Excited For Next 2 Years

[ManleyRocks]

With the addition of Cole Swider and Symir Torrence along with Benny Williams and Jimmy Boeheim, I am really excited for the next two years. In the transfers, Coach has added developed men to the program who have a physical presence as as well as I suspect lunch pail maturity. Marry it up with the returning players you should have a group that is laser focused on the task at hand and the right blend of craftiness, moxie, intuitive sense of where to be and where to next move, length, size, strength, role, desire, plus we have the secret weapon...Coach's big brain and strategic approach to the game and the season. There is a reason why Coach has never had a losing season.

Enjoy the next two years. I suspect it is going to be special and that senior night 2023 will be sending off all three Boeheims. This will be the crowning glory of a glorious career.

(And then the Autry era will begin (which I am fully supportive of for scores of reasons)...but we can save that for another thread).

 

[Nicknack]

I love your enthusiasm. I guess I'm still a bit sour on "big brain's" rotations this year and letting Kadary leave. I'm just not so bullish on the next two years but will still be rooting like a crazy man during every game like always.

 

[newmexicuse]

Great enthusiasm, but Benny could easily be a one and done. Our current roster will have shooting skills, but where will the muscle and athleticism come from ?

also, PG is a big question. I am high on Symir, but let’s get real, so far he has proven nothing at the college level. Joe will always have his limitations. There may well be nobody on the court to break down d’s and dish.

the D will also be an issue whenever Joe is in the game and up front we will have questions. Jesse may well be our only plus defender on the court much of the time.

Marek may well be missed more than most on this forum expect due to his facilitating skills.

Now if both marek and q came back, then we are talking.

 

[All4SU]

I think people really sell JG short.

 

[Nicknack]

I think people really sell JG short.

Short jokes aren't cool.

 

[Giants1973]

Short jokes aren't cool.

Joe needs to be more consistent!!

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I think people really sell JG short.

I tend to sell him wide.

 

[All4SU]

There were times this year where you could just see the confidence drained from JG. I agree he’s not the fastest kid. He’s not the most athletic. He isn’t the tallest. He doesn’t have the greatest handle. But he is a competitor. A kid that will just keep coming back again and again. When his confidence failed - which happens to lots of players at various times in their careers - it took away his greatest edge. A kid who is blessed with the ability to jump through the roof will always have that to lean on even if things aren’t going well for him. JG has his competitive spirit. That’s tough to rely on when your confidence is faltering. It becomes more evident when you start trying to do too much, or when your shortcomings (almost every player has some) are exposed.

I am expecting a healthier JG to come back after an offseason of working on his game, more confident with his edge back. Still believe his best spot is off the ball, but I expect he will rotate between the two guard spots. With more shooters, he will have some options to pass to. But getting in the lane will be difficult for him again if we can’t find some legitimate inside threats.

 

[NKR1978]

I would be so happy to be wrong, but I don’t see any difference next year. Bubble team fighting for 9+ seed.

 

[sufandu]

I suggest not getting excited for more than one year at a time. With early entries and transfers, the era of anticipating beyond what you have at the beginning of the current season is gone.

 

[All4SU]

I would be so happy to be wrong, but I don’t see any difference next year. Bubble team fighting for 9+ seed.

So much of CBB is chemistry. Difficult to make that happen when you’re playing jigsaw puzzle with rosters. But I remain hopeful. Effort overcomes a lot of shortcomings.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

There were times this year where you could just see the confidence drained from JG. I agree he’s not the fastest kid. He’s not the most athletic. He isn’t the tallest. He doesn’t have the greatest handle. But he is a competitor. A kid that will just keep coming back again and again. When his confidence failed - which happens to lots of players at various times in their careers - it took away his greatest edge. A kid who is blessed with the ability to jump through the roof will always have that to lean on even if things aren’t going well for him. JG has his competitive spirit. That’s tough to rely on when your confidence is faltering. It becomes more evident when you start trying to do too much, or when your shortcomings (almost every player has some) are exposed.

I am expecting a healthier JG to come back after an offseason of working on his game, more confident with his edge back. Still believe his best spot is off the ball, but I expect he will rotate between the two guard spots. With more shooters, he will have some options to pass to. But getting in the lane will be difficult for him again if we can’t find some legitimate inside threats.

Here's the big question to me - is it a confident Joe G that puts up the bad shots, or is it the Joe G lacking confidence that puts up bad shots? Or is the bad shot going up regardless of his confidence level?

