sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Attended the Hardwood Club Dinner last night at the On Center. Sat at a table with board dignitaries cto, Bees, Jake, Cherie, with BillOrange close by. Always a pleasure to break bread with this group.
Also sitting at our table were BMK and Silent G. Not a coincidence if you know cto and know of her special relationship with Baye (she is his biggest fan and vice versa).
The Hardwood Club Dinner is always heldjust after the regular season ends. It provides an opportunity for supporters of the program to see the team in person one last time up close and personal, to get pictures and autographs with the players and for certain lucky folks, to share a meal with them. It also serves as a major fund raiser for the program. If you love SU basketball and haven't attended, you might want to consider going next season. It is a great event.
The event started with a cocktail hour from 6 PM to 7 PM. Cash bar (I am happy to report a fine ginger ale was among the beverage choices). Some finger food was also provided...a couple of cheeses, a couple of kinds of crackers, a couple of kinds of melon and some sliced vegetables, including bell peppers, zucchini and something else I was not able to identify or to gather the courage to try and eat. It was long slices of a substance colored a pale yellow. There were a couple of sauces to help make these vegetables more edible. One was bleu cheese based. Another might have been ranch dressing. Sorry, my vegetable and sauce acumen is lacking. cto noted the lack of celery with, I believe, a hint of melancholy in her voice. Syracuse people like their celery. It is #hardnosed.
The other option besides eating non celery based vegetables or having drinks was to get in line to get autographs from the players. The line was a formidable one and my rock solid positive autograph policy (I will give them but not ask for them; so far no one has asked for one but note that if you do, I will grant you your wish; this is all based on the awful Bob Sura incident in Scranton that forever changed GMac and his policy with the public, and later, when I read about it, me too).
But I digress. Focus Tom.
Around 7 PM, the coaching staff walked up to the head tables on the dais in the back of the main room, joined by emcee and Voice of the Orange Matt Park. Matt did his thing, summarizing the season, some of the great accomplishments made by the team, gave props to CJ for making 1st team All ACC, TE for making 2nd team All ACC, etc.
A major part of the Hardwood Club Dinner is the presentation of the Vic Hanson Award. This honor is given annually to an individual or individuals who have ties to the men’s basketball program and have made outstanding contributions to college basketball. The award is named after Vic Hanson, the legendary basketball and football star for the Orangemen in the 1920s.
Past honorees include Dave Gavitt, Ray Meyer, John Wooden, Bob Costas, etc. This year, the award was given to much loved, much respected and much missed former SU Athletics stalwart Rob Edson. JB talked briefly about Rob, his impact on the SU athletic program, his tireless work and loyalty and his character, perhaps cutting off his remarks somewhat early because he was so close to Rob and got emotional talking about his close friend. Former head football coach Doug Marrone was then introduced (with a strong endorsement from JB, who remains close to the Marrone family) to talk about Rob. As everyone is surely aware, Doug was extremely close to Rob and was devastated by his passing. He needed to take a drink in the middle of his presentation to gain his composure as he too struggled to maintain control talking about his good friend.
Then Rob's young son Thomas (I think he is 13 or 14) walked up and talked briefly about his dad, their relationship, the support the community has given the Edson family and his gratitude for the same. Tom is a really impressive young man and I am sure he will do his father and mother proud in the future.
The season highlight video was then debuted. Lots of great highlights from this memorable season, you will enjoy it when you see it. Then JB talked for a while, thanking the SU fanbase for its remarkable support of the program during the season, at home and on the road, and even at the season end dinner (many programs have stopped doing them because of the lack of support from the fan base; not so here, where over 900 people that attended last night). He also singled out his favorite foil, BMK, saying he was surprised there were no highlights of Baye dropping a ball. cto immediately consoled Baye, who laughed good naturedly, as usual.
JB then thanked all his staff members one by one for their help and their excellence performing their jobs, saving the strongest praise for his coaching staff. Called Hop the best assistant coach in the country, said Red was a great player and is as good a coach as he was a player, and lauded GMac for the work he was done with the guards (though he did mention that his work with Trevor has not recently been bearing the fruit he was hoping for, but is sure it will again soon). Noted GMac working harder now then he ever did as a player. "I keep hearing basketballs bouncing from my office overlooking the practice court at the Melo Center around 1 PM, so I think, hey, maybe Rak is working on his game, or maybe Baye is out there practicing, but everytime I look, I see Gerry out there playing with Kip and 22 student managers."
