Not that anybody cares but I wanted to throw this post up to express my feelings about the whirlwind of news dumped on us yesterday by Syracuse University. Firstly, I called this. Two years ago when the sanctions were handed down and Boeheim was pretty much forced to announce his retirement timeline, I said there's no way Boeheim would go out like that. Even with the premise that Hopkins would take over, I said on our local airwaves that Boeheim would be here beyond the 2017-18 season. He would not allow the end to his 40-year run/legacy to be dictated by a corrupt NCAA and its investigation.
As far as how I feel about yesterday, I know that there are many who are in the same boat I'm in. I was excited that, if this retirement were to happen, new doors would open, and possibly an influx of new types of recruits. Maybe we would see a higher rate of blue chips come in; ones who were not scared off by a coach who uses a defense you never see in the NBA. At the same time I was not sold on Hopkins and his in-game coaching ability, especially after last year's 4-5 performance. On the other hand I was excited that we'd have a relatively young coach who most certainly would have been recruiting with much more energy than JB has been showing over the last few years. I also felt that there was a possibility that the new AD would not stake his legacy on Hopkins and open a search which could possibly bring in a guy like Jay Wright, or some other up-and-comer.
So none of that is happening, which brings us to this morning, and myself waking up, feeling like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. Don't get me wrong, I love what Boeheim has done for SU and this town, but I have to admit that I was excited about what the future held for us post-Boeheim, for some of the reasons stated above. We have one title in his 40+ years. What makes people think JB is going to all of a sudden pull a rabbit out of a hat and bring a title here in the next 3-5 years after only snagging one in 40 with a once in a lifetime blue chip recruit the likes of which we haven't brought here since? Listen, the guy is 73 years old and no longer connects with the players. I appreciate all he's done and love the guy, but I was ready and excited for the change. Change is not always bad. I welcome change, but now we have to wait even longer for it.
As far as how I feel about yesterday, I know that there are many who are in the same boat I'm in. I was excited that, if this retirement were to happen, new doors would open, and possibly an influx of new types of recruits. Maybe we would see a higher rate of blue chips come in; ones who were not scared off by a coach who uses a defense you never see in the NBA. At the same time I was not sold on Hopkins and his in-game coaching ability, especially after last year's 4-5 performance. On the other hand I was excited that we'd have a relatively young coach who most certainly would have been recruiting with much more energy than JB has been showing over the last few years. I also felt that there was a possibility that the new AD would not stake his legacy on Hopkins and open a search which could possibly bring in a guy like Jay Wright, or some other up-and-comer.
So none of that is happening, which brings us to this morning, and myself waking up, feeling like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. Don't get me wrong, I love what Boeheim has done for SU and this town, but I have to admit that I was excited about what the future held for us post-Boeheim, for some of the reasons stated above. We have one title in his 40+ years. What makes people think JB is going to all of a sudden pull a rabbit out of a hat and bring a title here in the next 3-5 years after only snagging one in 40 with a once in a lifetime blue chip recruit the likes of which we haven't brought here since? Listen, the guy is 73 years old and no longer connects with the players. I appreciate all he's done and love the guy, but I was ready and excited for the change. Change is not always bad. I welcome change, but now we have to wait even longer for it.
