In Mourning or a Wake?

[Shenexon]

I'm feeling pretty melancholy with the end of a season once full of hope, but I'm also amazed we did as well as we did. It sure was an interesting year.

We've had a challenging period in SU basketball, with unexpected losses of players and an important coach. Bazely went elsewhere. Howard Washington had a medical crisis. Taurean Thompson left the program. Frank Howard was suspended at an inopportune moment. Mike Hopkins left to begin his own legacy. Added to the NCAA sanctions and the loss of some recruits with the uncertainty of our coaching staff has made this year among the toughest in JB's tenure.

During the 2018-2019 season we had substantial liabilities, having issues at the point all season and searching for options along the baseline. Through those struggles, we still finished pretty well in the ACC and got to the NCAA tourney, albeit in tragic fashion.

The team was a true team at times and we have many heroes, though not enough in the end. Battle came back in hopes of a great year, Brissett had lapses but was a stalwart, Buddy was better than expected by most, Hughes was amazing at times, Dolezaj brought so much to the team in several ways, Chukwu and Sidibe played with heart through their injuries, with Howard seemingly distracted by his injury but played well at times as well. Braswell & Carey gave us glimpses of the future. In the end, we were just too thin in a few places and there was too much character-building to overcome.

I don't really care about fault as fate plays as big a hand as the players or coaches. Sometimes things just don't go your way...sometimes more than others. Anyhow, kudos to the team, players, and coaches for persevering through significant challenges. Thanks to them for making the winter so exciting and enrapturing. It's an odd phenomenon that SU fans can become suicidal when the team doesn't meet their expectation. We've overcome our share of adversity and survived in style.

I hope to thrive again before JB retires so have to believe that good things will happen at SU over the next several years. So...yeah, I'm in mourning but mostly in a celebratory wake mode. We competed with our peers, won a decent ACC tourney seed, and made the NCAA tourney. This season wasn't cut out to be more. Be happy...

 

[Madbiker]

I thought from the tittle, Wake was naming Alonzo Morning as new coach.

 

[tbonezone]

ranks up there as one of the least enjoyable seasons to watch ever imo. good riddance.

 

[kingtidge]

I thought from the tittle, Wake was naming Alonzo Morning as new coach.

This.

ranks up there as one of the least enjoyable seasons to watch ever imo. good riddance.

And This.

One of my least favorite SU squads.

Turn the page and hope for better next year...

 

[dollarbill44]

I agree it was a rough season on many fronts. I am disappointed, but also kind of relieved that it's over. This team just didn't seem to click at any point this season. And the way it ended with Frank being suspended just added to the frustration.
I'm moving on to watch the women's team hopefully make a deep run and baseball starts now, which will get me to football season.

 

[Briancuse]

I mean I'm kind of relieved that its over and I'm frankly tired of watching this team and getting stressed but I'm still a little depressed.

 

[Marty McFly]

Sad that we couldn't really see if this team could recapture the magic, of the last tourny. With the Battle injury, and Frank suspesion, it seemed pre-destined to be an early exit from the dance. The team did have that sense of urgency in the ACC tourny and I still wonder if we had Frank, whether we could have made another run.

As an aside, to the folks that said earlier this year, to "enjoy the ride" - well there are reasons I avoid roller-coasters in general, I should've known better (fool me once...).

 

[cuse10]

Still in mourning over how poorly the season went.

 

[moqui]

snakebit season. from bazely's unprecedented decision, to all 3 pgs going down for entire preseason, to a last minute post-season suspension. so many odd things just went against su.

 

[Cowtown]

I agree it was a rough season on many fronts. I am disappointed, but also kind of relieved that it's over. This team just didn't seem to click at any point this season. And the way it ended with Frank being suspended just added to the frustration.
I'm moving on to watch the women's team hopefully make a deep run and baseball starts now, which will get me to football season.

No LAX?

 

[Cowtown]

Still in mourning over how poorly the season went.

I think in the back of our minds I think most of us feared it misht end poorly. We were way too thin right off the hop.

 

[LarryC44]

I had high hopes going into the season but in the end I am glad it's over. This was probably my least favorite team and season to watch

 

[realorange]

For me it was like watching someone find out they had a terminal illness. Then living the ups and downs of it getting worse and thinking they might recover and having it go south again and still maybe making it to only completely losing it.

It was painful to watch what potentially could have been a very exciting team crumble into so much less.

 

[bballbeadle]

Don, as usual we can count on you to be thoughtful and generous as you summed up our season. It was very disappointing, but there were moments of glory that I will always remember. I feel I will be very circumspect in my hopes and assessment of the team next year. The worst part of this year was that my expectations were WAY high. I am so glad there will be the trip to Italy in August (ironicallly, my neighbor who lives in Italy half the year will be in Syracuse during that tour). That will help us fans see what we have and we can moderate our hopes accordingly.

The worst part of this year was Frank at the end. I wonder if we will ever know the story? I HATE that I may go to my grave not knowing. I guess I just want to give him the benefit of the doubt. He’s had a tough career here.

If I thought it would do any good, I would certainly pray that Boeheim can have a spectacularly successful season again before he retires. As Jean Luc Picard would say, “Make it so.”

 

[dollarbill44]

No LAX?

Of course Lax, but that has been a lot like hoops over the last several years, but without the surprise final fours.