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Scout Team
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2011
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I love JB. Caddied for him and "interviewed" him (a goofy kid interview) as a kid, and it was the thrill of my young life. I hope he doesn't get fired. I still have major reservations about the tape, so until we know for certain whether the tape is legit, I wouldn't recommend that the University take any steps at all. The fact that they fired Fine, however, makes it seem like the tape is likely legit. IMO, the following points look so bad from a distance, that it's hard to imagine JB keeping his job.
* Bernie Fine, Syracuse, glasses, bad dressing, and the 2-3 zone is what defines Jim Boeheim.
* To begin his legendary career, JB hired Slick Rick Pitino and Bernie Fine as his two right hand men. Out of all the people in the world, Slick Rick and Bernie appealed to JB as the two guys he wanted by his side, running Cuse basketball. At the time, Rick was a rule-breaking, mini-Calipari, running from sanctions at the University of Hawaii, where he was blatantly innovating recruiting violations. Fine was a local high school coach with no significant experience at all, other than being the team manager on the JB/Bing teams. I've always tried to convince myself that Rick Pitino was the closest SU basketball ever came to the dark side of college basketball. I always assumed Pitino was the exception, the outlier, of an otherwise sterling program. With the benefit of hindsight (and if the tape is legit), we know that Rick Pitino and Bernie Fine are extremely immoral people. At best, JB is one of the worst judges of character in history, quite possibly unfit to protect the community from the people he puts in power. At worst, birds of a feather flock together.
* Fine had no credentials when JB hired him. All Bernie had was JB's friendship. If Bernie was, in fact, a homosexual team manager with reclusive, anti-social tendencies (as appears likely), it becomes difficult to explain why JB would hire him. How did these guys bond? What did Bernie do as team manager that stood out as special to JB? From a distance, people will assume the worst.
* Why did Bernie Fine, of all people, become the longest tenured assistant coach in college basketball? What is special about Bernie Fine as a coach? Syracuse fans always wondered why JB was so attached to Fine. Up until Rick/AO, most Cuse fans gave Fine very low grades as a big man coach and recruiter. At times, Fine was considered a borderline joke, a person whose only purpose was being JB's loyal friend. Rumors always circulated that, behind the scenes, JB and Bernie weren't as close as you might think. But from all external appearances, JB and Bernie were peas in a pod. They forged a unique relationship that endured far longer than the thousands of other head coach-assistant coach friendships. JB even stated as much, when he defended Bernie: their friendship was uniquely long. Just like with Sandusky, skeptics from a far are going to ask "who did Bernie have pictures of?" and similar questions, and many people will conclude the worst.
* Just like Sandusky, Bernie was never a hot head coaching candidate at other schools, despite decades of success at the highest level. Is it possible, that like Sandusky, there were widespread whispers about Bernie for years?
* Dennis Duval is a name that hasn't gotten as much play in the national media yet, but eventually, the fact of his involvement does not bode well for anyone.
* JB was a single man who spent an enormous amount of time with Bernie Fine for a very long time. For years, JB was a conspicuous bachelor in a business of family men: married at age 53. If JB had been a family man all these years, hurrying home to see his wife and kids after every game, it might be easier to say that JB didn't and couldn't have known about Bernie. But that is not the case, instead, JB was one of very few single head coaches. As a single man, it might seem very unlikely, from a distance, that JB would be totally oblivious to the night life of his buddies. If Bernie and Laurie had a sham marriage, the national audience is going to doubt that JB was clueless. From a distance, it looks terrible that JB was single for so long while surrounding himself with the likes of Fine and Pitino.
* Bernie, Laurie and JB being neighbors. I know that people have posted that JB was surprised when Fine moved next to him. Even if 100% true, that story will not be credible to the national audience looking at these facts from a distance. Most everyone else is going to look at the fact that JB and Bernie were neighbors and conclude that JB and Bernie were inseparable: in college, in their careers, and in their personal lives.
* Like Sandusky, Fine also worked with Make a Wish, The Boys Club, and several other youth oriented charities, besides coaching summer camps. The national media simply hasn't gotten around to these issues yet. If any of this work occurred after the Syracuse investigation, JB and others may get accused of endangering the kids in these organizations.
