Geno Thorpe - COMMITTED TO SYRACUSE

[iommi]

It'll be interesting how JB finds his 7 players. I'd love him to play 9 but, well, you know that ain't happenin'.

These are the guys I'd like to be in the rotation come January:

Guards: Battle, Thorpe, Washington
Forwards: Moyer, Dolezaj, Brissett
Centers: Thompson, Sidibe

 

[iommi]

I think with the way things shake out player wise we go 8 this year. Battle and Thompson are obviously in the rotation, we have 3 forwards who I believe will all be too good not to play, after that we need a backup center and 2 guards.

I also think Thorpe is a lock to play, as are Moyer and Brissett.

 

[jordoo]

These are the guys I'd like to be in the rotation come January:

Guards: Battle, Thorpe, Washington
Forwards: Moyer, Dolezaj, Brissett
Centers: Thompson, Sidibe

That rotation would also mean that we would have a solid base of young experience coming back for 2018.

 

[dasher]

Wow dude, your reading comprehension is far far better than you let on with that post responding to me.

Think what's in bold clearly wouldn't describe Fultz would it, but that doesn't help whatever agenda you have does it?

What is in bold says, and I'll break it down because I guess the sentence is too difficult for you.


"If it was just the record" <-------- this means if it was just USF's record, or with you bringing up Fultz Washington's record. Key word is "just"

"and his numbers were excellent" <---------- this means that if the initial statement went along with excellent numbers which I think Fultz did, but Thorpe did not.

Now you aren't going to cry now are you? I was having a bit of fun with some of your negative nonsense.

 

[reedny]

Wow dude, your reading comprehension is far far better than you let on with that post responding to me.

Think what's in bold clearly wouldn't describe Fultz would it, but that doesn't help whatever agenda you have does it?

What is in bold says, and I'll break it down because I guess the sentence is too difficult for you.


"If it was just the record" <-------- this means if it was just USF's record, or with you bringing up Fultz Washington's record. Key word is "just"

"and his numbers were excellent" <---------- this means that if the initial statement went along with excellent numbers which I think Fultz did, but Thorpe did not.

Hard to believe you don't think this is a big deal. You get a 6'4 guard, a veteran, who's a good shooter and will add depth, offense and (we pray) perimeter defense. We don' just need all those skills at guard ... we need them desperately. We were in trouble without this recruit, IMO. So you should be popping champagne.

 

[suttree]

this might have been posted previously.

LOL at the "No snowstorms anymore" comment at 1:50. Welcome back to lake effect, Geno! And to the family. What a great way to finish the week. This guy sounds like a great teammate and, hopefully, someone who can step in and play an important leadership role. Looking forward to November now more than ever.

GO ORANGE

 

[jordoo]

I also think Thorpe is a lock to play, as are Moyer and Brissett.

Agreed I think there are two battles for PT on this roster:
Sidibe/Chukwu
Washington/Howard

 

[BillSU]

Roster is set. Time to get rolling.

More on Thorpe : We have gotten another very good grad transfer at the guard position.

Syracuse basketball gets commitment from South Florida grad transfer Geno Thorpe
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Updated on June 9, 2017 at 2:16 PM Posted on June 9, 2017 at 2:00 PM

Geno Thorpe, a 6-foot-4 graduate transfer from South Florida, has committed to Syracuse University.(AP Photo )
393 shares
By Mike Waters

mwaters@syracuse.com

Syracuse, N.Y. -- Geno Thorpe, a graduate transfer from South Florida, has committed to Syracuse University.

"It's official,'' Thorpe said in a telephone interview on Friday. "I'm going to do my fifth-year at Syracuse.''

Thorpe, a 6-foot-4 guard, visited Syracuse on Thursday and Friday. He chose the Orange after also considering Pittsburgh and Seton Hall. He has one year of eligibility remaining and will be able to play immediately next season.

Thorpe was South Florida's leading scorer last season at 15.1 points per game. He also led the Bulls in assists with 4.6 per game.

On his visit, Thorpe said he got to meet most of the Syracuse players.

"It's definitely a good group of guys,'' he said.

Thorpe can play both guard positions. He will help fill out Syracuse's thin backcourt, which consists of sophomore Tyus Battle, the returning starter at the off-guard spot; junior Frank Howard, who served as the backup at the point last year; and freshman point guard Howard Washington.

In his meeting with Jim Boeheim, Thorpe said the SU coach explained how he planned to use the versatile guard.

"He was very honest and open with me,'' Thorpe said. "It's a team-oriented program. It's only about winning. My role will be to play both guard spots along with Frank (Howard), Tyus (Battle) and Howard (Washington).''


Thorpe's interest in Syracuse came as a result of his friendship with former Dayton player Scoochie Smith. Smith and Thorpe became friends in 8th grade while attending a HoopGroup camp. Smith played at Dayton where he developed a close relationship with Dayton assistant Allen Griffin.

