JB and the Bench

[SUOrangeSU]

Damn, no bias, but if I'm a top 50 kid and sees JB rotations and sees all the minutes players are playing, I would be jumping to come here

 

[br801]

Well, maybe if he played Thorpe more than 5 minutes a game during the non-conference schedule so we had a true 3 guard rotation, he wouldn't have transferred, and we wouldn't be relying on a little kid (Washington) who has played about 30 minutes all season.

Maybe if Thorpe had been healthy, he would have played more and not decided it wasn't worth being patient and earning the substantial third guard minutes that were almost certainly there for him.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Maybe if Thorpe had been healthy, he would have played more and not decided it wasn't worth being patient and earning the substantial third guard minutes that were almost certainly there for him.

I think this is much closer to the truth in regards to Thorpe. Tough break for him, but it is what it is.

 

[br801]

I think this is much closer to the truth in regards to Thorpe. Tough break for him, but it is what it is.

That said, I think Thorpe's minutes would have come largely at Howard's expense, which may have had Howard looking over his shoulder and not blossoming to the extent he has. So I'm not sure this team would be better off had Thorpe remained, especially since I think Washington is (or can be) a serviceable third guard.

 

[CuseTG2003]

HW is a headscratcher, but to me, Sidibe is the big story here. If he's so injured that he can only play emergency minutes, then he should've redshirted. I realize he may have ultimately made decision not to, but still. If he's healthy enough to play, there's no reason he shouldn't of played at least a few minutes last night. I get Chukwu was playing well, but Sidibe shows a lot more promise to me. The game just seems to come more naturally to him. He just needs more reps, and it's not happening unfortunately.

 

[br801]

HW is a headscratcher, but to me, Sidibe is the big story here. If he's so injured that he can only play emergency minutes, then he should've redshirted. I realize he may have ultimately made decision not to, but still. If he's healthy enough to play, there's no reason he shouldn't of played at least a few minutes last night. I get Chukwu was playing well, but Sidibe shows a lot more promise to me. The game just seems to come more naturally to him. He just needs more reps, and it's not happening unfortunately.

I think this year JB will play him situationally when he deems he is healthy enough to do so (just as he often did with DaJuan Coleman), while being careful not to squeeze the lemon dry.

 

[CuseTG2003]

I think this year JB will play him situationally when he deems he is healthy enough to do so (just as he often did with DaJuan Coleman), while being careful not to squeeze the lemon dry.

I agree. I think maybe Sidibe's also made it clear he doesn't plan on being here 4 years so wasting a year of eligibility isn't as big a deal. I just want to see the big guy healthy and contributing.

 

[SoBeCuse]

That's exactly right. I'm quite certain JB actually believes that playing HW for 2 minutes in each half will likely result in a loss. And I'm not being sarcastic, thus no need for the font.

I don't believe he's correct. But he's the coach and I'm just a loser on the interwebs (props to Townie!).

Well played!

 

[br801]

I agree. I think maybe Sidibe's also made it clear he doesn't plan on being here 4 years so wasting a year of eligibility isn't as big a deal. I just want to see the big guy healthy and contributing.

It sounds like the decision to not take the redshirt was Sidibe's, since his injuries are not completely debilitating. I think he will be a tremendous player when fully healthy and give the team a nice offensive presence in the low post.

 

[Knicks411]

thread delivered!!

 

[SoBeCuse]

thread delivered!!

 

[Eric15]

So are you saying we should out smart the competition and play 15 players.

Holy crap, man. I hope you didn't twist your ankle like Moyer gliding down that slippery slope.

 

[Knicks411]

I did say this thread delivered, but I think some of you could've had a slightly better performance if you were a little more rested. Not naming any names

 

[FrancoPizza]

So it's a thing because YOU think it's a thing. The fact that Battle denies it proves your point.

What do you expect Battle to say? Man I'm sucking wind out there but the old man won't give me a breather!

 

[FrancoPizza]

Nice!!! I love the fact you are still picking up kids half your age from baseline to baseline.. I really do! Kudos. I just think man takes way more effort but agree to disagree not a big deal

The answer is - it depends. It depends on the other team's ball movement. Teams that are well-coached and know how to enter the post and quickly reverse the ball for 30 seconds is enough to gas anybody. The way BC tried to attack the zone allowed our players to rest quite a bit. It varies from game to game. But it does give fodder to the complaints that they stand around on offense too much. Maybe they are just gassed from chasing the ball on defense?