* Hop and Autry roomed with Davis. This fact, while likely irrelevant, really has the potential to hurt the program. Syracuse is the only basketball program in the country to have all coaches as alumni. Previously, our alumni club of coaches seemed cool, like a tight knit family. Now, our all-alumni coaching staff, with two former Davis roommates, looks worrisome. If JB is fired, it would make sense to clean house. Hop is a lot like Bernie, in the sense that their only credential is JB. From a career standpoint, Hop is a mini-Bernie (although Hop gets more calls from other programs): JB liked him, Hop stuck by JB's side the whole time, and that's about all there is to say about Hop. Our unique alumni coaching staff is no longer a source of warm fuzzy feelings, but instead, such a tight clique suggests a cover up to a national audience. On most any coaching staff, the national audience is going to assume the assistant coaches will "hear things" if one of their bosses is molesting the ball boys. This is, of course, all the more true when the assistant coaches are former players, who lived with the molested ball boy, and have otherwise been around the program nonstop.
* JB's comments on Paterno. The "lies" comment will get more attention, but the Paterno comment is the one that has me truly worried. JB might very well have good reason to call Lang/Davis liars, even if 90% of what they are saying is true. Obviously, Lang lied at one point, no matter who is believed. To some extent, the national audience will be somewhat sympathetic to JB's initial comments about "lies" and "money." But the more I think of it, the more JB's comments on Paterno look awful. They sounded a bit defensive at the time, and now, they appear much, much worse.
* Davis and others around the program living at Fine's. At first, when the Fine story broke, and others around the program said "hey, lot's of kids stayed with Bernie, ball boys traveled and babysat for Bernie, it isn't rare for Bernie to have a access to kids," it seemed like Bernie was just a guy who helped a lot of young men. Now with Laurie apparently encouraging Bernie to "get his rocks off" with "gay boys," all these comments about how frequently Bernie helped out kids seems insanely alarming. I imagine the school must have a few "cover their ass" rules, vaguely written, that place the responsibility (liability) for coach-ball boy relationships with JB. It may very well be the case, that no matter how the facts are spun, either JB or the University is going to be found to have violated written procedures regarding these sort of issues.
I am still holding out hope:
* that the tape is doctored;
* that the 2005 investigation was legit;
* that Duval's SPD acted with integrity;
* that JB never knew of Bernie's personal life'
* that Bernie and Pitino were just two unlucky picks by JB, like Josh and Dayshawn Wright...etc.,
but it's not looking good.
* Bernie Fine, Syracuse, glasses, bad dressing, and the 2-3 zone is what defines Jim Boeheim.
* To begin his legendary career, JB hired Slick Rick Pitino and Bernie Fine as his two right hand men. Out of all the people in the world, Slick Rick and Bernie appealed to JB as the two guys he wanted by his side, running Cuse basketball. At the time, Rick was a rule-breaking, mini-Calipari, running from sanctions at the University of Hawaii, where he was blatantly innovating recruiting violations. Fine was a local high school coach with no significant experience at all, other than being the team manager on the JB/Bing teams. I've always tried to convince myself that Rick Pitino was the closest SU basketball ever came to the dark side of college basketball. I always assumed Pitino was the exception, the outlier, of an otherwise sterling program. With the benefit of hindsight (and if the tape is legit), we know that Rick Pitino and Bernie Fine are extremely immoral people. At best, JB is one of the worst judges of character in history, quite possibly unfit to protect the community from the people he puts in power. At worst, birds of a feather flock together.
* Fine had no credentials when JB hired him. All Bernie had was JB's friendship. If Bernie was, in fact, a homosexual team manager with reclusive, anti-social tendencies (as appears likely), it becomes difficult to explain why JB would hire him. How did these guys bond? What did Bernie do as team manager that stood out as special to JB? From a distance, people will assume the worst.
* Why did Bernie Fine, of all people, become the longest tenured assistant coach in college basketball? What is special about Bernie Fine as a coach? Syracuse fans always wondered why JB was so attached to Fine. Up until Rick/AO, most Cuse fans gave Fine very low grades as a big man coach and recruiter. At times, Fine was considered a borderline joke, a person whose only purpose was being JB's loyal friend. Rumors always circulated that, behind the scenes, JB and Bernie weren't as close as you might think. But from all external appearances, JB and Bernie were peas in a pod. They forged a unique relationship that endured far longer than the thousands of other head coach-assistant coach friendships. JB even stated as much, when he defended Bernie: their friendship was uniquely long. Just like with Sandusky, skeptics from a far are going to ask "who did Bernie have pictures of?" and similar questions, and many people will conclude the worst.