He also talked briefly about each player on the team. Some highlights (paraphrased):
"Tyler Ennis won a defensive award from the ACC? Tyler? What? Well, that has to be the best tribute to coaching our staff has ever received. Crazy. But seriously, Tyler had a great freshman season, won a lot of games for us. He has won more games for us than any freshman we have ever had here. Tyler led the ACC in assists and steals as a freshman. That has never happened before. Never in the storied history of the conference. Pretty remarkable."
"Michael has sacrificed for this team, playing out of position a lot, doing a lot of things he has not been comfortable doing. I am going to open things up for him from this point forward, and release him to do what he is capable of and I look for him to have a great ACC and then NCAA tournament."
"Rak has come a long way and is on the edge, right on the edge of being a really effective player for us. I expect him to step up him game and play the way he is capable of, the way we all know he is capable of, for the rest of the season. Mike has done a great job getting him to where he is now, and now Rak needs to step up and play like he is capable of."
JB made some general comments, and singled out walk on Albert Nasser, who he claimed tried to injure CJ earlier this season (JB says he is always watching him now and that he can't be trusted, sighed when someone confirmed he is only a junior and will return next season). And then JB called the senior players up one by one for their traditional speech/awards.
The senior head team manager took the stage and gave a speech thanking the staff for giving him the opportunity to work in the program and learn from them. JB joked beforehand that he only knew the manager's name because he had to and still doesn't know the names of the 21 other managers that claim they are needed (but probably aren't).
Nolan Hart was zinged by JB. Said he was a great shooter in HS, not sure what happened to him once he arrived on campus. Said Hop always sticks up for Nolan but that is only because Nolan's dad manages Hop's money. Nolan was gracious, thanked JB and the rest of the staff for their help and support, said his time with the program was a dream and ended his speech with a "Go Cuse".
Ross DeRemer was introduced next. Another walk on, Ross might be the best student athlete the basketball program has ever had. Has gotten an A in every course he has taken at Syracuse except one where he got an A-. He was again very grateful to the staff for their direction and support. Joked that his game has improved by ten fold from when he first made the team, with JB's rating of his play raising from .1 to 1.
Baye was introduced next. JB joked beforehand about Baye not scoring in the games he was scouted on in HS, joked about his hands (Baye was again consoled by mother hen cto) and then got serious. Paraphasing, he said something along the lines of
"I kid about Baye because I know he can take it. Baye can take anything. He is a tremendously tough kid who has overcome a great deal. I can't say enough about his attitude, his outlook on life, his absolute devotion to the team and what is best for the program. He is always there, always ready to do whatever is needed, and if he isn't called on, there is never a problem, hey coach, I will be there when you need be. Always.
We have never been an award type program. We don't give out MVPs, best defensive player, best freshman, etc. But with what Baye has meant to this program, what he has brought to this team, I felt this needed to be recognized. So effective immediately, we are setting up a new award, called the Baye Moussa Keita Award, which will be awarded to the player whose contributions to the team and the program, on the court, in the classroom and in the community, best epitomize what Baye has brought to our program. We are going to add some players retroactively to the list of players who have won this award whose names belong there as well...Mike Hopkins, Josh Pace, Howard Triche, Stevie Thompson..."
(The actual wording on the award says 'Awarded to the men's basketball player who best represents the program in the classroom, on campus and in the community, and who displays unselfish commitment to the team'.). Baye was genuinely moved by this and was close to speechless upon returning to the table with the award.
JB then introduced CJ Fair, who he said did a terrific job for Syracuse this season, doing everything a senior leader is expected to do. Said he and Baye had between them won 117 games over the past 4 seasons, more than any program except Kansas. Said he really appreciated CJ's decision to return for his senior season, and that if he hadn't returned, he was sure no one in the room would be as happy with the current season as they are now.
CJ came to the stage and took a long time thanking every member of the staff individually for all the things they had done for him. Kip got him extra tickets for so many games, Joe really taught him what being a college student was all about, Ryan got his body strong, he came in a skinny kid and leaves a man who is not afraid to show off his body. Thanked Brad for taking care of his body and injuries, first time he really trusted someone. Thanked all the coaches for their work with him, especially Nick, who has apparently spent many hours rebounding/passing balls to him as CJ has perfected his great shooting form over time.
But CJ saved his greatest thanks to JB, who took a chance on a kid with a torn ligament in his knee after many other programs dropped their interest in him and offered him a scholarship without ever even seeing him play in a real game. He said that the day Syracuse offered him a scholarship was the greatest day of his life and he will be forever grateful to JB for taking a chance on him. My opinion: if you want to know why CJ was so loyal to the Syracuse program and chose to return there for his senior season, this would surely be one of the top reasons.
