Just being honest about Hopkins.. waxing poetic

[AZOrange]

They were highly regarded, but not elite. Not top 10 [for the record, I get that McD's AA's are all highly rated, but I'm setting the bar a bit higher than that].

None of those players came in with the hype, fanfare, or immediate pro expectations that 75% of kentucky's recruits come in with every year.

But they don’t need to. If Bazley just showed up day 1 or TT doesn’t disappear this is a completely different looking team

 

[Cusefan0307]

Brandon Triche, Scoop, Kris Joseph, CJ Fair, Andy Rautins, and Arinze we’re ranked right around or lower than the guys we are signing right now. Some revisionist history with our recruiting lately.

 

[moqui]

Who was the last elite ranked recruit we landed? Carmelo in 2002? And that was after he committed during his junior year as a player ranked in the high 20s / low 30s, only to have his ranking shoot up afterwards.

donte greene was consensus top 10. bazley was top 10 in at least 1 ranking, iirc

 

[RF2044]

donte greene was consensus top 10. bazley was top 10 in at least 1 ranking, iirc

I think you're right about Greene. That was -- what -- 2008?

Bazley may or might not have been. He's another kid we got, who then blew up IIRC.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Brandon Triche, Scoop, Kris Joseph, CJ Fair, Andy Rautins, and Arinze we’re ranked right around or lower than the guys we are signing right now. Some revisionist history with our recruiting lately.

I'll take solid four year players who improve during their career over any of the one and doners not named Carmelo Anthony. CBB is ruined right now. We will do very well with 3 and 4 year guys.

 

[RF2044]

I'll take solid four year players who improve during their career over any of the one and doners not named Carmelo Anthony. CBB is ruined right now. We will do very well with 3 and 4 year guys.

Agree 100%. I think you need to be all in with one- or two-and -one type talent, or you need to fully commit to pursuing four-year talent with upside [a la CJ, Andy, Arinze, etc.].

We've been straddling the line for awhile -- getting guys who are good enough to be one- or two-and-done and get drafted based upon athletic potential, but who leave before we truly see the benefit of their contributions for the most part.

Duke, Kentucky, and Arizona are examples of the former. Notre Dame, and lately UNC, are examples of the latter. We need to pick a lane.

 

[Orangtiz]

Man. The Duke win provided a nice little break from the sky is always falling BS. Guess that’s over.

You threw in the towel every time we lost last year, so I guess this is just what you do.

I dont beleive anything he said is even remotely near "the sky is falling" this is the problem I have with the basketball board. WAKE UP. The program hasnt been good since the Tyler Ennis team. And even then they were bad towards the end of the season. Had it not been for us sneaking in the tourney in 2016 and making the Final FOur run, are we still talking about the program the same way. It is slipping, there is no question. This is called being a realist. Bubble for the past 5 years, one season was the self-imposed (they likely werent going to make the tourney)

 

[Forza Azzurri]

Well isn't this a very Millennial thing to do.. you'd make Ariana Grande blush

I own it. plain and simple. I was wrong. Wasn't a fan of what transpired, as many weren't. Turns out it was the team and a microcosm of the program.

You should have just said that from the outset. Instead, it appeared to me as if you were trying to pass yourself off as someone who had been in Hop's camp since the outset and I knew that to not be the case...

Plus, I know we just lost Stewart to Hop but we are coming off of week where we did beat the #1 team in the country on the road (and with Duke beating UVA on Saturday without Tre, it cannot be dismissed as an injury-related fluke)...it seems like you skipped right over that little nugget on your way to your meltdown...

 

[OrangeDW]

I dont beleive anything he said is even remotely near "the sky is falling" this is the problem I have with the basketball board. WAKE UP. The program hasnt been good since the Tyler Ennis team. And even then they were bad towards the end of the season. Had it not been for us sneaking in the tourney in 2016 and making the Final FOur run, are we still talking about the program the same way. It is slipping, there is no question. This is called being a realist. Bubble for the past 5 years, one season was the self-imposed (they likely werent going to make the tourney)

Yeah, that’s nice. We just beat Duke and we’re 4-1 in the ACC right now though.

 

[NKR1978]

I dont beleive anything he said is even remotely near "the sky is falling" this is the problem I have with the basketball board. WAKE UP. The program hasnt been good since the Tyler Ennis team. And even then they were bad towards the end of the season. Had it not been for us sneaking in the tourney in 2016 and making the Final FOur run, are we still talking about the program the same way. It is slipping, there is no question. This is called being a realist. Bubble for the past 5 years, one season was the self-imposed (they likely werent going to make the tourney)

I agree the trend has been horrible, but at least as of now it looks like we’re on track to be the team we thought we would be to start the season. The injury to Frank set us back and it’s taken a little while for a few other players to round into form. I think we can play our way to a 5 or 6 seed. Not great, but certainly a big step up from where we’ve been.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

I dont beleive anything he said is even remotely near "the sky is falling" this is the problem I have with the basketball board. WAKE UP. The program hasnt been good since the Tyler Ennis team. And even then they were bad towards the end of the season. Had it not been for us sneaking in the tourney in 2016 and making the Final FOur run, are we still talking about the program the same way. It is slipping, there is no question. This is called being a realist. Bubble for the past 5 years, one season was the self-imposed (they likely werent going to make the tourney)

If you were a realist, you would have mentioned the sanctions.

