Christmas

[Brooky03]

Why would we put any of our current centers at the 4?

We're going to have 4 forwards on the team and two have proven themselves (Fair and Grant). Then we have a top recruit in Roberson and a great athlete in BJ Johnson. Developing one of our centers into a PF wouldn't solve anything.

 

[orange79]

there is no way he transfers. that just means sitting out another year. if he leaves syracuse it will to play pro ball

He asked what the rumors were, I told him. Doesn't mean either are true or false. Just rumors.

 

[dasher]

Bernie was the most over rated coach I have ever seen. We haven't exactly had a lot of big men improve under him. Rony was a great athlete. What did Bernie do for

IMO...really can't blame our weakness at the center spot on the players too much. After Bernie, the AD & JB did NOTHING to bring in a good man to coach the bigs. There was no one on this coaching staff that did that. I sure hope they consider a new hire for next year.

ct
Conrad? Nothing. For Forth. Nothing. Hop is twice the coach and I will take my chances.

 

[Deano]

I think it's amazing to read the posts on this board sometimes, especially in this thread.:bat:
The only center/big man that will possibly redshirt next year his Chinonso Obokoh

 

[otisco]

That Rak will either transfer or opt to go pro, probably overseas.

Thanks, O79. Strange options to pursue. Both would be available for him after next season when he is improved, more experienced, and more mature.

 

[orange79]

Bernie was the most over rated coach I have ever seen. We haven't exactly had a lot of big men improve under him. Rony was a great athlete. What did Bernie do for
ct
Conrad? Nothing. For Forth. Nothing. Hop is twice the coach and I will take my chances.

McCrae didn't improve? Schayes? Bouie? Otis? I could go on. Not saying Bernie was the be all, end all of big man coaches, but to say he did nothing is just plain wrong.

 

[anomander]

let's give Hopkins some time. I have a feeling nobody will be questioning his ability to coach bigs once he is finished with DC. I mean who are we basing this off Rak and Baye? Baye was pretty limited to begin with I would have been shocked if he ever developed into a guy you can throw the ball to? As for Rak, I think he has shown some improvements, but was effectively Boheimed this year.

 

[Flacusian]

And so the offseason Syracuse.fansanity begins!

 

[BostonOrange]

take it for what it's worth but i had it from a very reliable source that he was all but gone after the season. then again this was in October before the actual season began. I believe he was projected then to at least get drafted. Not sure if the current season has changed his mind at all, and haven't heard anything new since then, so I guess we will have to wait and see. I've said it before though there are plenty of places all over the world an athletic 6'9 250lber can go and get paid to play basketball.

No one will pay him to play basketball. Maybe the outer Mongolian b league. He needs to come back and improve a lot just to get into a decent European league. He may not share my view of his game though.

 

[BostonOrange]

Bernie was the most over rated coach I have ever seen. We haven't exactly had a lot of big men improve under him. Rony was a great athlete. What did Bernie do for
ct
Conrad? Nothing. For Forth. Nothing. Hop is twice the coach and I will take my chances.

I'm not close enough to the program to comment intelligently on Bernie's coaching ability, but I will say we had a fairly long stretch where our big men did improve a lot while on campus. Rony, DC, Otis, Etan, hak Rick Jackson, Arinze. to mind. Course some didn't, Watkins only improved marginally. Trob, McNeil as well. Rak thus far has not improved but he still has 2 yrs. maybe.

 

[dasher]

McCrae didn't improve? Schayes? Bouie? Otis? I could go on. Not saying Bernie was the be all, end all of big man coaches, but to say he did nothing is just plain wrong.

Schayes and Rony got better going to big man camps. Bouie? He should have been a first round pick. Not a shining example for Bernie.

 

[orange79]

Schayes and Rony got better going to big man camps. Bouie? He should have been a first round pick. Not a shining example for Bernie.

Whatever. You can't say definitively that Bernie didn't help them. The only reason they improved is because they went to big man camps? Really? What about all the guards that 'didn't improve'? Were their coaches the most overrated coaches too? Please. JB is a selfish guy when it comes to coaching. He wants to win. Period. Do you really think he would keep Bernie around for 35 years if he didn't think Bernie was doing his job? Really?

 

[suinaustin]

Bernie was the most over rated coach I have ever seen. We haven't exactly had a lot of big men improve under him. Rony was a great athlete. What did Bernie do for
ct
Conrad? Nothing. For Forth. Nothing. Hop is twice the coach and I will take my chances.[/quot

Some players can be taught, some can't. I don't know if this is a fact or not, but was Bernie the one who recruited the above mentioned players? What about the last few years? Who coached Melo? Arinze? Not saying Hop is a bad coach, just did not do the job with the bigs this year. Arinze was a beast and Melo's transformation from frosh was amazing. Too bad the injury and the suspension hurt Cuse's chances in the previous years.

 

[dasher]

Whatever. You can't say definitively that Bernie didn't help them. The only reason they improved is because they went to big man camps? Really? What about all the guards that 'didn't improve'? Were their coaches the most overrated coaches too? Please. JB is a selfish guy when it comes to coaching. He wants to win. Period. Do you really think he would keep Bernie around for 35 years if he didn't think Bernie was doing his job? Really?

