Feelings of Hopelessness for this Program amidst the Gaslighting

[sufan59]

I agree with you, but I want to reinforce Optics literally do not matter as some here tend to claim they do. Coaches get fired all the time after losing season and people that care about why they got fired think about it for 24 hours then quickly move on. Then almost every single school is able to conduct a coaching search and hire a talented coach. There’s no blight or stigma attached to the program because the prior coach got fired. Coaching is all about performance. If you don’t perform at a high level you get fired. There’s always another coach waiting for their chance to be a head coach because they believe they will be successful once they have their chance. There’s only 360+- D1 coaching positions and less than 70 at high major programs. That’s not a lot of opportunity for those waiting for their shot. Really less than 10 positions a year and probably 50 or so qualified coaches fighting to for those positions.

Fire Red. There’s 50 guys better than him that could potentially take over and would love a shot. Almost every single option would be better than Red. He was the wrong choice all in the name of continuity on a program that’s was on a downward trajectory. Well, the school got what they wanted with continuity.

Honestly if anything. I’m learning that the downward trajectory was not as bad because we had Boeheim gameday coaching even with the clear decline of talent level.

 

[hoopsupstate]

I still don’t think JJ is a very good player… building around an inefficient scorer who doesn’t make others better and isn’t a net positive on defense isn’t a great strategy imo.

It’s not what Davis said after the game.

 

[Fly Rodder]

It’s not what Davis said after the game.

Sometimes people are being polite.

 

[baggerbob]

I agree with you, but I want to reinforce Optics literally do not matter as some here tend to claim they do. Coaches get fired all the time after losing season and people that care about why they got fired think about it for 24 hours then quickly move on. Then almost every single school is able to conduct a coaching search and hire a talented coach. There’s no blight or stigma attached to the program because the prior coach got fired. Coaching is all about performance. If you don’t perform at a high level you get fired. There’s always another coach waiting for their chance to be a head coach because they believe they will be successful once they have their chance. There’s only 360+- D1 coaching positions and less than 70 at high major programs. That’s not a lot of opportunity for those waiting for their shot. Really less than 10 positions a year and probably 50 or so qualified coaches fighting to for those positions.

Fire Red. There’s 50 guys better than him that could potentially take over and would love a shot. Almost every single option would be better than Red. He was the wrong choice all in the name of continuity on a program that’s was on a downward trajectory. Well, the school got what they wanted with continuity.

And for all the people out there who say Syracuse head coaching position isn't a high profile job.
Most of the up and coming coaches out there were around to watch all the raucus 30,000 plus crowds in the Dome.
And if you don't believe a lot of them wouldn't jump at the chance to be the coach in front of those type of crowds. You are living in LA la land.

 

[Irishsecra1]

So in summary --

Our coach ---

Can't identify talent
Can't coach Xs and Os
Can't coach up lesser talent
Can't develop kids
Can't in-game coach with rotation
Can't figure out late-game strategy on the fly

What is one aspect of coaching Red does well??

He can recruit
Unfortunately, he can’t identify the true talent of who he is recruiting

 

[Irishsecra1]

I agree. Your comment that they are really not clear what they’re asked to do and don’t understand or what their role is. Really hits hard.

Why have all our shooters regressed from last year? Why can they all the sudden not make free throws this year? It’s because they are in a constant state of chaos, playing new rotations every game. and for most of the games do not understand what Autry is trying to do with his subs or gameplans.

We already don’t have the brightest bunch on the court. Why complicate things so much every game.

I think our shooters have regressed since Gerry is gone.
Gerry had 2 undeniable things going for him- street cred being a major part of a national championship and a reputation of working his ass off.
That tends to reach players and inspire them.
None of the coaches now seem to inspire anyone, seem to know how to teach players how to improve, being shooting stroke or defen intensity.
And as stated before, I still don’t understand what this teams philosophy is, who is the on court leader, etc.
Lampkin may be the closest thing to an on court leader.
He tries damn hard and has improved visibly since the beginning of the year.
JJ is not the leader, by choice I believe. wrong temperament
Carlos has the temperament to be a leader but his lack of ability and yo yo status limits him.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I still don’t think JJ is a very good player… building around an inefficient scorer who doesn’t make others better and isn’t a net positive on defense isn’t a great strategy imo.

He’s shooting 39/28/77 in league play. His efficiency is terrible. He’s taking 6 3’s a game.

 

[gocuse44]

When Autry gets fired. I whole heartedly hope JAB is nowhere near making the decisions on the new hire. If he is opinion that’s it, nothing more and his opinion means no more than anyone else’s helping with the decision. He burned this program by staying 7 years too long, and he burned this program giving the keys to Autry.

He burned the program the last ten years

 

[OmahaCuse]

We have no defense.
None.
Defense does not rely on talent, unlike offense.
It requires a good scheme, and hard work from the players.
They need to be scrappy and never give up.
That describes Taylor and Cuffe,
Thats it.

