Middling program?

[cuseguy]

Got a kick out of this line from the Katz story on JB that ran tonight.

That's when the Orange signed Carmelo Anthony, Gerry McNamara, Craig Forth and Billy Edelin and changed the fortunes of what had become a middling program, winning the NCAA title in 2003.

Hey, Andy, Syracuse had won 20 or more games 19 of the previous 20 seasons and were 23-13, 25-9 and 26-6 the previous three seasons before winning the NCAA title.

Middling program? Whatever you say.

 

[690West]

What? No way Katz could say that. Really? Andy?

 

[longislandcuse]

That stood out to me too lol. Katz, care to clarify?

 

[orangenauburn]

Title game in 96 too

 

[Noexcuse]

Forth and Edelin were in the prior year's class with Pace and Warrick.

 

[NKR1978]

Got a kick out of this line from the Katz story on JB that ran tonight.

That's when the Orange signed Carmelo Anthony, Gerry McNamara, Craig Forth and Billy Edelin and changed the fortunes of what had become a middling program, winning the NCAA title in 2003.

Hey, Andy, Syracuse had won 20 or more games 19 of the previous 20 seasons and were 23-13, 25-9 and 26-6 the previous three seasons before winning the NCAA title.

Middling program? Whatever you say.

Eh, not too far off, but the forth, pace, warrick, edelin class was the first sign things were looking up.

Recruiting became pretty horrible for a few years.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

 

[Cadillac]

The Hooper years, it sure felt like we were a middling program. Does anyone here remember Hooper?

It was a puppet doll all the students waved around when the other team shot free throws in front of the student section. It was an idea pushed by the athletic department, IIRC. It was seriously pathetic.

A couple of students dressed up as King and Queen of Hooperville, oh God, it was embarrassing, mid-major stuff.

No one believes me now, but the two years before Melo showed up, the students were way more into the football team.

 

[OrlandoCuse]

I'm not sure Katz actually followed or covered college basketball before 2000, so maybe he has selective memory (similar to Pitt fans).

 

[kcsu]

he is a loud mouth fool just like the rest of the talking heads

 

[mantonio]

I am assuming meant the very short period of time before that class did its magic, like maybe 3 or 4 years where they seemed to struggle a bit compared to what Syracuse is used to...

 

[kuethstheman]

Got a kick out of this line from the Katz story on JB that ran tonight.

That's when the Orange signed Carmelo Anthony, Gerry McNamara, Craig Forth and Billy Edelin and changed the fortunes of what had become a middling program, winning the NCAA title in 2003.

Hey, Andy, Syracuse had won 20 or more games 19 of the previous 20 seasons and were 23-13, 25-9 and 26-6 the previous three seasons before winning the NCAA title.

Middling program? Whatever you say.

NIT

 

[Cuse_1999]

NIT

Here are the 5 years prior to Melo and Gmac's freshman year. You decide if it was middling
98 - Lost in Sweet 16 to Duke. I think we were a 5 seed
99 - Lost in first round to Ok. State (Gottlieb). We were an 8 or 9 seed
2000 - Lost in Sweet 16 to eventual champ Mich State. Up 17 at half. Game played in Detroit. We were a 4 seed
2001 - Lost to Kansas in in 2nd round. We were either an 8 or 9 seed.
2002 - NIT. Think we lost in the semis. This was the Meshawn/Shumpert debacle year

 

[ForeverOrange]

To be honest, I don't feel that's too far off, I mean yes we were going to the dance, but I seem to remember a lot of talk of how we could no longer get good recruits, our recruiting classes were not great, and we couldn't get any McDonald's players. I also remember our first heralded guard in a long time, that was like a top 50 recruit Jason Hart. Things definitely were NOT like the type of recruiting we get now, it all definitely seemed to change after the Billy Edelin class, esp when you consider Donte Greene, Devo, Flynn, and so on.

 

[stuckinbig11]

Got a kick out of this line from the Katz story on JB that ran tonight.

That's when the Orange signed Carmelo Anthony, Gerry McNamara, Craig Forth and Billy Edelin and changed the fortunes of what had become a middling program, winning the NCAA title in 2003.

Hey, Andy, Syracuse had won 20 or more games 19 of the previous 20 seasons and were 23-13, 25-9 and 26-6 the previous three seasons before winning the NCAA title.

Middling program? Whatever you say.