This spring, Griffin, a former Syracuse player, was hired as an assistant at Syracuse.

"Coach Griffin was the first one I talked to,'' Thorpe said. "We have a really good relationship.''

Thorpe would also address an area of need for Syracuse. Syracuse lost its top three 3-point shooters off last year's team in Tyler Lydon, Andrew White and John Gillon.

Battle is Syracuse's top returning 3-point shooter. As a freshman, Battle made 36.6 percent of his 3-point shots. Thorpe shot 37.5 percent (39-for-104) on 3-point shots for the Bulls last season.

Thorpe made 37.5 percent of his 3-point attempts last year for South Florida.

A native of Pittsburgh, Thorpe spent his first two years of college at Penn State. He transferred to South Florida following his sophomore year. He sat out the 2015-16 season and then played this past season.

Thorpe was one of the few bright spots for South Florida last season. The Bulls finished the season with a 7-23 overall records. Orlando Antigua was fired as coach in early January. USF won just one game after Antigua's dismissal, going 1-17 in the American Athletic Conference.


Thorpe's commitment marks the second year in a row that Syracuse has dipped into the graduate transfer market.

Last year, fifth-year seniors Andrew White and John Gillon played significant roles for the Orange. White, a transfer from Nebraska, led Syracuse in scoring and also broke the school's record for most 3-pointers in a season.

Gillon, who came to SU from Colorado State, became the Orange's starting point. He averaged 10.5 points per game, while also leading SU with 5.4 assists per game.

 

[Sherman20]

My opinions are over the top and yet you say Marek is a more athletic Keith Van Horn?

Now that is over the top.

It's funny, people like you will come around, trash me because you think it will get you a bunch of likes and be positive about every single thing Syracuse.

Then when predictions come to fruitation and I'm right and your wrong and you get called out for it you seem to leave and never come back because all of your trashing of me puts you in a worse light.

Its all good. Have seen it year after year and am used to it.

Good luck on your Marek position, to be honest I hope you're right about because it means great things for this team. Doesn't make me a bad fan thinking he isn't KVH.

You're clearly a knowledgeable and thoughtful poster and I think many people here acknowledge that you make valid arguments. But you seem like a glass half empty kind of guy, which I guess rubs some people the wrong way. Maybe you set low expectations so that you're not disappointed? Nothing wrong with that. People should not attack you personally. I think most of it is just snarky responses because it's the internet (i apologize if I've engaged in that too from time to time). I think for most sports fans, hope must always spring eternal, at least to a point. Otherwise it's just misery. Of course we've been lucky for decades as Cuse fans that the team is almost always been relevant. And I get that most of your criticism stems from wanting to keep Cuse as a high level program. My one quibble with your overall skepticism would be about Syracuse and JB's track record. Syracuse has been good to great almost every year for almost 50 years now. That's better than all but a handful of programs in the country. I get that JB is 72, but shouldn't we view his age, experience and wisdom as an asset, not a detriment, especially since he's still in good physical shape? I think sometimes people forget he's a Hall of Fame coach who's been doing this at a high level for longer than many of us have been on the planet. Yes he can be stubborn (though he's ALWAYS been that way), but there is also demonstrable evidence that he's shown he's willing to change when change is needed. I also think he's softened a bit in some respects. Hopkins even commented on this--how he connects with players better than ever. I have my concerns, too, and I agree there are many question marks about next season, and none of us know how it's going to go. But you are not a bad fan, and I don't think anyone here thinks that.

 

[ssbriefcase]

Nice. What are we gonna do without the hand wringing all summer? Roster finally set, let the kids grow together this summer, and hit the ground running to start the season. Get the wins we should get early, to better our resume down the road. So glad this is all wrapped up in June.

 

[two3zone]

Now you aren't going to cry now are you? I was having a bit of fun with some of your negative nonsense.

It's not negative, I've stated at least 5 times that we need him. But if he's better than Gillon I don't think it'll be by much.

 

[Day2]

He did play with a guy who shot 50% from 3 and was a volume shooter.

For a whopping three games. (And his name is Jahmal McMurray, not Jamal Murray.)

 

[jordoo]

It's not negative, I've stated at least 5 times that we need him. But if he's better than Gillon I don't think it'll be by much.

At least he's starting with a 6" advantage on Gillon!

 

[Jasoncuse]

Agreed I think there are two battles for PT on this roster:
Sidibe/Chukwu
Washington/Howard

I would agree with that.

I also wouldn't be super shocked if one of the 3 forwards only ends seeing maybe 10 minutes or so a game. We better hope all 3 can have an impact right away or 2 might have to play 30+ a game. It'll be interesting to see how that plays out, especially if Marek or Brissett prove capable as shooters.

 

[dasher]

It's not negative, I've stated at least 5 times that we need him. But if he's better than Gillon I don't think it'll be by much.

you said that Thorpe would be barely better than Howard. If Thorpe was in your presence, those would be fighting words. Although we both hope that Frank improves, I watched Thorpe last year. I watch every game UConn plays (rooting like hell for the other team), thorpe was a much better player last year. I would guess he will be a much better player this year.

