Changing Expectations

[phil77]

It is pretty simple we have a coach that is past his prime and taking the program down with him. He hasn't changed his recruiting effort or basketball style on court for the past decade. He give the bare minimum effort on the recruiting trail and it shows. He passed on kids because he didn't want to upset the "friend group".

The style of basketball we play is boring and stale. For lack of a better term our program has no "juice". That goes for both sides of the ball. We have run the same sets on offense for over a decade now. All of our results are based on individual talent and now that our talent level has dropped due to recruit issues mentioned above the results have dropped. We sit in the zone and give up wide open 3 after wide open in an ERA when offenses hunt for 3s. What was a bad shot a decade ago is a good shot now. No adjustments made at all. The effort on the court from our players come into question daily.

You can list all the excuses you want but the bottom line JB is destroying what was once a program program with national buzz that he built. It also points to a lack of power within the BOT to continue to let this happen. They value their friendships with JB rather than what is best for Syracuse. This program has no hope until JB leaves and we hire someone with fresh ideas and that is currently or has never worked for JB. If we hire HOP or from within (Red or GMac) we will continue the downward trend and we will be looking to hire another coach in 3 years after a continued decline.

And NO the ACC isn't the cause of this it is the stubbornness of JB and the leadership at SU that is letting it happen.

 

[bevosu]

He's also been very complimentary of his young players, including Chris and Benny (who he's historically been rough on). Could be trying to ensure they don't transfer if he leaves, which would ruin the rebuild. We'll see if he continues on that way.

Definitely a different JB. We'll see if he reverts back to Mr. Grumpy. If not, something has changed.

 

[Eric15]

10 years ago I would obsess over our RPI, potential NCAA seed, Bracketmatrix, etc. after every game. I honestly miss doing that. It was part of my daily routine.

Now, I basically treat basketball seasons like an SU football season in November when we're out of bowl contention. I'm going to watch every minute of every game and hope we win, but I'm not pacing around my living room with sweaty palms like I used to.

 

[Manleymen]

Nah, we don't want him, Brad Stevens can't win the big one.

How long did it take for JB to win the big one? Stevens is a long term planner and relatively young. Decent track record

 

[ar inj]

The UVA game played out exactly as I expected. The season is playing out exactly has one could have predicted. I use to live and die SU hoops. Not any more. I miss it but there is nothing I can do about it although, w/o meaningful change, I expect to not renew our season tickets, and my wife is onboard with that.

 

[MDCuse]

The UVA game played out exactly as I expected. The season is playing out exactly has one could have predicted. I use to live and die SU hoops. Not any more. I miss it but there is nothing I can do about it although, w/o meaningful change, I expect to not renew our season tickets, and my wife is onboard with that.

I think many of us, like you, are becoming indifferent to the program. And that's the worst place to be if you're Cuse. You have a coach that couldn't give a rat's a$$ about the fans (or really anyone) and an AD that cowers to him. There are no adults running this program and we are only beginning to see the downside of this fiasco.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

How long did it take for JB to win the big one? Stevens is a long term planner and relatively young. Decent track record

Mostly it's just a joke I like to make about Stevens because I'm still bitter about Butler bouncing us out of the tourney in SLC. Which I was thrilled to be at and couldn't believe they were playing in my backyard.

And Kris Joseph getting suplexed.

And that ridiculous ricochet three they hit.

And the annoying woman two seats down from me that kept blaming the zone for everything.

 

[FrancoPizza]

Prepare to be disappointed. ACC kids have better choices than us. We do not have any rivalries. Tv exposure is now more important than arena size. Success is all about recruiting. The product we are selling to recruits is a shadow of what it was when we were the beast of the East.

Kids don’t care about rivalries anymore. And contrary to what you think, 30,000 fans still makes a hell of an impression.

If you pay kids enough $ they’ll care about whatever you want them to care about.