I saw at that also and was going to comment on it, but I turned off my computer instead. Katz just became a middling sports reporter.

 

[Noexcuse]

The Hooper years, it sure felt like we were a middling program. Does anyone here remember Hooper?

It was a puppet doll all the students waved around when the other team shot free throws in front of the student section. It was an idea pushed by the athletic department, IIRC. It was seriously pathetic.

A couple of students dressed up as King and Queen of Hooperville, oh God, it was embarrassing, mid-major stuff.

No one believes me now, but the two years before Melo showed up, the students were way more into the football team.

The Hooper years only existed in an alternate universe where games were broadcast by NPSE.

 

[Bayside44]

That quote didn't offend me. At that point I was worried that JB would end up in Eddie Sutton forever grouchy world watching the game pass him by.

 

[Shenexon]

The Hooper years, it sure felt like we were a middling program. Does anyone here remember Hooper?

It was a puppet doll all the students waved around when the other team shot free throws in front of the student section. It was an idea pushed by the athletic department, IIRC. It was seriously pathetic.

A couple of students dressed up as King and Queen of Hooperville, oh God, it was embarrassing, mid-major stuff.

No one believes me now, but the two years before Melo showed up, the students were way more into the football team.

I preferred Hooterville and Petticoat Junction...

 

[Millhouse]

That quote didn't offend me. At that point I was worried that JB would end up in Eddie Sutton forever grouchy world watching the game pass him by.

A big reason why Syracuse was down relative to itself was because Fine was out recruising, I mean, recruiting

if the (por)king of syracuse was such a creep in a town where everyone knew him, what the hell did he do on the road? ewww.

 

[Scooch]

That quote didn't offend me. At that point I was worried that JB would end up in Eddie Sutton forever grouchy world watching the game pass him by.

Any team that had James Thues getting major minutes cannot complain if they are called middling.

 

[TexanMark]

he is a loud mouth fool just like the rest of the talking heads

I used to like him...but after last night not so sure....

 

[OttosBestFriend]

Here are the 5 years prior to Melo and Gmac's freshman year. You decide if it was middling
98 - Lost in Sweet 16 to Duke. I think we were a 5 seed
99 - Lost in first round to Ok. State (Gottlieb). We were an 8 or 9 seed
2000 - Lost in Sweet 16 to eventual champ Mich State. Up 17 at half. Game played in Detroit. We were a 4 seed
2001 - Lost to Kansas in in 2nd round. We were either an 8 or 9 seed.
2002 - NIT. Think we lost in the semis. This was the Meshawn/Shumpert debacle year

Certainly looks closer to "middling" than it does "elite" - Nowhere in that 5-year resume above do I see a program that resembles top-10 or even top-20 status.

I also see that you conveniently left off 1997 - You know, the season where 'Cuse went 19-13 and got BLOWN OUT by Florida State (at home) in the 1st round of the NIT - Quite the definition of "middling" if you asked me.

So now we have a 6-year sample (1997-2002) where Cuse was a low seed twice (99, 2001) and went to the NIT twice (97, 02).

The two years where 'Cuse had a decent seed (98, 00) they lost in the Sweet 16 to higher ranked squads - Not exactly awesome.

Also, rather than saying we "lost" to Kansas in 2001, you might wanna say we were DESTROYED by Kansas. Quite possibly one of the worst performances by a Boeheim-coached team I've ever seen.

It's easy to look back from the perch that is Syracuse 2003-2011 and disagree with Katz, but anyone who lived through Syracuse 1997- 2002 and has a clear memory of it would hardly say it was a positive experience.

 

[Flacusian]

The comment certainly does contain some kernel of merit. How about "High End Middling"?

 

[Knicks411]

Yeah I definitely noticed the comment, but it seems somewhat fair.

And furthermore, if we think the source for that story was Hop, or someone close to him at the least, I wouldn't be surprised if those were his words. The context was the program was middling and not recruiting as well when Bernie was recruiting, and that changed when Hop and Weaver hit the trail.

 

[JoeCollege]

The comment certainly does contain some kernel of merit. How about "High End Middling"?

A great place to be for a team with a largely Upper Lower Middle Class fanbase in a declining rust belt one horse town that used to be a city.

Look out Utica (and Springfield), Syracuse is a city on the...GROW!!!

 

[cuseguy]

When I think middling program, I think of Boston College and Seton Hall.