Colgate Postgame

[SUFan44]

Didn't Melo score 30 against a ranked team in MSG his first game?

He was also inefficient and we lost. What is your point? He was talented, no question, from the start. Getting him to go inside out changed our ceiling from NCAA Tournament team to what we became.

 

[two3zone]

He was also inefficient and we lost. What is your point? He was talented, no question, from the start. Getting him to go inside out changed our ceiling from NCAA Tournament team to what we became.

He was that player before he came here.

I don't know why we think we can tweak one thing on the guy and he's a different player. If that was the case wouldn't he do that? Wouldn't the coaches make him do it?

The situation isn't even comparable, one would've been a top pick day one, Freeman can't play in a close game against Colgate. This isn't the same.

 

[Newhouser]

He was that player before he came here.

I don't know why we think we can tweak one thing on the guy and he's a different player. If that was the case wouldn't he do that? Wouldn't the coaches make him do it?

The situation isn't even comparable, one would've been a top pick day one, Freeman can't play in a close game against Colgate. This isn't the same.

Yeah not all McDonald's All-Americans are created equal and Melo arrived on campus much more ready to contribute than Freeman.

Last night I think Freeman got the short end a little by Red - he was bad on D and as I commented in the game thread his shot selection is atrocious, but Davis was awful in the second half last night too.

We need to feed Freeman minutes as his ceiling is the highest on the team and we need him to get off the ground floor if we plan on winning double digit games this year.

 

[two3zone]

Yeah not all McDonald's All-Americans are created equal and Melo arrived on campus much more ready to contribute than Freeman.

Last night I think Freeman got the short end a little by Red - he was bad on D and as I commented in the game thread his shot selection is atrocious, but Davis was awful in the second half last night too.

We need to feed Freeman minutes as his ceiling is the highest on the team and we need him to get off the ground floor if we plan on winning double digit games this year.

Agreed that Freeman HAS to get out there more, but him not playing me concerns me that it's not playing in the games then he must be awful in practice. I have zero knowledge on the subject but it's a conclusion I'm coming to.

 

[djorange1989]

All of this has made me think of the whole coach in waiting mess that happened with JB and Hop. For all the credit JB deserves for what this program was, that mess has really screwed up this program. If the transition had happened as it was supposed to, Hop would have taken over, recruiting would have been better more than likely. He certainly could have failed as coach, and his stint at UW says he would have. Even if he did? He would be gone now and JW would have been free of the “hand picked JB successor” shackles and we would have a coach now who was the result of an actual search. If Red fails, we wasted several extra years of mediocrity, making it that much harder to crawl out of this hole.

 

[Sbucketball]

I'm surprised Langel hasn't moved on to a HM program and instead he signed a contract extension through 2030. Maybe he's waiting out a HM job in NY. Nate Oats was 100 miles down the road at Buffalo and now he runs one of the best teams in the country.

 

[DoctahLexus]

All of this has made me think of the whole coach in waiting mess that happened with JB and Hop. For all the credit JB deserves for what this program was, that mess has really screwed up this program. If the transition had happened as it was supposed to, Hop would have taken over, recruiting would have been better more than likely. He certainly could have failed as coach, and his stint at UW says he would have. Even if he did? He would be gone now and JW would have been free of the “hand picked JB successor” shackles and we would have a coach now who was the result of an actual search. If Red fails, we wasted several extra years of mediocrity, making it that much harder to crawl out of this hole.

I agree, but hindsight is always 20/20. Boeheim has some leverage then because the late 2000's to early 2010's were some of our most dominant years as a program. If the team looked like it did from 2017 onward during that time, the higher ups would certainly be looking to make that succession plan a reality. But instead we were a powerhouse. One of the biggest names in college basketball. I'm sure the thought at the time was that we could keep that train rolling

 

[djorange1989]

I agree, but hindsight is always 20/20. Boeheim has some leverage then because the late 2000's to early 2010's were some of our most dominant years as a program. If the team looked like it did from 2017 onward during that time, the higher ups would certainly be looking to make that succession plan a reality. But instead we were a powerhouse. One of the biggest names in college basketball. I'm sure the thought at the time was that we could keep that train rolling

Very fair take

 

[Red Holzman]

We need to feed Freeman minutes as his ceiling is the highest on the team and we need him to get off the ground floor if we plan on winning double digit games this year.

+1
Coaching staff needs to demonstrate/prove their ability to develop a McD AA to excel in D1.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I still think he needs to start closer to the basket. Which is conceptually what worked for Melo -- different games and styles, but can't just start the game chucking 3's.

That's Chris' job. LOL

 

[IthacaMatt]

He was that player before he came here.

I don't know why we think we can tweak one thing on the guy and he's a different player. If that was the case wouldn't he do that? Wouldn't the coaches make him do it?

The situation isn't even comparable, one would've been a top pick day one, Freeman can't play in a close game against Colgate. This isn't the same.

It's the difference between guys who play in parks in the cities, versus guys who only play AAU ball. Today, it's mostly AAU babies, who don't know what it takes to win dirty against a 30 year old man, let alone any basketball fundamentals.

 

[phil77]

+1
Coaching staff needs to demonstrate/prove their ability to develop a McD AA to excel in D1.

I agree with this we have a lot of highly recruited players come here and have failed lately. Is it an identifying talent problem or a development or lack there of problem.

 

[baggerbob]

I agree with this we have a lot of highly recruited players come here and have failed lately. Is it an identifying talent problem or a development or lack there of problem.

The circuits have caused a big problem, a lot of these players don't understand the fundamentals of the game. It's why so many European players go high in the draft.
With American players it's like playing the lottery, you have as much chance they will fail as being a star.

 

[Eric15]

On the 1-10 spectrum of freshman readiness, if Melo is a 10, Donte Greene and Jonny Flynn are like an 7 or 8, and Fab Melo was a 1, I thought maybe Freeman would be like a 6 at worst. I'm worried that he may be closer to a Dion Waiters freshman which is like a 3.