It also requires recruiting good defensive players, Petar is good for a FR

 

[Bulldog04]

So my question for the board is “what if” they are a really good team next year and win a bunch of games ? What is everyone going to say changed ? And none of that is condescending, I’m genuinely interested what the messaging is going to be. I assume it will be roster makeup.. I had a great conversation with Alex K couple days ago and he knows exactly what needs to change for next year regarding that and already has some things working

 

[orangecuse]

We dont have the athletes to compete. Its that simple.

IF and a BIG IF Chance JJ Donnie had been good from the jump we might have had a shot at a decent year.
John Wooden head coach. Assistants Phil Jackson, JB, Coach K, Tony Bennet wouldn't have made the dance with this group. Seriously. Cuffe and Carlos at G, Bell and Taylor at the 3, Davis and Petar the 4. Forget it not a chance. I'm not saying we wouldn't have won a few more games and played better but all the coaching in the world isn't going to turn these guys into a tournament basketball team.

Your beating the same drum over and over on this particular sentiment and hypothetical no matter how much you spew it, doesn't make it remotely true, not to mention ever provable. However, on your drum beat, one thing is, let's just say highly probable, none of the aforementioned coaches would've ever placed themselves in this position by recruiting players of such caliber...so there's that. After all, it's the head coach that is ultimately responsible in assembling their own roster, therefore, owning the hand that they played a primary role in being dealt.

 

[phil77]

So my question for the board is “what if” they are a really good team next year and win a bunch of games ? What is everyone going to say changed ? And none of that is condescending, I’m genuinely interested what the messaging is going to be. I assume it will be roster makeup.. I had a great conversation with Alex K couple days ago and he knows exactly what needs to change for next year regarding that and already has some things working

Lots of variables in that question how many wins are you talking? What is our SOS? Did we beat anyone good or pile up wins against terrible teams? What do we look like on the floor do the same coaching problems still exist? Are we still getting beat and blown out versus teams with equal or more talent? etc...

Most people can see what the problems are and what needs to be done to fix them...

 

[Red2003]

I also think we need to look at this from a non-basketball perspective. Many of us are in management positions, thus have hiring and budgets to work within. We're not on even playing fields with other organizations. However, that is seldom an excuse. We either meet, exceed or not attain our goals. We're always looking for growth and opportunities. This has been void in the Autry coaching era. In addition, as many have mentioned, there is no identifiable culture, philosophy or clear vision. None of us would continue on this path with a leader in our organization. The sooner you can cut bait the better.

Some have mentioned that Red was not given the proper tools to be prepared for NIL and the portal. That is most concerning as it's a systematic failure within the athletic department. Regardless, this should not give Red a pass on his inability to lead or coach.

I appreciate this comment because there are people living in a dream world acting like these decisions just happen snap of the finger. We all know Autry isn’t cut out for it but the fact is that Autry still has a record that’s somehow still over 500 and is still trying.

He’ll be gone some enough but it’ll be after year 3.

 

[Cusefan0307]

So my question for the board is “what if” they are a really good team next year and win a bunch of games ? What is everyone going to say changed ? And none of that is condescending, I’m genuinely interested what the messaging is going to be. I assume it will be roster makeup.. I had a great conversation with Alex K couple days ago and he knows exactly what needs to change for next year regarding that and already has some things working

Would love to hear what he believes needs to change.

 

[cardiac]

So my question for the board is “what if” they are a really good team next year and win a bunch of games ? What is everyone going to say changed ? And none of that is condescending, I’m genuinely interested what the messaging is going to be. I assume it will be roster makeup.. I had a great conversation with Alex K couple days ago and he knows exactly what needs to change for next year regarding that and already has some things working

If they have a great season it will be because they were able to get top talent. I do not believe money will be able to hide Autry's coaching issues. The talent is just going to cover the issues up a little. Assuming we have a great portal season and keep key pieces I think were gonna look back and think Autry wasted the talent.

 

[sufan59]

So my question for the board is “what if” they are a really good team next year and win a bunch of games ? What is everyone going to say changed ? And none of that is condescending, I’m genuinely interested what the messaging is going to be. I assume it will be roster makeup.. I had a great conversation with Alex K couple days ago and he knows exactly what needs to change for next year regarding that and already has some things working

Then Let’s Go Orange! I will keep saying though if Alex Kline proves himself next season as the talent evaluator and roster builder saving Autry’s job. There should be serious consideration for a restructuring of the reporting structure. Meaning the Head Coach reports to the GM who reports to the AD like how it works in professional sports and has control over hiring and firing of coaches. It’s only a matter of time before this happens anyway.

 

[OburgOrange]

So my question for the board is “what if” they are a really good team next year and win a bunch of games ? What is everyone going to say changed ? And none of that is condescending, I’m genuinely interested what the messaging is going to be. I assume it will be roster makeup.. I had a great conversation with Alex K couple days ago and he knows exactly what needs to change for next year regarding that and already has some things working

So what did he say that needs to be changed?

 

[OrlandoCuse]

So my question for the board is “what if” they are a really good team next year and win a bunch of games ? What is everyone going to say changed ? And none of that is condescending, I’m genuinely interested what the messaging is going to be. I assume it will be roster makeup.. I had a great conversation with Alex K couple days ago and he knows exactly what needs to change for next year regarding that and already has some things working

If, and that’s a big if, Red gets another year, he must completely gut this entire team and his staff. If he does some halfa$$ed cleanup it means he’s not the man for the job. There should only be 2 or 3 people on the current roster and staff that are here next year.