The Titanic didn't sink all by itself, it needed an iceberg.

 

[NKR1978]

If you were a realist, you would have mentioned the sanctions.

The Titanic didn't sink all by itself, it needed an iceberg.

I know we lost Kevin Huerter, but I wonder how many other kids we lost because of scholarships and the other recruiting restrictions we had.

 

[Zepharus]

What does this word mean?

You should have just said that from the outset. Instead, it appeared to me as if you were trying to pass yourself off as someone who had been in Hop's camp since the outset and I knew that to not be the case...

Plus, I know we just lost Stewart to Hop but we are coming off of week where we did beat the #1 team in the country on the road (and with Duke beating UVA on Saturday without Tre, it cannot be dismissed as an injury-related fluke)...it seems like you skipped right over that little nugget on your way to your meltdown...

Im not melting down. Its a "big picture" take that I don't feel we are in a good spot. that is all. Orangetiz seems to get what I'm saying. instead of attacking and digging for past dirt, perhaps look at things from another perspective? You can shed the self absorbed, me me me millenial tag by simply having an open mind.

 

[Zepharus]

If you were a realist, you would have mentioned the sanctions.

The Titanic didn't sink all by itself, it needed an iceberg.

however the Titanic was waiting to happen because of the foundation on which it was built(brittle Steel)...IE the program...

 

[NKR1978]

however the Titanic was waiting to happen because of the foundation on which it was built(brittle Steel)...IE the program...

What foundation is that? The one that went 177-42 from the 08-09 to 13-14 seasons? The one that had Tyler Lyndon, Malachi Richardson and Frank Howard coming in for the 15-16 season (after sanctions were announced)? How shaky was that foundation?

 

[orangecuse]

If you were a realist, you would have mentioned the sanctions.

The Titanic didn't sink all by itself, it needed an iceberg.

Yep, and well before the iceberg, it required the mental capacity of its makers and the one's in control of it that ultimately sealed its fate, deeming it as an "unsinkable" ship...this is fun.

 

[tbonezone]

boeheim apparently was a coach neither Tsquare or bazely wanted very much to play for . at least not enuf.

 

[OrangeDW]

boeheim apparently was a coach neither Tsquare or bazely wanted very much to play for . at least not enuf.

Thompson is averaging 6 points and 2 rebounds in 12 mpg on 40% shooting. Oh, and 0.2 assists(lol).

Not sure that was a loss for Syracuse.

 

[NKR1978]

Thompson is averaging 6 points and 2 rebounds in 12 mpg on 40% shooting. Oh, and 0.2 assists(lol).

Not sure that was a loss for Syracuse.

And Willard is so much better than JB as a coach...

 

[br801]

Thompson is averaging 6 points and 2 rebounds in 12 mpg on 40% shooting. Oh, and 0.2 assists(lol).

Not sure that was a loss for Syracuse.

But how do you know he hasn't become a lock down defender?

 

[NKR1978]

But how do you know he hasn't become a lock down defender?

I loved watching TT play defense because seeing a high level athlete perform as effectively as my old, short, out of shape self would was inspiring.

 

[orangecuse]

Thompson is averaging 6 points and 2 rebounds in 12 mpg on 40% shooting. Oh, and 0.2 assists(lol).

Not sure that was a loss for Syracuse.

Comical...and yet some have stated we'd be such a different team had he not departed, and even how our center spot wouldn't be so problematic, even though he's not a center either.

 

[Consigliere]

I don't know who to blame. Its clearly JB and the AD but does any of it matter now?

The AD did not extend JB and pull the rug out from under Hop. It really wasn't that long ago if anyone cares to check. The agreement out of the sanctions was that JB would retire at the end of the 2017 - 2018 season. Boeheim, Wildhack and Hopkins were all prepared for that to happen. AFTER Hop left for Washington Wildhack reached out to see if JB had interest in staying on.

There are numerous stories out there confirming the fact. here is one:

Boeheim to retire in 3 years; AD Gross out

Now it is certainly possible that Hop saw that his mentor and self described father figure had some regrets about leaving. And it is certainly possible that made him more receptive to offers so as not to feel he was part of pushing Boeheim out the door, but the FACTS are that if Hop had turned down UW, he would be the head basketball coach at Syracuse today. You may wish that were the case but I, for one, will enjoy watching our HoF coach on the sidelines for a few more years.

 

[cuseinseattle]

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Yes, we can all clearly see that you were 100% all-in on Hopkins...

You are so full of it that, when you turn 50 in four years, you are going to need a plumber instead of a proctologist for your first colonoscopy.

Post of the year candidate and it's only January

 

[OrangeXtreme]

boeheim apparently was a coach neither Tsquare or bazely wanted very much to play for . at least not enuf.

TT's Mommy didn't want to play here.