JB calling into Axe about recruiting now

[two3zone]

The fact that I don't know these guys makes me excited, we could be great, we could also be worse than last year. I think the possibilities are endless with the squad, and it all comes down to our guards.

On the plus side with that we have an excellent guard in Battle. I think he's the only sure thing we have. My only concern is he goes from 3rd fiddle to the only proven scorer on the team. I think he's athletic enough to get through a tough defense but he's not going to have the open looks he did last year.

 

[SWC75]

Heaven forbid that a coach might praise his players when others are denigrating them.

No group of recruits deserves to be called "crap on the floor", regardless of their ratings.

I happen to think we'll have a pretty good team this year but it's still June and we are permitted to think whatever we want because we have no results yet. June is a good time for optimism because you many not be able to find any down the line.

My big take away from that interview is that "We have two centers- Paschal and Bourama". Thompson is not going tob e our starting center this years. He'll be the power forward.

 

[Cuse House]

On the plus side with that we have an excellent guard in Battle. I think he's the only sure thing we have. My only concern is he goes from 3rd fiddle to the only proven scorer on the team. I think he's athletic enough to get through a tough defense but he's not going to have the open looks he did last year.

I'm imagining our squad with MCW that couldn't score (our defense was great). We won and lost games in the 40's and 50's. That's what it will be if some of our forwards can't stretch the defense.

 

[Alsacs]

Heaven forbid that a coach might praise his players when others are denigrating them.

No group of recruits deserves to be called "crap on the floor", regardless of their ratings.

I happen to think we'll have a pretty good team this year but it's still June and we are permitted to think whatever we want because we have no results yet. June is a good time for optimism because you many not be able to find any down the line.

My big take away from that interview is that "We have two centers- Paschal and Bourama". Thompson is not going tob e our starting center this years. He'll be the power forward.

Yeah because people really care that the HC is "praising" his players.

Way to take things where nobody has gone. The comments can be debated this is a message board not an echo chamber.

Who is saying don't praise the players? All I have said is the comments can be debated.

 

[two3zone]

Heaven forbid that a coach might praise his players when others are denigrating them.

No group of recruits deserves to be called "crap on the floor", regardless of their ratings.

I happen to think we'll have a pretty good team this year but it's still June and we are permitted to think whatever we want because we have no results yet. June is a good time for optimism because you many not be able to find any down the line.

My big take away from that interview is that "We have two centers- Paschal and Bourama". Thompson is not going tob e our starting center this years. He'll be the power forward.

They were not called crap on the floor. Re-read it again, come on man...

 

[MSOrange]

I don't really give a crap what JB says - I care what the results on the floor are. Which leads to the question of why am I reading this thread? I don't know

 

[OrangeDW]

Mike Gbinije wasn't one of the best players in the nation. He was great for us but wasn't what JB described Hughes as.

Wes Johnson is an outlier. If JB wants to say Hughes is going to be ACC POY of the year like Wes Johnson was BE POY.

JB owns all criticism if the kid isn't that good.

I would take an all-ACC season from Hughes but JB said among the best in the nation.

Wes Johnson also had averaged double figures twice at a P5 school.

Pearl's comments shut down discussion because he fights anyone who has a critical take.

That Carlson article had a lot of stuff in it including the fact JB wouldn't admit Chukwu struggled last year.

I'd say that's debatable on Gbinije. He was a heck of a player his senior year. "Among the best in the nation" is semantics here...I would bet that JB considered Gbinije to be among the best in the nation.

Yes...Wes did much more at Iowa State than Hughes. So why didn't Wes just go pro?

 

[Cusefan0307]

If we don't win at least 21 or 22 games next year it is going to get ugly.

 

[Alsacs]

I'd say that's debatable on Gbinije. He was a heck of a player his senior year. "Among the best in the nation" is semantics here...I would bet that JB considered Gbinije to be among the best in the nation.

Yes...Wes did much more at Iowa State than Hughes. So why didn't Wes just go pro?

I looked it up.
Wes Johnson had a stress fracture when he transferred. That transfer year helped him get healthy.

If he was healthy who knows what he does. He left Iowa State because his coach left.

How Wes Johnson went from Iowa State to Syracuse University

 

[JazzNC]

JB's comments need to be taken with a grain of salt. He had to say those things.

Do you really think he's going to admit that recruiting is down? Of course not, the media would have a field day, and it would hurt recruiting further.

