Reply to thread

Message

[QUOTE="Dick_in_MI, post: 4126575, member: 225"]
I used to play occasional pickup games with SU players when I was a student. Keep in mind that, at that time, SU was not the force it is now. We were not recruiting nationally-ranked 5 star players. Stars didn't even exist. We were ordering our peach baskets directly from Dr. Naismith. What I'm trying to say is that it was a while ago.

Even so, those guys were on a different level than guys like me. Sure, I could occasionally score on them. Sure, if I fastened myself to them with epoxy (a trick that I am sure Jamie Dixon somehow picked up from me) I could keep them from scoring at will on me. Sometimes.

But it still was night and day.

With the NIL rules, players are becoming more like pros...in fact, at some schools they are flat out pros already. That has always been the case, even at SU to a degree, but now it isn't even a wink and a nod at a lot of places. I'm sure there are a number of players in college who laugh at what G-League players make compared to them. In those cases, "laying off the kids and reserving your criticism for the coach who makes millions" starts to wane a bit as a personal philosophy. But, in general, I try to always avoid personal attacks on the players and always have. It isn't like I personally have ever contributed in any way to an SU win.

Getting back to what Tyler said though, the difference between stars, starters, and the 12th man on a D1 team is often great. The difference between that 12th man and most other guys who wander onto a court is sometimes astronomical.
[/QUOTE]

Verification

What is a Syracuse fan's favorite color?