He won't get taller. We saw what happens when he tries adding strength. Hopefully he can regain some quickness, but let's be honest, physically his improvements are going to be along the margins. For him to get better he needs to up his skills and feel for the game. How much better can he get handling the ball? How much better can he get as a passer? He has a rep as a shooter, but his percentages suggest he has room to grow there - how much can he improve his shooting?

I think a realistic vision for his improvement is to limit the things he does poorly. Cut out the bad shots (I don't care that we'd lose the occasional one he makes), limit the turnovers bringing the ball up and driving... he'll look like a much better player by cutting out the inefficiencies in his game.

Unfortunately, if he does that, it helps his game, but it means we still have a playmaking gap on our team.

 

[Nicknack]

I suggest not getting excited for more than one year at a time. With early entries and transfers, the era of anticipating beyond what you have at the beginning of the current season is gone.

Any more, I just try getting excited one game at a time. Seriously. Just when I thought Kadary would work into the starting position, well, you know the rest.

 

[Bball44]

I suggest not getting excited for more than one year at a time. With early entries and transfers, the era of anticipating beyond what you have at the beginning of the current season is gone.

Good point. As far as the upcoming season is concerned, SU will have multiple players with multiple years of years of college experience. If these veteran guys buy in, reasons to be optimistic

 

[Cusefan69]

I find it strange that so many are talking in absolutes about the team. So unless we bring others in no players on the team are capable of getting better or working on their games? Everyone remains stagnant? Well sheeeet might as well cancel the season now. It's over. No one on the team can learn, hone their craft or get better at any skills. It's like there's an intentional negativity with the team by the fans?

 

[Irt4su]

I may be wrong...but I want to look at JG this way...

1) man among boys in HS
2) wasn't supposed to start as a frosh and did. He played with nothing to lose and still had cockiness and bravado from HS
3) he realized he belonged but also realized that he needed to get stronger
4) got bigger in the off-season. It slowed him down (along w covid) and he lost a lot of swagger and confidence bc KR was clearly awesome and had JG for the first time in his life looking over his shoulder.
5) no fans hurts a floor slapper like Joe and all he "heard" were negative comments and posts.
6) KR is unfortunately gone, JG has eaten some humble pie...he will train differently in the off-season knowing he needs to get quicker and smarter.
7) he won't be looking over his shoulder, he will have fans to slap the floor for, players to dish too around the perimeter, a center to cover up some guys he let's in the lane on D...and he may remove the half court logo shot from his resume
8) I expect and hope for Joe to get better and I think he can and will. I am and was a huge Kadray fan and rather have him starting 100 out of 100 times over Joe. But we have what we have and I may be one of few who thinks that's ok and that I think Joe will be better than this year

 

[All4SU]

Here's the big question to me - is it a confident Joe G that puts up the bad shots, or is it the Joe G lacking confidence that puts up bad shots? Or is the bad shot going up regardless of his confidence level?

He won't get taller. We saw what happens when he tries adding strength. Hopefully he can regain some quickness, but let's be honest, physically his improvements are going to be along the margins. For him to get better he needs to up his skills and feel for the game. How much better can he get handling the ball? How much better can he get as a passer? He has a rep as a shooter, but his percentages suggest he has room to grow there - how much can he improve his shooting?

I think a realistic vision for his improvement is to limit the things he does poorly. Cut out the bad shots (I don't care that we'd lose the occasional one he makes), limit the turnovers bringing the ball up and driving... he'll look like a much better player by cutting out the inefficiencies in his game.

Unfortunately, if he does that, it helps his game, but it means we still have a playmaking gap on our team.

I think when his confidence is lacking, he loses his feel for the game and momentum. So yes, it leads to more bad shot or bad plays. I also think that more and any guard we’ve had in a while, he needs a big inside presence from a real Center. When teams just extend and extend out on us, he suffers. He can make plays. But that’s too much to ask when teams don’t respect us inside at all.

 

[Alsacs]

I may be wrong...but I want to look at JG this way...

