iommi
Living Legend
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2011
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I was not sure what direction I should take with this post, since I could have taken it in so many different ways. Instead of doing a poor imitation of Tomcat's event or game recaps, I decided to give some color on what made my trip somewhat unique from a lot of people that went to watch Syracuse play in the Battle For Atlantis. As far as the basketball insights and analysis, The General and others covered that brilliantly too, so again, I'm not going to go down that path here.
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First off, a big reason why my experience was so special was in large part due to Joyce aka cto, our esteemed administrator. Obviously cto's generosity has been well-documented and this time I was fortunate enough to benefit from her connections to the program.
We booked our trip through Dan Knowles Tours (and SU). Everything went off without a hitch as far as transportation, accommodations, etc. Upon our arrival, I knew Syracuse had some mojo working when the entire front desk staff at the Coral Tower of Atlantis was clad in bright orange. We checked in on the 24th and went to grab a casual bite to eat on the marina, where a large group of very large yachts were docked. We wound up eating outside, directly across from a yacht based out of Jupiter,FL with an SU banner proudly waving outside. Little did I know I'd be back on that yacht that very evening for a night I'll never forget.
Before I get to my yacht story, another cool thing is that later that afternoon, Donna Ditota approached me in the lobby, asking me if I'd pose for a picture for the Post-Standard and syracuse.com. I agreed but told her I'd get my wife and daughter to be in the pic, who are much more telegenic.
We put our 5-year olddaughter in her Syracuse cheerleader outfit and met Donna again. We posed in front of a festive looking tree in front of our hotel and the pic wound up on the front page of the Post-Standard I think on Wednesday or Thursday. (I found the pic on-line but if someone who lives in Syracuse could send me a copy of that front page of the actual paper, please send me a PM.)
Later that evening I called cto, hoping to make plans with her to maybe grab a drink and finally meet her in person. Well, cto being cto, she put Coach Hopkins on the phone with me and then invited me on the yacht. She asked me if I packed a nice pair of pants and a shirt. I did, but even if I hadn't I would've gone out to a store and bought a suitable outfit. No way was I going to blow this opportunity.
I made my way to the marina (which was right outside my hotel!) and got to the SU yacht. I saw Joyce right away and then the rest of the night was a blur. I met and got pics with JB, Coach Red Autry, Kaleb Joseph and Tyler Lydon (cto intro'd me to just about everyone, including JB). JB was talking to someone while sitting on a couch. Joyce waited until an opportune time to bug JB and she took a couple pics of us with my phone. JB was very nice, considering meeting goofballs like I am is probably not his favorite leisure time activity. He was also, as far as I could tell, the only guest on the yacht who didn't take his footwear off before getting on the boat (he was wearing sneakers). Well, I guess when you're a Hall of Famer, they make an exception. edit: How could I forget Joyce had special sneakers on due to her foot issue. JB also gave a big smile in the pics.
I got the chance to speak to Coach Red at length. He was very nice, easy going and engaging. I told him I was from New Jersey and had seen some of our players and recruits play. Red is a great guy and has a beautiful family. You can tell immediately why he's a dynamic recruiter. I saw Coach Hop but didn't have an opportunity to speak to him on the yacht. I did get a great pic with Kaleb, who was also very nice. I spoke to him briefly as well and he seemed very upbeat, despite his lack of playing time this season. Tyler Lydon was very nice and kept calling me, "sir," which led to Brad Pike's son, Ryan, busting Tyler's chops for being so polite.
I met so many people connected to SU and the program, I was dizzy (yes, I had a few Stella's but my dizziness had nothing to do with alcohol). Mark Coyle's wife, Krystan, was very sweet and kept explaining and apologizing to people why her husband wasn't there (I guess he's been kind of busy, right?).
Joyce was great company. She really can spin a yarn and her stories got better the more white wine she drank. She managed to get around very well, despite the bum ankle. She apologized a few times that I couldn't bring my wife and daughter on board (obviously more than understandable considering this wasn't exactly a kid-friendly event). My wife was more than happy to relax after a long day and live vicariously through me. My beautiful wife is awesome, by the way, and a big SU hoops fan.
cto's partner in crime for this trip was Barbara Boeheim and I have to say: BB made quite the impression. She was very funny and busted my chops pretty much the whole night. It's obvious that Barbara and Jim share a similar sense of humor and the resemblance was uncanny. I ran into Barbara (and, by extension, cto) throughout the trip (usually at the Coral Tower lobby bar, which was the pre-game haunt for dozens of Orange fans) and she never stopped making me laugh (and squirm a little with her biting wit). We also wore the exact same blue (SU) LOYALTY shirts for the championship game by sheer happenstance.