He kept Bernie on the recruiting road and he couldn't recruit a lick as well. Bernie knew where the bodies were buried. Period.

 

[tbonezone]

So it's better for Christmas to kick him out of the program and/or burn his eligibility by letting him rot on the bench? I really don't follow that logic.

Hilton Armstrong redshirted his junior year after starting as a freshman and sophomore. Didn't seem to hurt UConn. It happens.

hilton armstrong redshirted? maybe you're thinking matt gorman. be hard to confuse them tho...

 

[orangenirvana]

I think it's amazing sometimes to read the posts on this board sometimes, especially in this thread.:bat:
The only center/big man that will possibly redshirt next year his Chinonso Obokoh

So redshirting anyone other than a freshman is completely out of the realm of possibility? So much so that it's "amazing" to read?

I think it's amazing how many arrogant douche bags there are on this forum.

 

[orange79]

So redshirting anyone other than a freshman is completely out of the realm of possibility? So much so that it's "amazing" to read?

Scoop Jardine, anyone?

 

[PhatOrange]

Bernie was the most over rated coach I have ever seen. We haven't exactly had a lot of big men improve under him. Rony was a great athlete. What did Bernie do for
ct
Conrad? Nothing. For Forth. Nothing. Hop is twice the coach and I will take my chances.

lol you're a dope.

Most every big man we ever had improved over the time he was here.

Which ones didnt improve?

Otis hill
Ovcina
Reafsnyder,
celuck,
McNeil,
forth,
Watkins
Etan Thomas
arinze
fabricio

How far back do we go? Brower, Hawkins, harried, siock, Rogers, papadakos, ellis?

Rak regressed this season and DC showed nothing.

 

[tbonezone]

well here's hilton's stats for you. don't see no red shirt.

http://statsheet.com/mcb/players/player/connecticut/hilton-armstrong
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/30065

now i know matt gorman did in fact redshirt after his soph season.didn't help him or the team.

 

[orangenirvana]

well here's hilton's stats for you. don't see no red shirt.

http://statsheet.com/mcb/players/player/connecticut/hilton-armstrong
http:// .yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/30065

now i know matt gorman did in fact redshirt after his soph season.didn't help him or the team.

Yep, my bad. For some reason I thought he redshirted.

Scoop is a better example.

 

[tbonezone]

imo bernie fine would never ever have been hired as big man coach at any other university in the country. he was jim boeheim's close friend from the start and that's the only reason he kept his job.

 

[Czar]

No one will pay him to play basketball. Maybe the outer Mongolian b league. He needs to come back and improve a lot just to get into a decent European league. He may not share my view of his game though.

BostonOrange: Expert on Foreign Basketball

Seriously though, Rak can easily go pro in Europe.

 

[chuck]

Some of you people come up with mindless crap to say on this board. Baye Keita as a power forward? What..IMO this class coming in is one of the best we've had in 10 years. If we can keep either mcw or fair this team will be pretty damn good. I hope we keep both but I'm optimistic. If rak leaves he leaves its not going to he a massive loss it's all mental with him and until he can get himself past that he will only be at best a 6pt and 4rb type of player. Wish him well tho and hope he can play to his talent.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

let's give Hopkins some time. I have a feeling nobody will be questioning his ability to coach bigs once he is finished with DC. I mean who are we basing this off Rak and Baye? Baye was pretty limited to begin with I would have been shocked if he ever developed into a guy you can throw the ball to? As for Rak, I think he has shown some improvements, but was effectively Boheimed this year.

How was Rak "Boeheimed"? He got time, he got to start. He has showed so little the OP is asking how he will feel about being RS'd.
Technically, this is the opposite of being "Boeheimed".

Most JB bashers try to use the term "Boeheimed" to disparage JBs use of the players. The usual ploy is to promote some underclassman to get more time over their seasoned counterpart. Then when the underclassman finally gets their turn they can say "see, this guy was good, people should have listened to me". Repeated use of this strategy will make you look like some type of stroke related poster (see Igor or Cali). You seem like a decent poster, please don't follow this path.

 

[anomander]

How was Rak "Boeheimed"? He got time, he got to start. He has showed so little the OP is asking how he will feel about being RS'd.
Technically, this is the opposite of being "Boeheimed".

Most JB bashers try to use the term "Boeheimed" to disparage JBs use of the players. The usual ploy is to promote some underclassman to get more time over their seasoned counterpart. Then when the underclassman finally gets their turn they can say "see, this guy was good, people should have listened to me". Repeated use of this strategy will make you look like some type of stroke related poster (see Igor or Cali). You seem like a decent poster, please don't follow this path.

i have no problem with Boeheim, but you can't say there doesn't seem to be at least 1 player a year that for some reason or the other seems to be on a shorter leash then everyone else. i am a huge JB fan, and also a huge rak fan. probably one of his biggest supporters. he worked his ass off over the summer came back 15-20lbs heavier, and for the most part looked like he was ready to contribute. but then he would get the quick hooks and he seemed to have mentally crumbled. i'm not trying to be a shrink, but not all kids are wired the same. rak seems to be one of those guys where the in your face approach has not worked.