1) man among boys in HS
2) wasn't supposed to start as a frosh and did. He played with nothing to lose and still had cockiness and bravado from HS
3) he realized he belonged but also realized that he needed to get stronger
4) got bigger in the off-season. It slowed him down (along w covid) and he lost a lot of swagger and confidence bc KR was clearly awesome and had JG for the first time in his life looking over his shoulder.
5) no fans hurts a floor slapper like Joe and all he "heard" were negative comments and posts.
6) KR is unfortunately gone, JG has eaten some humble pie...he will train differently in the off-season knowing he needs to get quicker and smarter.
7) he won't be looking over his shoulder, he will have fans to slap the floor for, players to dish too around the perimeter, a center to cover up some guys he let's in the lane on D...and he may remove the half court logo shot from his resume
8) I expect and hope for Joe to get better and I think he can and will. I am and was a huge Kadray fan and rather have him starting 100 out of 100 times over Joe. But we have what we have and I may be one of few who thinks that's ok and that I think Joe will be better than this year

You are the fan our fanbase has to become as this is well done.


What are your expectations for the program?
I ask because you are saying the right stuff and based on that you aren’t expecting a top 25 team all season long or competing for top 4 ACC and top 4 NCAAT seed.

As if you are then you would realize it’s unlikely based on the personnel.

If you are expecting that stuff your post wouldn’t be the same.

If fans accept we aren’t going to be what we are this is a great template.

 

[CousCuse]

I think when his confidence is lacking, he loses his feel for the game and momentum. So yes, it leads to more bad shot or bad plays. I also think that more and any guard we’ve had in a while, he needs a big inside presence from a real Center. When teams just extend and extend out on us, he suffers. He can make plays. But that’s too much to ask when teams don’t respect us inside at all.

He needs to take pull up jumpers from 12 feetish before he looks to shoot from 3. He should be able to make those at a high rate and that will pull the 5 out. He can also pump fake on those shots too and go to the foul line for points. That would back his defender off and give him better looks at 3.

 

[Nicknack]

I find it strange that so many are talking in absolutes about the team. So unless we bring others in no players on the team are capable of getting better or working on their games? Everyone remains stagnant? Well sheeeet might as well cancel the season now. It's over. No one on the team can learn, hone their craft or get better at any skills. It's like there's an intentional negativity with the team by the fans?

Fair point. I expect Buddy to improve which I'm excited about. I expect Jesse to improve and with more floor time, to be a solid player for us. I don't know about Joe. Hopefully he will, but sometimes players sort of reach their ceiling and they are what they are. If Griff were to come back, I think he would also improve. I like his game. That all said, the dude I want most to improve between now and next season is our coach.

 

[Sherman20]

Great enthusiasm, but Benny could easily be a one and done. Our current roster will have shooting skills, but where will the muscle and athleticism come from ?

also, PG is a big question. I am high on Symir, but let’s get real, so far he has proven nothing at the college level. Joe will always have his limitations. There may well be nobody on the court to break down d’s and dish.

the D will also be an issue whenever Joe is in the game and up front we will have questions. Jesse may well be our only plus defender on the court much of the time.

Marek may well be missed more than most on this forum expect due to his facilitating skills.

Now if both marek and q came back, then we are talking.

Spot on. We will miss the passing and play making skills of Marek and Kadary—big time. We need to get an athletic, high level PG who can get into the lane at will or an athletic wing who can attack off the bounce.

 

[Irt4su]

You are the fan our fanbase has to become as this is well done.


What are your expectations for the program?
I ask because you are saying the right stuff and based on that you aren’t expecting a top 25 team all season long or competing for top 4 ACC and top 4 NCAAT seed.

As if you are then you would realize it’s unlikely based on the personnel.

If you are expecting that stuff your post wouldn’t be the same.

If fans accept we aren’t going to be what we are this is a great template.

I am not sure I follow your question to me exactly. But I do expect that next year will be absolutely consistent with every other year...it doesn't matter what I expect as things change too much and there are too many variables such as injuries or the effects things have on other programs.

I do believe at this exact moment that we are going to be better than we were this year during the regular season.

1) no covid
2) Benny is an upgrade over Allen
3) Jesse is a defensive upgrade for the zone and other than passing and dribbling Marek was not an offensive force so I look at Benny as taking on that role a little while jesse will be serviceable if not surprising on o
4) buddy will be similar on offense but seems to find a new wrinkle to his game for each season. I couldn't hate the buddy backdown more early in the season yet it was an asset later and will be next year. I do expect him to work on quickness and dribbling and, other than a few in our programs history, upper classes get better with the zone nuances thus making them better. He is not a stiff on d and we have had shorter and slower at the top and done fine...Marius? He will be better and as a focus for the d he will find teammates. I expect more running around on o for him like Trevor or Andy.
5) Cole is an upgrade over Braswell. All facets by the end of the year but for zone anticipation. I can live with that. Braswell to me was a spot up shooter on o with no dribble or court sense. Cole is not like that. Im happy here
6) rather have kadray but Joe in my opinion will be better than this year. I like symir and think we have the chance to be pleasantly surprised as our third guard...honestly. kid is nothing but positives on his social media at all times and seems to be a hard worker with something to show to home fans.
7) if woody comes back then awesome!!!
8) I hope frank comes back because in my mind he may be a right etan...but that is literally based on thoughts...not tape, comments, other...
9) I want sid and marek to move on but do respect and appreciate them both
10) I like Q but he reminded me too much of Paul Harris. He's a big kid but doesn't often play above the rim, limited handle, ok range but causes us to have no one underneath if he misses his 3.

