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Message: [QUOTE="RF2044, post: 293844, member: 40"] Indeed, which might help explain why some of the attributions Sarge is making seem so off the wall. The original premise of this thread [as I understood it] makes two points--one I agree with, and one I completely disagree with. I'll start with the latter--that the players on some of our recent teams are "arguably" as talented as some of the all time program greats, and that our viewpoint on said all time greats / teams is clouded by nostalgia. That is pure bunk, with no basis whatsoever in reality. If you look at Billy Owens's freshman year statistics and reach the conclusion that he wasn't as good as Wes Johnson, or look at DC's numbers and conclude that "arguably" Rick Jackson was an equivalent rebounder, or that Scoop is on par with Sherman Douglas or Pearl [and I LOVE Scoop], I'm sorry--you're deluded. It has nothing to do with "romanticizing the past," or however Sarge described it above. If you took any of our top players from that era--go ahead, pick one--Pearl, Sherman, DC, or Billy Owens--and put him on the the teams we've had from the last three years [two of which were ranked #1 and were in the conversation for best teams in college hoops each respective year], the player you picked would be the BEST player on either team. Period. End of discussion. The point Sarge made that I DO happen to agree with is that we're experiencing a recruiting resurgence, and that the results are manifesting in the quality of play we've seen 2 out of the last 3 years. This program is on the cusp of being consistently elite again, for the first time since the late 80s / early 90s. Recruiting is a factor. Having a HOF coach is a factor. And our recent success is also a factor. We might have gotten to another final four--or further--if our center hadn't ruptured his patella tendon in '09-'10, or if Fab hadn't self destructed off the court this past season. But the future looks bright--it's a great time to be an SU fan! [/QUOTE]

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