player in Nowell, and a superior defender in Thybulle, but otherwise their roster is very pedestrian. They are very undersized and are constantly outrebounded. They don't shoot the ball well from the three point line. Their PG play is very bad, much worse that SU's but they make up for it with a team focused offense (good off ball movement and team concept of sharing the ball).

I really think they are maxing out their talent and winning via smoke'n'mirrors. Super impressed with Hop's coaching, his use of a real 9 man rotation, and his willingness to adjust defensively throughout the game. He really needs to recruit some guys who can shoot it from distance.

 

[DBCooper]

Depressed is not the right word perhaps, ... how about melancholy? Hop is the right person for this job, always has been. I am very excited for him and his team in Washington. He's not going to come back. Minimal chance.
Instead, in five years, the job is going to go to someone like Buzz Williams or someone similar with zero attachment to SU and the community. And that is going to sting a lot more than people can appreciate right now.

And for those of you that want G-Mac, what do you say to Adrian Autry, who has significantly more coaching experience? This is likely to get messy.

We had the answer identified and let him walk out the door.

I can't seem to bring myself to feel melancholy either. Just seems like a lot of crying over spilt milk, and worrying about things that might not turn out the way you are portraying them anyway.

 

[Alsacs]

I'm not sure what your point is? Are you suggesting the PAC is on par with ACC? I understand our ACC schedule has been soft to this point but it doesn't change the fact that we will still play UVA a second time, Duke, UNC, Louisville, etc...

I'm happy for Hop but lets not pretend like they have more talent than SU.

Washington has been outstanding. My point is they are likely have a better record than we do because of how hard our schedule is going to run thru.
Hop could get Washington into the tournament as well.

 

[SU94]

This is only partially true.
While Hop obviously realized the fanbase was frustrated at his 4-5 tenure.
He also realized he was being setup to fail as to how the roster was constructed and what he was going to take over starting next year.
JB wasn’t engaged with recruiting and Hop was being forced to shop for groceries in JB’s mold and not for what he wanted when was taking over.
JB wasn’t helping the situation either.
So you can take the fans pissed at Hop’s 4-5 but you can also blame JB for not making the transition smooth and Hop realizing he was going to enter a full rebuild and his patience would have gone quicker. JB’s wasn’t leaving the stock full of talent.

I can buy this rational. Coupled with the recent narrative: NCAA scholly restrictions + string of too many unbeknownst 1-and-doners.

 

[jr4750]

Depressed is not the right word perhaps, ... how about melancholy? Hop is the right person for this job, always has been. I am very excited for him and his team in Washington. He's not going to come back. Minimal chance.
Instead, in five years, the job is going to go to someone like Buzz Williams or someone similar with zero attachment to SU and the community. And that is going to sting a lot more than people can appreciate right now.

And for those of you that want G-Mac, what do you say to Adrian Autry, who has significantly more coaching experience? This is likely to get messy.

We had the answer identified and let him walk out the door.

I agree with you, except I think it was messy all the way through. We have a new AD, and a legendary coach who wouldn't leave. New AD who is JB's buddy, wasn't gonna push him out. The Chancellor could have done so, but didn't. Hop got a good offer he might have taken 3 years ago as well. That is, before it was known that JB didn't want to retire for a long while.

As for getting a Buzz Williams, I think if whomever we get wins games, we will all get behind him. Highly unlikely we ever get another lifer. We saw that with Marrone. Maybe GMAC would be, but can he coach? I honestly hope he goes elsewhere first to find that out. I would take Buzz and run. I would take most p5 successful head coaches like him. Preferably ones that play fun uptempo basketball. Getting someone with experience and success is key.

Interestingly, imo... Syracuse seems often to be the beneficiary of unlikely events that sting us fans to the core. The Hop situation is yet another example.

 

[shandeezy7]

We have played Pitt x2
BC
At Virginia
At Wake
Virginia Tech
At Florida State
Notre Dame
That isn’t murders row. That schedule is soft.
Washington getting throddled by Virginia Tech is 1 game.
We lost at home to St. John’s by 30 last year and that didn’t derail us.

Washington’s offense is fun to watch and isn’t stagnant. Hop is showing he is better than I and many thought.
Washington mixes it up as well.

I would argue that losing to St. John's totally did derail our season. I mean, we rebounded pretty well from it to at least be on the cusp of making the tournament, however, if we had won that game, we most likely would have been in the tournament and not just on the outside of it.

 

[Cheriehoop]

Watched the entire game. What impressed me was the passing, the assists, the energy from his players. Loved seeing Them pass and move the ball like I saw last night.

 

[cuseinseattle]

He plays a lot but mixes it up quite often. I've watched about 75% of their games. Guessing he plays it 80/20.