Again, this is a great event for SU hoops fans. If you have a chance to go, you should. I am sure you will not regret it.
WDO! See a lot of you in Greensboro...
Also sitting at our table were BMK and Silent G. Not a coincidence if you know cto and know of her special relationship with Baye (she is his biggest fan and vice versa).
The Hardwood Club Dinner is always heldjust after the regular season ends. It provides an opportunity for supporters of the program to see the team in person one last time up close and personal, to get pictures and autographs with the players and for certain lucky folks, to share a meal with them. It also serves as a major fund raiser for the program. If you love SU basketball and haven't attended, you might want to consider going next season. It is a great event.
The event started with a cocktail hour from 6 PM to 7 PM. Cash bar (I am happy to report a fine ginger ale was among the beverage choices). Some finger food was also provided...a couple of cheeses, a couple of kinds of crackers, a couple of kinds of melon and some sliced vegetables, including bell peppers, zucchini and something else I was not able to identify or to gather the courage to try and eat. It was long slices of a substance colored a pale yellow. There were a couple of sauces to help make these vegetables more edible. One was bleu cheese based. Another might have been ranch dressing. Sorry, my vegetable and sauce acumen is lacking. cto noted the lack of celery with, I believe, a hint of melancholy in her voice. Syracuse people like their celery. It is #hardnosed.
The other option besides eating non celery based vegetables or having drinks was to get in line to get autographs from the players. The line was a formidable one and my rock solid positive autograph policy (I will give them but not ask for them; so far no one has asked for one but note that if you do, I will grant you your wish; this is all based on the awful Bob Sura incident in Scranton that forever changed GMac and his policy with the public, and later, when I read about it, me too).
But I digress. Focus Tom.
Around 7 PM, the coaching staff walked up to the head tables on the dais in the back of the main room, joined by emcee and Voice of the Orange Matt Park. Matt did his thing, summarizing the season, some of the great accomplishments made by the team, gave props to CJ for making 1st team All ACC, TE for making 2nd team All ACC, etc.
A major part of the Hardwood Club Dinner is the presentation of the Vic Hanson Award. This honor is given annually to an individual or individuals who have ties to the men’s basketball program and have made outstanding contributions to college basketball. The award is named after Vic Hanson, the legendary basketball and football star for the Orangemen in the 1920s.
Past honorees include Dave Gavitt, Ray Meyer, John Wooden, Bob Costas, etc. This year, the award was given to much loved, much respected and much missed former SU Athletics stalwart Rob Edson. JB talked briefly about Rob, his impact on the SU athletic program, his tireless work and loyalty and his character, perhaps cutting off his remarks somewhat early because he was so close to Rob and got emotional talking about his close friend. Former head football coach Doug Marrone was then introduced (with a strong endorsement from JB, who remains close to the Marrone family) to talk about Rob. As everyone is surely aware, Doug was extremely close to Rob and was devastated by his passing. He needed to take a drink in the middle of his presentation to gain his composure as he too struggled to maintain control talking about his good friend.
Then Rob's young son Thomas (I think he is 13 or 14) walked up and talked briefly about his dad, their relationship, the support the community has given the Edson family and his gratitude for the same. Tom is a really impressive young man and I am sure he will do his father and mother proud in the future.
The season highlight video was then debuted. Lots of great highlights from this memorable season, you will enjoy it when you see it. Then JB talked for a while, thanking the SU fanbase for its remarkable support of the program during the season, at home and on the road, and even at the season end dinner (many programs have stopped doing them because of the lack of support from the fan base; not so here, where over 900 people that attended last night). He also singled out his favorite foil, BMK, saying he was surprised there were no highlights of Baye dropping a ball. cto immediately consoled Baye, who laughed good naturedly, as usual.
JB then thanked all his staff members one by one for their help and their excellence performing their jobs, saving the strongest praise for his coaching staff. Called Hop the best assistant coach in the country, said Red was a great player and is as good a coach as he was a player, and lauded GMac for the work he was done with the guards (though he did mention that his work with Trevor has not recently been bearing the fruit he was hoping for, but is sure it will again soon). Noted GMac working harder now then he ever did as a player. "I keep hearing basketballs bouncing from my office overlooking the practice court at the Melo Center around 1 PM, so I think, hey, maybe Rak is working on his game, or maybe Baye is out there practicing, but everytime I look, I see Gerry out there playing with Kip and 22 student managers."
He also talked briefly about each player on the team. Some highlights (paraphrased):
"Tyler Ennis won a defensive award from the ACC? Tyler? What? Well, that has to be the best tribute to coaching our staff has ever received. Crazy. But seriously, Tyler had a great freshman season, won a lot of games for us. He has won more games for us than any freshman we have ever had here. Tyler led the ACC in assists and steals as a freshman. That has never happened before. Never in the storied history of the conference. Pretty remarkable."