 

[two3zone]

Hard to believe you don't think this is a big deal. You get a 6'4 guard, a veteran, who's a good shooter and will add depth, offense and (we pray) perimeter defense. We don' just need all those skills at guard ... we need them desperately. We were in trouble without this recruit, IMO. So you should be popping champagne.

I've stated which I'm sure you've read but are choosing to ignore as well, I've stated multiple times that we need him and want him to sign.

I got the same resistance when I said that our defense will suffer before last season losing the experience from G and Cooney at the top of the zone but was told that Battle and Howard would be better defenders.

He shot 37% from outside which is great, I like that. But why are his A/TO numbers being ignored if he's going to be playing some point guard with us?

He's also a first year player in the zone, it's not the easiest defense for newcomers to pick up.

This is not a glass half empty argument, these are legitimate questions that nobody wants to answer and are ignoring.

 

[jordoo]

I would agree with that.

I also wouldn't be super shocked if one of the 3 forwards only ends seeing maybe 10 minutes or so a game. We better hope all 3 can have an impact right away or 2 might have to play 30+ a game. It'll be interesting to see how that plays out, especially if Marek or Brissett prove capable as shooters.

I'd be a little shocked if one of the forwards only got 10min a game. Its not out of the question though. I think they will all be 20+ minutes a game.

 

[Day2]

Nice. What are we gonna do without the hand wringing all summer? Roster finally set, let the kids grow together this summer, and hit the ground running to start the season. Get the wins we should get early, to better our resume down the road. So glad this is all wrapped up in June.

At this point last year, TT was still deciding between us and Michigan State. In fact, he had just visited MSU. And AW3 wasn't even on our radar yet.

A lot of people on here were panicking a month or so ago for no reason.

 

[dasher]

I've stated which I'm sure you've read but are choosing to ignore as well, I've stated multiple times that we need him and want him to sign.

I got the same resistance when I said that our defense will suffer before last season losing the experience from G and Cooney at the top of the zone but was told that Battle and Howard would be better defenders.

He shot 37% from outside which is great, I like that. But why are his A/TO numbers being ignored if he's going to be playing some point guard with us?

He's also a first year player in the zone, it's not the easiest defense for newcomers to pick up.

This is not a glass half empty argument, these are legitimate questions that nobody wants to answer and are ignoring.

Those are fair questions. But I think most infer from your posts a negative sentiment. I'm not alone in that. I also don't really care. You are free to feel and think anything you want. But if you did watch him play last year, there weren't many guys that finished at South Florida. It takes two to tango. A great pass, and I don't think he is a great passer, still needs someone to convert it.

 

[ssbriefcase]

At this point last year, TT was still deciding between us and Michigan State. In fact, he had just visited MSU. And AW3 wasn't even on our radar yet.

A lot of people on here were panicking a month or so ago for no reason.

Pretty much why I wrote the hand wringing comment, as it's warranted. Now we can get to arguing about playing time/lineups, which is where we should be at now. I'm definitely breathing a sigh of relief.

 

[two3zone]

you said that Thorpe would be barely better than Howard. If Thorpe was in your presence, those would be fighting words. Although we both hope that Frank improves, I watched Thorpe last year. I watch every game UConn plays (rooting like hell for the other team), thorpe was a much better player last year. I would guess he will be a much better player this year.

Against the competition we face and what Howard faced it could change a lot of things for Thorpe.

I never said he would be "barely better than Howard", I said I'm not sure how much better than Howard he is, mainly being a distributor as a point guard.

We'll see how it will play out. I hope he is everything everybody is saying he is, but you can almost go down the entire roster and the expectations on these new guys is almost comical.

At the end of the day we're losing Lydon, White, Gillon, Roberson and DC. DC wasn't much but I'd be happy if 72 matched his production from last year. Roberson was awful, but I hope Sidibe can match his production. If Geno matches Gillon, I'd be happy. We're left with Lydon and White. Does Marek, Moyer, and Brissett match their productivity? I don't think they do, defense should be better, but how much? Enough to match the loss of offensive production?

 

[Deano]

Okay, recruiting wrapped up for this year. Think its time time to get a podcast from Dr. Recruiting aka francis03

 

[two3zone]

Those are fair questions. But I think most infer from your posts a negative sentiment. I'm not alone in that. I also don't really care. You are free to feel and think anything you want. But if you did watch him play last year, there weren't many guys that finished at South Florida. It takes two to tango. A great pass, and I don't think he is a great passer, still needs someone to convert it.

That's fair, but out of the many guys that couldn't finish at USF, Geno was one of them that couldn't.

 

[Day2]

Pretty much why I wrote the hand wringing comment, as it's warranted.

Oh, I know. I was just piling on.

 

[Briancuse]

Huge get, welcome aboard Geno.