Do you really think JB would say anything negative about the 2017 class (which does not include 1 top 100 recruit)? Of course not. They're needed, and whom we have to work with. Doing so would damage the relationship with these recruits before the season even begins.

Do you really think JB would say his age, reliance on the zone etc are hurting our recruiting? Of course not, for the same reason. That would be suicidal.

He's doing what any strong willed head coach would do. He's fighting for his recruiting class, his team, his staff, and himself.

I'll give him crexit for still being a fighter. Nothing would make me happier than to see him get one last screw you at the NCAA.

 

[OrangeDW]

I looked it up.
Wes Johnson had a stress fracture when he transferred. That transfer year helped him get healthy.

If he was healthy who knows what he does. He left Iowa State because his coach left.

How Wes Johnson went from Iowa State to Syracuse University

McCullough had a torn ACL and he still went pro.

Wes wasnt really on the NBA radar like that at Iowa State. My point is it's not always as simple as what you said earlier. Sometimes guys just need some time to develop and the right opportunity. Maybe this kid is a super talent who will breakout and burst onto the scene in two years? It's not like that never happens in college hoops.

 

[two3zone]

Yeah, my point is it's not always as simple as what you said earlier. Sometimes guys just need some time to develop and the right opportunity. Maybe this kid is a super talent who will breakout and burst onto the scene in two years? It's not like that never happens in college hoops.

Maybe, but how rare is it? Extremely rare.

 

[pearl31]

It's a fact.

:rolling:

 

[OrangeDW]

Maybe, but how rare is it? Extremely rare.

I just pointed out two transfers this decade who burst onto the scene as great college players and NBA players after transferring to Cuse.

I know Wes had a strong freshman year at Iowa St and was hampered by an injury as a soph, but he still blossomed into a great college player and top 5 pick at Cuse. He was getting raves from SU insiders during the year he sat out, but I'd say to the rest of the country he surprised by getting to that level.

 

[iommi]

Pretty much everybody that's come in is the cats meow.

I'm not debating that there is talent with this guys, but I'm sick of him citing Warrick every year when it comes to low rated recruits.

I listened start to finish. When JB and others on this board bring up Warrick it really gives me chills and not good ones. Enough. And this is coming from a huge Hak fan. The Hodge/ Hak scenario was a decade and a half ago.

In general, JB sounded like a mix of blatantly defensive and frustrated (below the surface). His recruiting rankings were hysterically skewed. In most cases, they weren't even close. He's sounding delusional. I think he knows we are getting slapped around and he doesn't want to admit it and he doesn't want lose the fans. He knows there are a lot of people who are by his side no matter what and take his word as gospel. To me, he came off like a politician more than a coach.

A few specific things I found interesting. It sounds like he views Moyer and Brissett as 3's. I'm terrified how much he's pumping up Chukwu. With him listing PC and Sidibe as our centers, perhaps we try to make Thompson a 4. Hmm. I like that it sounds like he really likes Howard Washington, since I like HW a little more than most around here do. JB pumping up Hughes came off really hyperbolic.

I like JB supporting the players but he needs to pump the brakes a little. Guess he didn't learn anything from saying last year's team/ roster was one of his best ever.

 

[orangecuse]

JB's comments need to be taken with a grain of salt. He had to say those things.

Do you really think he's going to admit that recruiting is down? Of course not, the media would have a field day, and it would hurt recruiting further.

Do you really think JB would say anything negative about the 2017 class (which does not include 1 top 100 recruit)? Of course not. They're needed, and whom we have to work with. Doing so would damage the relationship with these recruits before the season even begins.

Do you really think JB would say his age, reliance on the zone etc are hurting our recruiting? Of course not, for the same reason. That would be suicidal.

He's doing what any strong willed head coach would do. He's fighting for his recruiting class, his team, his staff, and himself.

I'll give him crexit for still being a fighter. Nothing would make me happier than to see him get one last screw you at the NCAA.

Dead on post!

 

[two3zone]

:rolling:

Some hard hitting analysis there pal. How long has it been since you posted something relevant or are you just a troll now?

 

[Dave]

No,

So we have 5 Hakims coming in!? SWEET!!!!