------==
I met so many SU people on this trip, I don't want to name too many people in fear of forgetting some people but I shared some great times with CuseTroop, OrangeTown, ssbriefcase and like I said, countless others. I also brought up Syracusefan.com quite a bit and was surprised how many diehard fans have not heard of our community. I'm hoping a few lurkers or people who have never heard of this site become posters. The games were obviously great and my daughter got some major airtime during the Charlotte and UConn games. I lost my voice using my daughter's toy megaphone and started a good dose of LGO chants. I can't wait to watch the games on dvr and/or the WatchESPN app.
As far as the rest of the trip, Atlantis was amazing. My family had a wonderful time, and I give Atlantis my highest recommendation. Yes, it is very expensive but it was worth every penny IMO. The staff is generally very courteous, patient and friendly and there is so much to do for the young and young-at-heart. My most memorable highlights included the Leap of Faith water slide (did that twice), which is a devilish structure with a 7-story drop, the Rapid River--a tube ride that snakes around the water park and is extremely fun, Thanksgiving buffet at Mosaic (wow, Tomcat would have a field day writing about how great that feast was), and lobster with chilli sauce at Chopsticks (Yum!!). My daughter had breakfast with Santa one morning and her ear-to-ear grin as she came out was amazing. We also did the shallow water dolphins interaction and that was fantastic as well. I also ran into the basketball team's equipment manager and got a pic with the Battle for Atlantis championship trophy. I have to say, watching Christian White and some of the other walk-ons play blackjack was fun too. They are all great guys. Our players and coaches all were very appreciative of the Orange turnout and generous with their time. JB really trusts his players to handle themselves well outside the lines and obviously the players took care of business on the court.
The night we beat Texas A & M was fantastic because all of the SU players were in the casino to celebrate our victory and Tyler Roberson's birthday. I also ran into Coach Hop and he couldn't be nicer. We talked about this year and next year too. I ran a possible lineup by him for 2015-2016 of Tyus Battle, Malachi Richardson, Lydon, Roberson and Paschal Chukwu and he thought that would work pretty well. He was also quick to mention other guys coming back, including Dajuan Coleman and others. The buzz for Lydon leaving early was all over the place. I got a better pic with Lydon that night in the casino (the one on the boat was too dark) and he again called me, "sir." That kid is raised right. He also had a bevy of beauties all over him in the casino, so I hope he stays grounded. There will be plenty of temptations out there. I hope he remembers what Mickey Goldmill says, "women weaken legs."
All in all, I could type forever about this trip. My wife and I both agreed we'd make as many as these SU "destination" tourneys/ trips as possible.
A big thanks again to Joyce aka cto for her invite to the yacht and for introducing me to JB, Coach Red, Barbara Boeheim and everyone else I'm forgetting about right now. Thanks, cto... and LGO!!!!!
PS: Before someone gives me a, "pics or it didn't happen" post, bear with me and I'll try to get to that eventually.
---------------
First off, a big reason why my experience was so special was in large part due to Joyce aka cto, our esteemed administrator. Obviously cto's generosity has been well-documented and this time I was fortunate enough to benefit from her connections to the program.
We booked our trip through Dan Knowles Tours (and SU). Everything went off without a hitch as far as transportation, accommodations, etc. Upon our arrival, I knew Syracuse had some mojo working when the entire front desk staff at the Coral Tower of Atlantis was clad in bright orange. We checked in on the 24th and went to grab a casual bite to eat on the marina, where a large group of very large yachts were docked. We wound up eating outside, directly across from a yacht based out of Jupiter,FL with an SU banner proudly waving outside. Little did I know I'd be back on that yacht that very evening for a night I'll never forget.
Before I get to my yacht story, another cool thing is that later that afternoon, Donna Ditota approached me in the lobby, asking me if I'd pose for a picture for the Post-Standard and syracuse.com. I agreed but told her I'd get my wife and daughter to be in the pic, who are much more telegenic.
We put our 5-year olddaughter in her Syracuse cheerleader outfit and met Donna again. We posed in front of a festive looking tree in front of our hotel and the pic wound up on the front page of the Post-Standard I think on Wednesday or Thursday. (I found the pic on-line but if someone who lives in Syracuse could send me a copy of that front page of the actual paper, please send me a PM.) Later that evening I called cto, hoping to make plans with her to maybe grab a drink and finally meet her in person. Well, cto being cto, she put Coach Hopkins on the phone with me and then invited me on the yacht. She asked me if I packed a nice pair of pants and a shirt. I did, but even if I hadn't I would've gone out to a store and bought a suitable outfit. No way was I going to blow this opportunity.
I made my way to the marina (which was right outside my hotel!) and got to the SU yacht. I saw Joyce right away and then the rest of the night was a blur. I met and got pics with JB, Coach Red Autry, Kaleb Joseph and Tyler Lydon (cto intro'd me to just about everyone, including JB). JB was talking to someone while sitting on a couch. Joyce waited until an opportune time to bug JB and she took a couple pics of us with my phone. JB was very nice, considering meeting goofballs like I am is probably not his favorite leisure time activity. He was also, as far as I could tell, the only guest on the yacht who didn't take his footwear off before getting on the boat (he was wearing sneakers). Well, I guess when you're a Hall of Famer, they make an exception. edit: How could I forget Joyce had special sneakers on due to her foot issue. JB also gave a big smile in the pics.
