Diagne

[OrangeXtreme]

This is really an epic failure by the staff. They knew we had no margin for error this year. None, especially with the bigs. This "problem" didn't just come up -- people on this board suspected it for months. The staff knew or should have known there was a risk, assessed and risk and moved on to someone who can play right now. It's not a crime to pull an offer in such circumstances. God, does our staff not know the rulebook on eligibility at this point, or should we rent the UK guy? Meanwhile, Thomas Bryant goes elsewhere as we had "no room at the inn".
This does not happen to elite programs (after another year like last, we are elite only in memory).
Sorry -- can't handle the apologists any longer. Flame away from your 2003 dream world. This is an error -- and an unforced one at that. Will anyone be accountable?

Bryant went elsewhere because he wanted to get away from Mama.

Don't let the facts get in the way of your anti-JB agenda.

 

[pearl31]

I'd rather see Obokoh come in and give an effort while keeping Roberson at his strong position.

Well, you're going to be happy then. Unless Chino is in dire foul trouble, he will be backing up Coleman.

 

[IthacaMatt]

No it won't.

Do you think Coleman is going to play 30+ minutes a game this year and last the whole season? I don't. He hasn't done it for us yet.

Without Coleman, we have one center on the roster, who wasn't good enough to play when we only had one other healthy center on the roster last year. I think the NIT would be a tremendous accomplishment if Coleman gets injured.

 

[AZOrange]

FYI, According to Brent Axe. Syracuse will continue the relationship.

But again. Why can't he just go prep for a year ? Then enroll next year.

Because there are prep/juco rules...he isn't coming.

 

[AZOrange]

God I hate some of the members of the local media. Some of them just have no clue.

What happened now?

 

[Consigliere]

In a tight game late my money's still on Roberson. Can't play 4 on 5 offensively against UNC/Duke/UVA etc

We will certainly get the opportunity to see. At this, point though I agree with Jake and RF that Chino is the option until he proves he isn't. That will all be determined in practice and in the pre-conference season. And while the best case is Coleman staying healthy and finally beginning to tap his potential, It's unrealistic to think he could ever play 35 minutes a game. I think we'll need 10 - 12 minutes out of a backup center regardless.

 

[jekelish]

What happened now?

Oh, just one of the local radio guys responding to the idea of Custis walking on. "What's the point? He's only 6-6, it doesn't matter." Which, fine. He's not an answer at center. But no one is asking him to be an answer at center. It's more about providing emergency depth in the post, and a 6-6, 230 pound guy who was offered by Larry Brown is a better emergency option than some 6-5 walk on who might be a D3 level player. So when presented with the, "if DC and Chino are out and Roberson has to play the 5, it wouldn't be bad to have him as emergency depth at the 4" the response was, simply, "No, we'll just lose then." What a clown.

Again - no one is suggesting Custis is a savior. He probably wouldn't ever get on the court. But wouldn't you rather have the 10th guy be a guy like Custis, or some walk on who has zero business being out there?

 

[IthacaMatt]

What a ridiculous post. And what exactly did you expect SU to do? Pull the scholarship from Diagne and give it to someone else this summer? Yeah, that would look great for future recruiting. I'm sure no other coaches would use that against us at all... Not to mention, all accounts, including Moustapha himself and his host dad, pointed to him being eligible and on-campus. Imagine if he had been deemed eligible and we had pulled his scholly. That would have been a PR nightmare.

You know who should be held accountable? The NCAA. They're the ones that just ***ed up this kids life. Why? He was a good student here, and he had acceptable test scores and did everything he was asked to do in the US. So why exactly is he being punished? Seriously, get off your soapbox.

They didn't have to take the commitment from Diagne, especially if there were eligibility questions, which forced us into the tight spot of not having a scholarship available for Thomas Bryant. Remember? Wasn't that the whole reason we offered Chino - to get "Little Brother"?

 

[Consigliere]

Any chance Chukwu can apply for some kind of hardship waiver?

Unfortunately it's got to be the player's hardship, not the team's. Usually this is granted based on a family situation where the kid needs to be closer to home. Checked the air miles and Providence is closer to Nigeria than Syracuse is by a couple hundred miles so I guess a sick aunt isn't an option.

 

[AZOrange]

Oh, just one of the local radio guys responding to the idea of Custis walking on. "What's the point? He's only 6-6, it doesn't matter." Which, fine. He's not an answer at center. But no one is asking him to be an answer at center. It's more about providing emergency depth in the post, and a 6-6, 230 pound guy who was offered by Larry Brown is a better emergency option than some 6-5 walk on who might be a D3 level player. So when presented with the, "if DC and Chino are out and Roberson has to play the 5, it wouldn't be bad to have him as emergency depth at the 4" the response was, simply, "No, we'll just lose then." What a clown.