Red has not proven he can build a roster. He has too many combo guards (none of them good as either a SG or PG mind you). His entire roster is not balanced. He’s has a bad habit of recruiting flawed or injured players that hit the portal and hope they work out. His strategy of getting senior transfers from bad low major programs has been a disaster.

Red’s staff and roster construction has been so bad I really doubt he will all of a sudden figure it out. How’s he going to find, recruit and land the 5-6 key players at every position that he needs to be successful next year all in the next 45 days? I really don’t see it happening.

Red needs some sort of miracle. Hopes and prayers and waiting for miracles aren’t an effective strategy.

 

[tptcuse]

So my question for the board is “what if” they are a really good team next year and win a bunch of games ? What is everyone going to say changed ? And none of that is condescending, I’m genuinely interested what the messaging is going to be. I assume it will be roster makeup.. I had a great conversation with Alex K couple days ago and he knows exactly what needs to change for next year regarding that and already has some things working

What does Red think he needs to change?

 

[wiCuse]

So my question for the board is “what if” they are a really good team next year and win a bunch of games ? What is everyone going to say changed ? And none of that is condescending, I’m genuinely interested what the messaging is going to be. I assume it will be roster makeup.. I had a great conversation with Alex K couple days ago and he knows exactly what needs to change for next year regarding that and already has some things working

Answer: that we have a solid GM. However, let's say we have a competitive team and get off to a good start next season(I hope we do). I have zero confidence in Red's in-game coaching abilities. Things can get worse when we squander talent. In addition, I'm highly skeptical that Red can handle a roster overhaul (which we'll have). He doesn't like being the bad guy...

Question for you, where do you think we should expect to finish in the ACC based on the incoming talent we're identifying and your trust in Red? I'm looking for hope!

 

[Red2003]

So my question for the board is “what if” they are a really good team next year and win a bunch of games ? What is everyone going to say changed ? And none of that is condescending, I’m genuinely interested what the messaging is going to be. I assume it will be roster makeup.. I had a great conversation with Alex K couple days ago and he knows exactly what needs to change for next year regarding that and already has some things working

Same question here. We’ve all seen coaches look like geniuses with the right players and look like fools with the wrong ones.

 

[Red2003]

What does Red think he needs to change?

He’s talking about what Kline said. Not Autry.

To be honest. Kline has the best gig in the world right now. The roster construction really can’t look worse than it is this year. It’s almost impossible to end up with a carlos or bell level bad player either.

So the roster should look better. If the results are the same as this year or no tourney then we know it’s coaching and therefore Autry is thrown out but Kline would likely stay.

If the roster construction is just average or somehow a homerun in the portal then Kline will get a lot of credit for the turnaround. He’ll be on his way to be a GM in the nba.

The scary part as many have said is that what if Kline is a homerun GM and crushes the portal, we have Anthony/Sadiq and yet Autry puts together a bubble team making the tourney.

He’s the weak link and we just stay in this limbo land of mediocrity.

 

[hoopsupstate]

Sometimes people are being polite.

Well, they certainly couldn’t guard him in the second half. He made play after play. When you’re asked to do as much as JJ is, you’re going to have to take and miss tough shots.

 

[tptcuse]

He’s talking about what Kline said. Not Autry.

To be honest. Kline has the best gig in the world right now. The roster construction really can’t look worse than it is this year. It’s almost impossible to end up with a carlos or bell level bad player either.

So the roster should look better. If the results are the same as this year or no tourney then we know it’s coaching and therefore Autry is thrown out but Kline would likely stay.

If the roster construction is just average or somehow a homerun in the portal then Kline will get a lot of credit for the turnaround. He’ll be on his way to be a GM in the nba.

The scary part as many have said is that what if Kline is a homerun GM and crushes the portal, we have Anthony/Sadiq and yet Autry puts together a bubble team making the tourney.

He’s the weak link and we just stay in this limbo land of mediocrity.

I understood that he was talking about Kline. I was asking about Red. I just went back and bolded it to avoid confusion.

 

[Cusefan95]

So my question for the board is “what if” they are a really good team next year and win a bunch of games ? What is everyone going to say changed ? And none of that is condescending, I’m genuinely interested what the messaging is going to be. I assume it will be roster makeup.. I had a great conversation with Alex K couple days ago and he knows exactly what needs to change for next year regarding that and already has some things working

I suspect this is basically a “what if my aunt had balls” kind of question - it has a hypothetical but completely irrelevant answer because it’s not going to happen. But if the impossible happens and we’re not terrible with Red next year, the most likely reason would be roster upgrade. If Red is largely booted out of selecting a team, maybe at least that gap in his skill set (that he cannot identify talent) gets minimized. If we didn’t see evidence he got help on in game coaching so that was less of a disaster than it’s been this year, I wouldn’t feel like anything was really fixed in a way that would be sustainable though.