 

[AlpharettaCuse]

I mean... it has to be addressed, right?

I am of the opinion that it is not a coincidence that Battle/Howard/Brissett looked All-ACC after some time off.

I am also of the opinion that it is completely ridiculous in a game where we were up double digits for pretty much the entirety, that we couldn't get a sub in for either of those 3 until one minute left in the game, and even then, only Howard comes out.

With Moyer getting hurt, I get why Marek played all game and with Sidibe's status seemingly "Emergency Center" going into every game, I also understand Chukwu...but c'mon... we can't get breathers for our Big 3 in a blowout win?

I don’t think there’s much JB can do. Sidibe isn’t healthy yet. These kids had a week off, so playing 40 minutes isn’t too bad. They 3 days of rest until they play again. I don’t think Washington playing a few minutes makes much of a difference for him or Howard/Battle anyways.

 

[AlpharettaCuse]

What do you expect Battle to say? Man I'm sucking wind out there but the old man won't give me a breather!

They get a breather every 4 minutes, plus halftime.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

They get a breather every 4 minutes, plus halftime.

Didn't work that way last night, which is why you saw Marek reach in and get a foul in the middle of the second half. The under 8 timeout didn't happen until under 7...

 

[DBCooper]

I did say this thread delivered, but I think some of you could've had a slightly better performance if you were a little more rested. Not naming any names

Yeah, some of these posts are exhibiting signs of mental fatigue

 

[cuseinseattle]

I do think it takes a toll and I get that there is a decent drop off to HW. I'm willing to admit that but that is why I think HW needs to play and he would improve. JAB even says he has improved in practice the last presser. It would happen quicker with game action. That is why we should run the 3 guard lineup. It would be better on the offensive end and I don't think that much worse having Battle at the wing. This is one of the things I've noticed watching all of the UW games. Hopkins doesn't believe in playing kids this many minutes. Jaylen Nowell who is very similar to Battle in that he also plays the 2 and has a very similar game is playing 31 minutes and he is the second most on the team. The only reason Crisp plays more is he is the only PG they have and isn't even a true one. Remind you of anyone else's situation. Their breakdown is as follows:

Nowell 31.4
Dickerson 25.2
Crisp 34.0
Thybulle 31.2
Green 17.5
Timmins 20.6
Johnson 10.1
Wright 15.4

They are playing 8 kids over 10 minutes a game. When you watch them they are really fresh the last 5 minutes of games. We looked ok after the big layoff but normally we really are dragging in the last 5 minutes in my opinion.

 

[Townie72]

If you want to throw that argument at me on the football board, ok fine. Not here on the basketball board. We have recruiting pipelines, good players nearby, a brand name program, an iconic Dome that seats 30k plus and some of the best facilities in CBB.

If we hit a little bit better on recruits, we would've been a consistent top 25 program, even with the sanctions. It isn't due to lack of interest.. we've made some bad decisions on the recruiting trail and coupled with sanctions, its hurt us lately.

Props to JB for the recent Final 4's but it's ok to have discussion about this stuff.

Now we're coming out of it, a nice recruiting class lined up and there is zero reason Syracuse Basketball should ever be a consistently mediocre ACC Basketball program. This is not CFB with the power shift to the Southeast and an impossible to compete with arms race.

I hope you are right on the ability oif the program to keep om keeping on. BUT:

Recruiting Pipeline - I don't know what recruiting "pipeline" means. We'll continue to get good recruits s long as SU is an attractive place to come to play. But there isn't any residual affect that says, "I'm going to SU because other kids from my school or my town have gone there in the past."

Good Players Nearby - What do you think is "Nearby"? Buffalo is nearby. Philadelphia isn't. DC definitely isn't. We here are 4 hours from UNC and 7 hours from Syracuse. Besides, if geographic proximity to BB talent was all that important, Rutgers would be a powerhouse.

An "Iconic" Dome - It's a football stadium and we play against one of the end zones. It doesn't seem to be that great an advantage to the football team that it was designed for.