I would say 80/20 with the 20% a mix of the 2-2-1 press and playing man. He plays man at the end of really close games

 

[billsin01]

Seems like a strange way to look at things. Such doom and gloom.

I'm happy for Hop. Really pulling for him. Not depressed at all.

Yeah -- completely agree. Think a lot of people here overcomplicate this -- dude interviewed for the USC job a couple years earlier, didn't get it. may have been the only reason he was here. Then he gets an opportunity at a good program in a beautiful location closer to where he's from and takes it. Making some money and running the show. Good for him. What's not to love?

 

[Shenexon]

It sure looks like they can win 20+ games in Mike's first season. It may not mean as much as it used to, but winning 20 games is a good start when there were expectations of a losing season. He has the kids buying into his system and playing hard. The team has flaws but they're not underperforming. I wish the best for Mike and hope he can get to the tournament this year. It may only be proper, but he was roundly doubted by a lot of good SU fans. It's really good to see him prosper...

 

[Todoubled23]

Meh.

 

[RealMcNeil]

Going to be a tough two game stretch with AZ and AZ St. this week.

 

[cuseinseattle]

So does UW right now have more talent? Even our thin roster has more ‘talent’ on paper via any sort of recruiting matrix. I know I watch UW and often think that our guys cannot execute, perform, and just from skill set point of view; we are behind where they are, IMO.

I think they are better offensively and we are better defensively. UW has Nowell who is very similar to Tyus in both size and skillset but I think Tyus is a little better. They also have Dickerson who is 6'8" and has an old man game. He can't jump but is great and finishing around the room and moves well without the ball. He is so smart. Last night he got like 4 dunks where he what to the exact right spot on a double and got a bounce pass. He has great hands. We have no one like him. If Sidibe had been healthy all year I think he could be a more athletic version. They also have more shooters than us. Thybulle, Nowell, Green and Crisp are all capable of shooting 3's. If they play Dickerson at the 5 which isn't a great defensive lineup they have 5 guys in there that can score. Thybulle and Crisp up top with Nowell and Green or Wright at the 4 and Dickerson in the middle. Even if Dickerson is at the 4 and Timmins is in there they have 4 scorers. We really only have 3 guys at almost all times and one of the 3 can't shoot a layup.

 

[cuseinseattle]

At Pitt...yes as did SU and NC St.

I know they beat Kansas which was a huge upset but they were throttled by VA Tech. I remember them being down 30ish points at halftime and Buzz called the dogs off (yes the same VA tech team SU beat). I also watched where Gonzaga absolutely wiped the floor with them.

They had two games this year where they really struggled and those were VT and Zaga. They are much better now than they were at the beginning of the year and I think they will continue to improve. You should watch them again I think you would be blown away.

 

[cuseinseattle]

Going to be a tough two game stretch with AZ and AZ St. this week.

If they could get a split that would be great.

 

[cuseinseattle]

I'm not sure what your point is? Are you suggesting the PAC is on par with ACC? I understand our ACC schedule has been soft to this point but it doesn't change the fact that we will still play UVA a second time, Duke, UNC, Louisville, etc...

I'm happy for Hop but lets not pretend like they have more talent than SU.

The ACC is a better conference than the PAC 12 but the PAC 12 is better than many people realize. Arizona, USC and Arizona State are all pretty good. Lousville is not currently in the top 25 and I believe there are only 4 ACC teams in it.

 

[cuseinseattle]

It sure looks like they can win 20+ games in Mike's first season. It may not mean as much as it used to, but winning 20 games is a good start when there were expectations of a losing season. He has the kids buying into his system and playing hard. The team has flaws but they're not underperforming. I wish the best for Mike and hope he can get to the tournament this year. It may only be proper, but he was roundly doubted by a lot of good SU fans. It's really good to see him prosper...

It's funny how different fan bases view things differently. People out here are just blown away they are even in the conversation for the NCAA tourney and in the top 1/2 of the conference. I was in line getting in last night and one guy says this is our first game in 5 years. People are talking about the NCAA tourney and it's almost February. Can you believe this.

 

[TinyManInside]

They also have more shooters than us. Thybulle, Nowell, Green and Crisp are all capable of shooting 3's.

Umm, that's really not a formidable quartet of 3-point shooters. Crisp is under 30%, Thybulle is pretty much right at 30%, and Nowell is under 33%. They have all had some decent stretches shooting the 3 at times, but overall their perimeter shooting is pretty crappy. I literally cringe every time Crisp launches one of his sideways fadeaway threes. Green is a VERY good three point shooter but he's somewhat limited because his shot setup and release is so slow, so he needs to be WIDE open before he shoots. The overall numbers on both teams (UW 141 triples on 34.1% and SU 120 triples on 32%) are substandard for this day and age.