 

[Newhouser]

The school needs to take the program back. Until the AD or the BOT or whoever is willing to do that the downward cycle will continue. Honestly we have been very fortunate that in our worst years the ACC has been at its worst. Cushioning the blow so to speak.

 

[MikeSU02]

Mostly it's just a joke I like to make about Stevens because I'm still bitter about Butler bouncing us out of the tourney in SLC. Which I was thrilled to be at and couldn't believe they were playing in my backyard.

And Kris Joseph getting suplexed.

And that ridiculous ricochet three they hit.

And the annoying woman two seats down from me that kept blaming the zone for everything.

Arinze doesn't get hurt, we win the title that year, no doubt in my mind.

The game after was KSU coming off a triple overtime game and were exhausted, then it was MSU with an injured key player and then an awful Duke team, relatively.

We would have smoked all those teams. We may have won even without Arinze and just beating Butler.

With Arinze, JB is cruising to his second title. Zero doubt in my mind.

 

[MSOrange]

It kind of is a "Syracuse only" problem. They were one of the winningest programs in the history of college basketball but over the past decade they have fallen into the "also-rans" category. It's hard to find another program that has fallen as far as they have. It all starts and ends with the man in charge. Programs in that tier like UCLA, Kentucky, UNC, Duke etc have continued to have overall success while Syracuse has fallen hard. Meanwhile, programs like Gonzaga, Baylor, Texas Tech, Houston etc have found ways to join the national conversation.
The expectations at SU have fallen to "hey, maybe we'll be in Joe Lunardi's bubble conversation". It's really bad.

I'd put Indiana in that category also, but that doesn't take away from your overall point.

 

[MSOrange]

10 years ago I would obsess over our RPI, potential NCAA seed, Bracketmatrix, etc. after every game. I honestly miss doing that. It was part of my daily routine.

Now, I basically treat basketball seasons like an SU football season in November when we're out of bowl contention. I'm going to watch every minute of every game and hope we win, but I'm not pacing around my living room with sweaty palms like I used to.

This is where I am. I made it through the Bills playoff drought and SU Football and still kept watching, so I'm not going to stop watching. But I feel the same as you.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Arinze doesn't get hurt, we win the title that year, no doubt in my mind.

The game after was KSU coming off a triple overtime game and were exhausted, then it was MSU with an injured key player and then an awful Duke team, relatively.

We would have smoked all those teams. We may have one even without Arinze and just beating Butler.

With Arinze, JB is cruising to his second title. Zero doubt in my mind.

Yes in my revised history of college basketball Arinze never gets hurt and we won the title that year.

We were the best team that season.

 

[kingtidge]

The school needs to take the program back. Until the AD or the BOT or whoever is willing to do that the downward cycle will continue. Honestly we have been very fortunate that in our worst years the ACC has been at its worst. Cushioning the blow so to speak.

It is what it is.

Maybe JB didn't want to go out like this, but whether it's pride, stubbornness, poor recruiting, stale game planning and tactics, an undereliance or incapability of assistants - or maybe a mix of all of the above??

In any event, the result is he has been slowly taking a crowbar to everything he's built here... with more boards coming off each year...

It will be a complete teardown by the time he is done and a complete rebuild will be necessary.

The good news is you can rebuild in BBall a lot faster than in Football (with the right hire.)

...and apathy has set in for many, and is the result of the many years of decline and what has been largely a lost decade with a few bright spots.

 

[MDCuse]

I'd put Indiana in that category also, but that doesn't take away from your overall point.

Yea, that's probably fair with IU. They do have a couple of conference titles in the last 10 years, but overall the trajectory has been pretty bad.

 

[MDCuse]

It is what it is.

Maybe JB didn't want to go out like this, but whether it's pride, stubbornness, poor recruiting, stale game planning and tactics, an undereliance or incapability of assistants - or maybe a mix of all of the above??