I don't think that. I do think that a bunch of people spend time rating and ranking kids. They do a decent job creating thumbnail estimations of talent. Some probably shoehorn on the observations and estimations of others. They have few true measurables, but generate educated guesses against variables of competition and situation. It is further confounded by the fact that these kids grow and learn and change mentally, emotionally and physically. Some work hard, some don't. Out of all this come rankings. Too many worship at the alter of the "top" this or that. Coaching staffs may rely on rankings to get "on paper", but good ones use their own judgment and apply it to existing personnel and systems. I trust our coach. In the past, when I haven't, I've been wrong. I believe in him. I do't believe the game has passed him by. He is one of the great innovators in college basketball. I didn't mean my comment as an attack, what I meant to suggest is I wouldn't bet against the man. In fact, I know you're a fan, and would rather be wrong. You just take a more cynical view. We micro scrutinize the minds of young men and have so much jore information now. However recruiting here has always been this, since Adonal Foyle and before. The sky isn't falling. WE ARE SU.

 

[iommi]

I like our defense better than last year, but with Marek and Thorpe being late arrivals I don't know what that does to the defense. Very concerning because the offense isn't even close to last season.

I was unhappy that Dolezaj was getting here in August but now we know Thorpe will be late too and that's not good.

 

[two3zone]

No,

I don't think that. I do think that a bunch of people spend time rating and ranking kids. They do a decent job creating thumbnail estimations of talent. Some probably shoehorn on the observations and estimations of others. They have few true measurables, but generate educated guesses against variables of competition and situation. It is further confounded by the fact that these kids grow and learn and change mentally, emotionally and physically. Some work hard, some don't. Out of all this come rankings. Too many worship at the alter of the "top" this or that. Coaching staffs may rely on rankings to get "on paper", but good ones use their own judgment and apply it to existing personnel and systems. I trust our coach. In the past, when I haven't, I've been wrong. I believe in him. I do't believe the game has passed him by. He is one of the great innovators in college basketball. I didn't mean my comment as an attack, what I meant to suggest is I wouldn't bet against the man. In fact, I know you're a fan, and would rather be wrong. You just take a more cynical view. We micro scrutinize the minds of young men and have so much jore information now. However recruiting here has always been this, since Adonal Foyle and before. The sky isn't falling. WE ARE SU.

I don't disagree with much you're saying and I hope I am wrong. The problem is I've seen the direction we've been heading for a few years now and have articulated it posts about recruiting and low and behold it's all happening. I hope we win the title every single year. But things have changed, we're escentially a .500 team in the ACC, we haven't even won an ACC tournament game. We've fallen behind teams that we were ALWAYS better than and it doesn't look like it's slowing down at least not this year. Nova is a great school, but they're in a garbage conference. Notre Dame, they don't belong in the same sentence as us when it comes to basketball. We're trending downward and it's showing on the court and on the recruiting trail.

 

[pearl31]

I was unhappy that Dolezaj was getting here in August but now we know Thorpe will be late too and that's not good.

how do we know that about Geno? (hadn't seen anything on that)

 

[AZOrange]

I Praised his honesty about Crean.

Go read the Carlson article. He said Hughes could be one of the best players in the nation. That is insane. If the kid is that good he never would've transferred and would've gone straight to the NBA. Comments like that deserve to be called out.

Well JB has had Wes Johnson so it happens.

 

[iommi]

Heaven forbid that a coach might praise his players when others are denigrating them.

No group of recruits deserves to be called "crap on the floor", regardless of their ratings.

I happen to think we'll have a pretty good team this year but it's still June and we are permitted to think whatever we want because we have no results yet. June is a good time for optimism because you many not be able to find any down the line.

My big take away from that interview is that "We have two centers- Paschal and Bourama". Thompson is not going tob e our starting center this years. He'll be the power forward.

The people in this thread who are critical of our roster and our recruiting actually follow such things. You have said repeatedly you don't follow recruiting at all. Your opinion on whether we will be good or bad this coming season is without merit. You've never seen these new guys play. Guys shouldn't rip recruits, that's true, but you are clueless about them. That's fine too. Some people don't like to follow it. Their opinion is valid but not on recruiting and certainly not on our roster since some of those recruits will be playing critical roles this year. No one called recruits "crap on the floor." That is a miscategorization of what was perhaps a poorly chosen euphemism.

 

[iommi]

I want to say that I listened to the JB interview before reading this thread. I did barely skim a few posts on page 1. Now that I read through it, it's remarkable how so many people said similar things to my lengthy post (post #66). I guess people are rightfully frustrated and concerned.

 

[MSOrange]

We just got a really good grad transfer LB if anyone wants to head to the football board to read good news!