I got the chance to speak to Coach Red at length. He was very nice, easy going and engaging. I told him I was from New Jersey and had seen some of our players and recruits play. Red is a great guy and has a beautiful family. You can tell immediately why he's a dynamic recruiter. I saw Coach Hop but didn't have an opportunity to speak to him on the yacht. I did get a great pic with Kaleb, who was also very nice. I spoke to him briefly as well and he seemed very upbeat, despite his lack of playing time this season. Tyler Lydon was very nice and kept calling me, "sir," which led to Brad Pike's son, Ryan, busting Tyler's chops for being so polite.
I met so many people connected to SU and the program, I was dizzy (yes, I had a few Stella's but my dizziness had nothing to do with alcohol). Mark Coyle's wife, Krystan, was very sweet and kept explaining and apologizing to people why her husband wasn't there (I guess he's been kind of busy, right?).
Joyce was great company. She really can spin a yarn and her stories got better the more white wine she drank. She managed to get around very well, despite the bum ankle. She apologized a few times that I couldn't bring my wife and daughter on board (obviously more than understandable considering this wasn't exactly a kid-friendly event). My wife was more than happy to relax after a long day and live vicariously through me. My beautiful wife is awesome, by the way, and a big SU hoops fan.
cto's partner in crime for this trip was Barbara Boeheim and I have to say: BB made quite the impression. She was very funny and busted my chops pretty much the whole night. It's obvious that Barbara and Jim share a similar sense of humor and the resemblance was uncanny. I ran into Barbara (and, by extension, cto) throughout the trip (usually at the Coral Tower lobby bar, which was the pre-game haunt for dozens of Orange fans) and she never stopped making me laugh (and squirm a little with her biting wit). We also wore the exact same blue (SU) LOYALTY shirts for the championship game by sheer happenstance.
------==
I met so many SU people on this trip, I don't want to name too many people in fear of forgetting some people but I shared some great times with CuseTroop, OrangeTown, ssbriefcase and like I said, countless others. I also brought up Syracusefan.com quite a bit and was surprised how many diehard fans have not heard of our community. I'm hoping a few lurkers or people who have never heard of this site become posters. The games were obviously great and my daughter got some major airtime during the Charlotte and UConn games. I lost my voice using my daughter's toy megaphone and started a good dose of LGO chants. I can't wait to watch the games on dvr and/or the WatchESPN app.
As far as the rest of the trip, Atlantis was amazing. My family had a wonderful time, and I give Atlantis my highest recommendation. Yes, it is very expensive but it was worth every penny IMO. The staff is generally very courteous, patient and friendly and there is so much to do for the young and young-at-heart. My most memorable highlights included the Leap of Faith water slide (did that twice), which is a devilish structure with a 7-story drop, the Rapid River--a tube ride that snakes around the water park and is extremely fun, Thanksgiving buffet at Mosaic (wow, Tomcat would have a field day writing about how great that feast was), and lobster with chilli sauce at Chopsticks (Yum!!). My daughter had breakfast with Santa one morning and her ear-to-ear grin as she came out was amazing. We also did the shallow water dolphins interaction and that was fantastic as well. I also ran into the basketball team's equipment manager and got a pic with the Battle for Atlantis championship trophy. I have to say, watching Christian White and some of the other walk-ons play blackjack was fun too. They are all great guys. Our players and coaches all were very appreciative of the Orange turnout and generous with their time. JB really trusts his players to handle themselves well outside the lines and obviously the players took care of business on the court.
The night we beat Texas A & M was fantastic because all of the SU players were in the casino to celebrate our victory and Tyler Roberson's birthday. I also ran into Coach Hop and he couldn't be nicer. We talked about this year and next year too. I ran a possible lineup by him for 2015-2016 of Tyus Battle, Malachi Richardson, Lydon, Roberson and Paschal Chukwu and he thought that would work pretty well. He was also quick to mention other guys coming back, including Dajuan Coleman and others. The buzz for Lydon leaving early was all over the place. I got a better pic with Lydon that night in the casino (the one on the boat was too dark) and he again called me, "sir." That kid is raised right. He also had a bevy of beauties all over him in the casino, so I hope he stays grounded. There will be plenty of temptations out there. I hope he remembers what Mickey Goldmill says, "women weaken legs."
All in all, I could type forever about this trip. My wife and I both agreed we'd make as many as these SU "destination" tourneys/ trips as possible.
A big thanks again to Joyce aka cto for her invite to the yacht and for introducing me to JB, Coach Red, Barbara Boeheim and everyone else I'm forgetting about right now. Thanks, cto... and LGO!!!!!
PS: Before someone gives me a, "pics or it didn't happen" post, bear with me and I'll try to get to that eventually.
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