* Just like Sandusky, Bernie was never a hot head coaching candidate at other schools, despite decades of success at the highest level. Is it possible, that like Sandusky, there were widespread whispers about Bernie for years?
* Dennis Duval is a name that hasn't gotten as much play in the national media yet, but eventually, the fact of his involvement does not bode well for anyone.
* JB was a single man who spent an enormous amount of time with Bernie Fine for a very long time. For years, JB was a conspicuous bachelor in a business of family men: married at age 53. If JB had been a family man all these years, hurrying home to see his wife and kids after every game, it might be easier to say that JB didn't and couldn't have known about Bernie. But that is not the case, instead, JB was one of very few single head coaches. As a single man, it might seem very unlikely, from a distance, that JB would be totally oblivious to the night life of his buddies. If Bernie and Laurie had a sham marriage, the national audience is going to doubt that JB was clueless. From a distance, it looks terrible that JB was single for so long while surrounding himself with the likes of Fine and Pitino.
* Bernie, Laurie and JB being neighbors. I know that people have posted that JB was surprised when Fine moved next to him. Even if 100% true, that story will not be credible to the national audience looking at these facts from a distance. Most everyone else is going to look at the fact that JB and Bernie were neighbors and conclude that JB and Bernie were inseparable: in college, in their careers, and in their personal lives.
* Like Sandusky, Fine also worked with Make a Wish, The Boys Club, and several other youth oriented charities, besides coaching summer camps. The national media simply hasn't gotten around to these issues yet. If any of this work occurred after the Syracuse investigation, JB and others may get accused of endangering the kids in these organizations.
* Hop and Autry roomed with Davis. This fact, while likely irrelevant, really has the potential to hurt the program. Syracuse is the only basketball program in the country to have all coaches as alumni. Previously, our alumni club of coaches seemed cool, like a tight knit family. Now, our all-alumni coaching staff, with two former Davis roommates, looks worrisome. If JB is fired, it would make sense to clean house. Hop is a lot like Bernie, in the sense that their only credential is JB. From a career standpoint, Hop is a mini-Bernie (although Hop gets more calls from other programs): JB liked him, Hop stuck by JB's side the whole time, and that's about all there is to say about Hop. Our unique alumni coaching staff is no longer a source of warm fuzzy feelings, but instead, such a tight clique suggests a cover up to a national audience. On most any coaching staff, the national audience is going to assume the assistant coaches will "hear things" if one of their bosses is molesting the ball boys. This is, of course, all the more true when the assistant coaches are former players, who lived with the molested ball boy, and have otherwise been around the program nonstop.
* JB's comments on Paterno. The "lies" comment will get more attention, but the Paterno comment is the one that has me truly worried. JB might very well have good reason to call Lang/Davis liars, even if 90% of what they are saying is true. Obviously, Lang lied at one point, no matter who is believed. To some extent, the national audience will be somewhat sympathetic to JB's initial comments about "lies" and "money." But the more I think of it, the more JB's comments on Paterno look awful. They sounded a bit defensive at the time, and now, they appear much, much worse.
* Davis and others around the program living at Fine's. At first, when the Fine story broke, and others around the program said "hey, lot's of kids stayed with Bernie, ball boys traveled and babysat for Bernie, it isn't rare for Bernie to have a access to kids," it seemed like Bernie was just a guy who helped a lot of young men. Now with Laurie apparently encouraging Bernie to "get his rocks off" with "gay boys," all these comments about how frequently Bernie helped out kids seems insanely alarming. I imagine the school must have a few "cover their ass" rules, vaguely written, that place the responsibility (liability) for coach-ball boy relationships with JB. It may very well be the case, that no matter how the facts are spun, either JB or the University is going to be found to have violated written procedures regarding these sort of issues.
I am still holding out hope:
* that the tape is doctored;
* that the 2005 investigation was legit;
* that Duval's SPD acted with integrity;
* that JB never knew of Bernie's personal life'
* that Bernie and Pitino were just two unlucky picks by JB, like Josh and Dayshawn Wright...etc.,
but it's not looking good.
