I wasn't going to go down that road but there was always the talk that jb was really running the show at the end of roy's run. Jb even said, I think in his book, that he coached the practices and Roy walked around the offices at Manley. But to the larger point, with the addition of Orr and Bouie, our team had a totally different look in 1977 than we did in '76. Our '76 team sucked. By far the worst Syracuse team of my lifetime. Byrnes improved greatly (also grew about 3 inches) The program was just different. Once again, I don't know how old you are or if you watched those teams, but if you did, you should know.
the 75/ 76 team was not a good team. Our schedule in those days, including the first 4 of jb's years, was weak. It got better in the last of the 4 because we played at least one round of Big East games. What we have right now, would roll the '76 team. Headd really didn't play much with Byrnes. Brynes was a sr when Marty was a frosh. The '76 team actually had Dale Shack play center. The following year he was the small forward. The following year
I love it when we have links like Alsacs did the other day with the Tenn game. That game brings back so many memories. I told all of my friends back home that we were great. And now here we are playing on national tv against a big time opponent. I think I felt more pressure that day than the team did.
Like they were saying hop was the defacto coach this year...
That is the least of it. That story doesn't tell near the story. Byrnes drives to the hoop and is fouled as he scores. And a-hole Billy packer goes on a rant about the hoop not counting. I swear he influenced the other ref. the basket went up on the scoreboard. The infamous ref huddle and lo and behold, no hoop. I can still see Marty missing it. Now, if we won, we would have faced Mich state again and I thought they were going to kill us. We weren't the same team at the end of the year that we were earlier in the year. We didn't improve as the season went on. So as bad as the loss was, and you can't believe how bad western Kentucky was, it only would have delay what was going to happen anyway.
Not quite the same. You had to be there.
Why aren't you on the Michigan St board?
Well, Brynes was a different player in 77 than he was in 76. He grew a bit and improved a lot. Shack was okay.
I can understand your point but judging Hopkins his first 4 years would have revolved around a number of things. Like, who is left on the team when he took over. Was he allowed to recruit his players 1 or 2 years before the transfer of power. Either to be at Su the last year of JB's reign and for Hops 1st and 2nd years. How many scholarships were available. Also if comparing JB's first 4 to Hops, a look a the competition. How does ANY first year coach do in the ACC? So when JB took over, How did those things look? And what was recruiting like back then compared to now. Now days it can be years of cultivating a relationship with a high school kid, especially top talent compared to back then it was possible to swoop in and get a kid his sr yr. Also, everybody knows the top kids, then talent could be hidden. What schools actually recruited Louie and Bouie. Who would be after them now. I don't know, so I am just asking the question.
JB's first four teams went 100-18 largely on the backs of Bouie and Orr, both of whom were recruited by Boeheim and not left behind by Danforth.
Nah, I think you know damn well the point he is trying to make.
Actually, no, I don't.
Just more of his recent anti-JB agenda, it seems to me.
Big crowds? If we got the crowds that we got at Manley now, there would be panic on the Hill.