Again - no one is suggesting Custis is a savior. He probably wouldn't ever get on the court. But wouldn't you rather have the 10th guy be a guy like Custis, or some walk on who has zero business being out there?

For sure.

 

[LoudHouse]

They didn't have to take the commitment from Diagne, especially if there were eligibility questions, which forced us into the tight spot of not having a scholarship available for Thomas Bryant. Remember? Wasn't that the whole reason we offered Chino - to get "Little Brother"?

Yes, but when Diagne was offered, there was absolutely no reason to suspect that he wouldn't qualify, considering he was a good student and had all qualifying scores on his tests. You realize that we weren't the only big name school to offer him, right?

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebas...n-top-30-moustapha-diagne-commits-to-syracuse

 

[AZOrange]

Yes, but when Diagne was offered, there was absolutely no reason to suspect that he wouldn't qualify, considering he was a good student and had all qualifying scores on his tests. You realize that we weren't the only big name school to offer him, right?

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebas...n-top-30-moustapha-diagne-commits-to-syracuse

He had all his qualifying scores?

 

[LoudHouse]

Sorry, perhaps I misspoke as I realize he committed rather early. However, there was still at that time no cause for concern to think he would be ineligible.

 

[Gotothehole]

And no one knew this in advance?

 

[FrancoPizza]

Bottom line is our margin for error this season just moved to razor thin and or ceiling is lower.

I hate to see this with foreign kids. I mean to me if he was able to pass highschool in the US and pass his SAT or ACT then it doesn't make a lot of sense. I know there needs to be rules and if the High School classes in the US are in question or a test result then I can understand looking into that but honestly these kids are coming to America to have better opportunity and a better life of course their early highschool classes are unlikely to match up with those here.

Not only that but many foreign student-athletes seem to take the college academic workload way more seriously than the prima donnas who are just killing time before the NBA.

 

[Jake]

Where's Melvin Tuten when you need him.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Where's Melvin Tuten when you need him.

I bought his shooting shirt from one of Kyle Fetterly's garage sales a while back. It's an XXXL.

 

[dasher]

They didn't have to take the commitment from Diagne, especially if there were eligibility questions, which forced us into the tight spot of not having a scholarship available for Thomas Bryant. Remember? Wasn't that the whole reason we offered Chino - to get "Little Brother"?

First, because you don't think Coleman can't hold up, well, that answers that. No need to discuss it. And second, they didn't know there would be eligibility questions with Diagne . And who ever said from Syracuse that Chino was offered to get Bryant? That was just an opinion. And our ships loss was not why we didn't get Bryant.

 

[cuseguy]

He had all his qualifying scores?

Yes.

 

[cuseguy]

First, because you don't think Coleman can't hold up, well, that answers that. No need to discuss it. And second, they didn't know there would be eligibility questions with Diagne . And who ever said from Syracuse that Chino was offered to get Bryant? That was just an opinion. And our ships loss was not why we didn't get Bryant.

I keep bringing this and I apologize. But if the NCAA takes the time to look into Diagne's academic record in Senegal, why wouldn't SU take the time to do the same?

I bet you they do going forward with athletes in similar situations.

 

[jekelish]

Let's just keep this in mind: somehow, Fab Melo qualified, but Diagne did not. That just seems inherently wrong.

 

[rrlbees]

What a ridiculous post. And what exactly did you expect SU to do? Pull the scholarship from Diagne and give it to someone else this summer? Yeah, that would look great for future recruiting. I'm sure no other coaches would use that against us at all... Not to mention, all accounts, including Moustapha himself and his host dad, pointed to him being eligible and on-campus. Imagine if he had been deemed eligible and we had pulled his scholly. That would have been a PR nightmare. You know who should be held accountable? The NCAA. They're the ones that just ***ed up this kids life. Why? He was a good student here, and he had acceptable test scores and did everything he was asked to do in the US. So why exactly is he being punished? Seriously, get off your soapbox.

How did the NCAA *** up this kid? Every college athlete has to take a core set of college prep courses for initial eligibility. Not every kid makes it. This is like the Blair thread where in the end, he missed by 5 courses. Not one or two but five. If Diagne is going to JUCO, then he missed by at least 2 and will need a JUCO degree to play D1 ball.

 

[cuseguy]

Let's just keep this in mind: somehow, Fab Melo qualified, but Diagne did not. That just seems inherently wrong.

It's like the random bag check at the airport.

 

[FrancoPizza]

Any comment from diagne's camp about whether he would reconsider SU in 2 years?

 

[cuseguy]

Let's just keep this in mind: somehow, Fab Melo qualified, but Diagne did not. That just seems inherently wrong.

And I should add, we would have been better off if they checked Melo's transcript more closely.