In any event, the result is he has been slowly taking a crowbar to everything he's built here... with more boards coming off each year...

It will be a complete teardown by the time he is done and a complete rebuild will be necessary.

The good news is you can rebuild in BBall a lot faster than in Football (with the right hire.)

...and apathy has set in for many, and is the result of the many years of decline and what has been largely a lost decade with a few bright spots.

So much sad truth. I used to plan my evenings around Cuse hoops game. I'd always make sure I could watch. Now, I may watch I may not. I turned on the Louisville game for about 5 minutes and immediately turned off it was so unwatchable.
I really have to wonder, does Jim know, or even care, how much damage he has done to this program over the last decade? Is he so concerned with what he's wanted to do that he has just lost all perspective?

 

[rrlbees]

While the wins and loses aren’t what I’d like to see, i don’t miss a game. Basketball or football. Our life’s are still planned around SU sports and I’d have it no other way. They’ve given me so many highs I’m not bailing during the lows.

 

[Millhouse]

I find it hard to adapt to these changing expectations. Discussions with fellow fans and friends can help but I am very concerned about the negative impact of my words so I want to tread very carefully here while I wait for guidance from experts who know what should be thought and said.

It's hard to convey gratitude to boeheim while also empathetically acknowledging the lived experience of those who may have different feelings. We are all walking a tightrope.

 

[Cuse181]

W

Arinze doesn't get hurt, we win the title that year, no doubt in my mind.

The game after was KSU coming off a triple overtime game and were exhausted, then it was MSU with an injured key player and then an awful Duke team, relatively.

We would have smoked all those teams. We may have one even without Arinze and just beating Butler.

With Arinze, JB is cruising to his second title. Zero doubt in my mind.

With fab he’s cruising to a 3rd. Without smarts shot we never need to have this conversation again

 

[OttoMets]

Unfortunately, I've lowered my expectations considerably of ADJW and his duties as it relates to arguably his most critical one, specifically that being the hiring manager of a P5 athletic department/program.

I honestly have a difficult time believing that JW can be objective in regards to JB. Long before he was a superior of JB's, he was a huge fanboy of his and the program, etc. ...

See, I don't know. Based on my recollection of his posts, I'm not so sure. He was pretty critical at times.

No doubt he's between a rock and a hard place politically.

 

[miamicuse]

I do not agree with those who think this year is JB's last just because there is no recruit coming in.

If the assistants were told to back off from recruiting then the assistants know.

If the assistants are out recruiting but were instructed to tell recruits JB may or may not be here or can't promise them JB will be here when they come on campus then recruits know, their parents know, their AAU coaches know, their handlers know and so do their cousins and next door neighbors.

If so many people know, then this should have been leaked by now.

I also doubt JB would stop the recruiting to handicap his successor.

I am more inclined to think no recruit is due to the large freshmen class and the portal in case there are transfers.

 

[FrancoPizza]

...and apathy has set in for many, and is the result of the many years of decline and what has been largely a lost decade with a few bright spots.

I see fewer and fewer kids wearing SU jerseys. Now it's just Golden State crap. Parents have faced an almost impossible job grooming the next generation of SU fans. We're losing a generation.

But JB. Equity.

 

[Orangezoo]

W

With fab he’s cruising to a 3rd. Without smarts shot we never need to have this conversation again

Loved that Fab team but we weren't cruising past Caliparis most loaded and only NC team. Good game for sure but that's a tossup.

 

[CardiacCuse]

You don’t rebuild with 5 freshman anymore, this isn’t Kentucky, you need to mix transfers with the r freshman, how many of these freshman do you think are going to be on the roster in 4 years? Next year?

I’m willing to bet that one guy out of this class stays 4 years, and that may be pushing it.

jg3 jesse and ajok beg to differ

most of the freshman are 4 year players, imo

 

[Fly Rodder]

most of the freshman are 4 year players, imo

Somewhere, probably not Syracuse.