"Michael has sacrificed for this team, playing out of position a lot, doing a lot of things he has not been comfortable doing. I am going to open things up for him from this point forward, and release him to do what he is capable of and I look for him to have a great ACC and then NCAA tournament."
"Rak has come a long way and is on the edge, right on the edge of being a really effective player for us. I expect him to step up him game and play the way he is capable of, the way we all know he is capable of, for the rest of the season. Mike has done a great job getting him to where he is now, and now Rak needs to step up and play like he is capable of."
JB made some general comments, and singled out walk on Albert Nasser, who he claimed tried to injure CJ earlier this season (JB says he is always watching him now and that he can't be trusted, sighed when someone confirmed he is only a junior and will return next season). And then JB called the senior players up one by one for their traditional speech/awards.
The senior head team manager took the stage and gave a speech thanking the staff for giving him the opportunity to work in the program and learn from them. JB joked beforehand that he only knew the manager's name because he had to and still doesn't know the names of the 21 other managers that claim they are needed (but probably aren't).
Nolan Hart was zinged by JB. Said he was a great shooter in HS, not sure what happened to him once he arrived on campus. Said Hop always sticks up for Nolan but that is only because Nolan's dad manages Hop's money. Nolan was gracious, thanked JB and the rest of the staff for their help and support, said his time with the program was a dream and ended his speech with a "Go Cuse".
Ross DeRemer was introduced next. Another walk on, Ross might be the best student athlete the basketball program has ever had. Has gotten an A in every course he has taken at Syracuse except one where he got an A-. He was again very grateful to the staff for their direction and support. Joked that his game has improved by ten fold from when he first made the team, with JB's rating of his play raising from .1 to 1.
Baye was introduced next. JB joked beforehand about Baye not scoring in the games he was scouted on in HS, joked about his hands (Baye was again consoled by mother hen cto) and then got serious. Paraphasing, he said something along the lines of
"I kid about Baye because I know he can take it. Baye can take anything. He is a tremendously tough kid who has overcome a great deal. I can't say enough about his attitude, his outlook on life, his absolute devotion to the team and what is best for the program. He is always there, always ready to do whatever is needed, and if he isn't called on, there is never a problem, hey coach, I will be there when you need be. Always.
We have never been an award type program. We don't give out MVPs, best defensive player, best freshman, etc. But with what Baye has meant to this program, what he has brought to this team, I felt this needed to be recognized. So effective immediately, we are setting up a new award, called the Baye Moussa Keita Award, which will be awarded to the player whose contributions to the team and the program, on the court, in the classroom and in the community, best epitomize what Baye has brought to our program. We are going to add some players retroactively to the list of players who have won this award whose names belong there as well...Mike Hopkins, Josh Pace, Howard Triche, Stevie Thompson..."
(The actual wording on the award says 'Awarded to the men's basketball player who best represents the program in the classroom, on campus and in the community, and who displays unselfish commitment to the team'.). Baye was genuinely moved by this and was close to speechless upon returning to the table with the award.
JB then introduced CJ Fair, who he said did a terrific job for Syracuse this season, doing everything a senior leader is expected to do. Said he and Baye had between them won 117 games over the past 4 seasons, more than any program except Kansas. Said he really appreciated CJ's decision to return for his senior season, and that if he hadn't returned, he was sure no one in the room would be as happy with the current season as they are now.
CJ came to the stage and took a long time thanking every member of the staff individually for all the things they had done for him. Kip got him extra tickets for so many games, Joe really taught him what being a college student was all about, Ryan got his body strong, he came in a skinny kid and leaves a man who is not afraid to show off his body. Thanked Brad for taking care of his body and injuries, first time he really trusted someone. Thanked all the coaches for their work with him, especially Nick, who has apparently spent many hours rebounding/passing balls to him as CJ has perfected his great shooting form over time.
But CJ saved his greatest thanks to JB, who took a chance on a kid with a torn ligament in his knee after many other programs dropped their interest in him and offered him a scholarship without ever even seeing him play in a real game. He said that the day Syracuse offered him a scholarship was the greatest day of his life and he will be forever grateful to JB for taking a chance on him. My opinion: if you want to know why CJ was so loyal to the Syracuse program and chose to return there for his senior season, this would surely be one of the top reasons.
Again, this is a great event for SU hoops fans. If you have a chance to go, you should. I am sure you will not regret it.
WDO! See a lot of you in Greensboro...