Sorry for the long post...I expect a less athletic team than this season but a lot more focus, dedication and awareness. I see no reason to expect a final four but didn't this year either yet we had a path to it.

I will be rooting hard and trust in the coaches

 

[Alsacs]

I am not sure I follow your question to me exactly. But I do expect that next year will be absolutely consistent with every other year...it doesn't matter what I expect as things change too much and there are too many variables such as injuries or the effects things have on other programs.

I do believe at this exact moment that we are going to be better than we were this year during the regular season.

1) no covid
2) Benny is an upgrade over Allen
3) Jesse is a defensive upgrade for the zone and other than passing and dribbling Marek was not an offensive force so I look at Benny as taking on that role a little while jesse will be serviceable if not surprising on o
4) buddy will be similar on offense but seems to find a new wrinkle to his game for each season. I couldn't hate the buddy backdown more early in the season yet it was an asset later and will be next year. I do expect him to work on quickness and dribbling and, other than a few in our programs history, upper classes get better with the zone nuances thus making them better. He is not a stiff on d and we have had shorter and slower at the top and done fine...Marius? He will be better and as a focus for the d he will find teammates. I expect more running around on o for him like Trevor or Andy.
5) Cole is an upgrade over Braswell. All facets by the end of the year but for zone anticipation. I can live with that. Braswell to me was a spot up shooter on o with no dribble or court sense. Cole is not like that. Im happy here
6) rather have kadray but Joe in my opinion will be better than this year. I like symir and think we have the chance to be pleasantly surprised as our third guard...honestly. kid is nothing but positives on his social media at all times and seems to be a hard worker with something to show to home fans.
7) if woody comes back then awesome!!!
8) I hope frank comes back because in my mind he may be a right etan...but that is literally based on thoughts...not tape, comments, other...
9) I want sid and marek to move on but do respect and appreciate them both
10) I like Q but he reminded me too much of Paul Harris. He's a big kid but doesn't often play above the rim, limited handle, ok range but causes us to have no one underneath if he misses his 3.

Sorry for the long post...I expect a less athletic team than this season but a lot more focus, dedication and awareness. I see no reason to expect a final four but didn't this year either yet we had a path to it.

I will be rooting hard and trust in the coaches

What are your expectations for the program was the question.

You don’t expect a Final Four was the answer you gave.
So you don’t expect to compete for
National titles.

That is a fair expectation.

If fans don’t expect to be old Syracuse the anger should subside.

Jim Boeheim should stop saying publicly he wants to be 2 seeds in the NCAAT. If he didn’t just say that he would be telling the fanbase to recalibrate their expectations like you have.

The problem is the double speak. We aren’t old Syracuse anymore and when fans follow your lead the anger should go away.

 

[Irt4su]

I still expect a high seed each year and chance at title. But I also feel like no team is the "old team" anymore...whether unc, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky etc. I dont think we are georgetown or anything like a "once storied program" . I expect top tier results but understand that the landscape has changed. Baylor had a literal murder issue a decade or so and look where they are now...

I don't lower my expectations I am just a realist to the changing landscapes of the sport. I throw my remote and curse and my kids can't watch a game with me...but man was our bubble team.awesome this tourney. I expect a top team year. I have lost no faith in syracuse hoops.

Ps I am.far from an optimist. I just dont think we are dead to rights for next year or as a program I general. We've survived everything players and the ncaa has thrown at us for decades...this portal and jg at point is not the end of days

 

[OrangeDW]

I think people really sell JG short.

I watched our comical attempts to break WVU’s press that were easily solved by one substitution.

He’s a good player with limitations. At this point I’m concerned at the team’s passing ability and our ability to handle the ball against pressure for next year. I don’t think we’ve adequately replaced Kadary and Marek in that regard, and I’m frightened at how we’ll do against teams that have the athletes to get after it.