What SU does have is a "Brand Name" and history and tradition and a large fan base.

And then there is Boeheim. Once he leaves, we'll see what a "brand name" is worth. Georgetown has a "brand name" too. They are struggling mightily.

 

[longislandcuse]

I hope you are right on the ability oif the program to keep om keeping on. BUT:

Recruiting Pipeline - I don't know what recruiting "pipeline" means. We'll continue to get good recruits s long as SU is an attractive place to come to play. But there isn't any residual affect that says, "I'm going to SU because other kids from my school or my town have gone there in the past."

It means your assistant coaches/head coach have inroads into the high schools/AAU programs and the ability to meet with these kids and have coaches speak favorably about the school.

Good Players Nearby - What do you think is "Nearby"? Buffalo is nearby. Philadelphia isn't. DC definitely isn't. We here are 4 hours from UNC and 7 hours from Syracuse. Besides, if geographic proximity to BB talent was all that important, Rutgers would be a powerhouse.

Philly/Baltimore/NYC are all nearby geographically speaking. In football, the majority of big time players are from the Deep South or South Florida.

An "Iconic" Dome - It's a football stadium and we play against one of the end zones. It doesn't seem to be that great an advantage to the football team that it was designed for.

30k+ and huge crowds is definitely an advantage for Syracuse and the Dome, basketball speaking.

What SU does have is a "Brand Name" and history and tradition and a large fan base.

And then there is Boeheim. Once he leaves, we'll see what a "brand name" is worth. Georgetown has a "brand name" too. They are struggling mightily

Have to see who we hire. We are also in an infinitely better place than G'Town with our ACC affiliation.

 

[AlpharettaCuse]

Didn't work that way last night, which is why you saw Marek reach in and get a foul in the middle of the second half. The under 8 timeout didn't happen until under 7...

I think they can play 5 straight minutes without getting too tired.

 

[Waltdods]

Good Players Nearby - What do you think is "Nearby"? Buffalo is nearby. Philadelphia isn't. DC definitely isn't. We here are 4 hours from UNC and 7 hours from Syracuse. Besides, if geographic proximity to BB talent was all that important, Rutgers would be a powerhouse.

This is really neither here nor there, but it is odd to me that even very mundane factual statements get stretched in service of an agenda. Washington is not 4 hours from Chapel Hill or 7 hours from Syracuse. I've driven both (the Syracuse-DC route probably 40 times). It's six hours to Syracuse from DC, and around 5 to Chapel Hill. Philly's four hours away from Syracuse. Boston's five. New York is four. Baltimore is five. You can get to Syracuse in a half-days drive from any of these cities, which is an advantage. Is it a major one? I don't know. But Syracuse can say to anyone in this recruiting catchment that their parents/family/friends can get here easily to watch them play (or steal meal cards, as the case may be).

 

[CuseFaninVT]

I hope you are right on the ability oif the program to keep om keeping on. BUT:

Recruiting Pipeline - I don't know what recruiting "pipeline" means. We'll continue to get good recruits s long as SU is an attractive place to come to play. But there isn't any residual affect that says, "I'm going to SU because other kids from my school or my town have gone there in the past."

It means your assistant coaches/head coach have inroads into the high schools/AAU programs and the ability to meet with these kids and have coaches speak favorably about the school.

Good Players Nearby - What do you think is "Nearby"? Buffalo is nearby. Philadelphia isn't. DC definitely isn't. We here are 4 hours from UNC and 7 hours from Syracuse. Besides, if geographic proximity to BB talent was all that important, Rutgers would be a powerhouse.

Philly/Baltimore/NYC are all nearby geographically speaking. In football, the majority of big time players are from the Deep South or South Florida.

An "Iconic" Dome - It's a football stadium and we play against one of the end zones. It doesn't seem to be that great an advantage to the football team that it was designed for.

30k+ and huge crowds is definitely an advantage for Syracuse and the Dome, basketball speaking.

What SU does have is a "Brand Name" and history and tradition and a large fan base.

And then there is Boeheim. Once he leaves, we'll see what a "brand name" is worth. Georgetown has a "brand name" too. They are struggling mightily

Have to see who we hire. We are also in an infinitely better place than G'Town with our ACC affiliation.