My Take

[sutomcat]

I think this game was the one that broke the camel's back and cemented Kadary as the team's primary PG. I think JGIII does a good game against zones and might be our best PG against that defense. Against a laid back man defense, JGIII is also fine.

I think he has a weakness with a guy in his grill. Completely takes away his ability to take good outside shots. If he wants to shoot, he is forced to take shots from 28 feet. Even though he is being defended far from the basket, which should open up opportunities to drive, he is either unwilling or unable to do this.

You can't have a PG run your offense 30 feet from the basket. And then there is the problem of his reaction when they doubled him away from the basket. That should be easy picking for an experienced PG, but when he got doubled, Joe just tried to dribble out of it and disaster ensued.

JGIII is a talented young player. I think splitting minutes at PG and SG should be good for him. He should find it easier to get quality looks playing away from the ball and for him to contribute, he needs to get quality looks.

Rutgers played generally good defense. It was like a bad imitation of what UConn used to do under Calhoun. Once Kadary took over, things changed pretty dramatically, as he was able to beat players playing extended defense on him, get in the paint and get 2 on 1s pretty easily. If we played him at PG the whole game, I think we win by 10.

Props to that fat kid on Rutgers. Fine player. Knows how to play. Can shoot but also passed it well. He was their one answer to the 2-3; their only decent outside shooter. We did not do a good job shading the zone to take him away, especially in the first half. I think we got better tracking him in the second and frankly, I think carrying all that fat around finally got to him and slowed him down.

Thought the RU PG Young was a good player. Not a shooter, good defender, did a nice job beating JGIII off the dribble and getting in the paint a lot, where he found the open guy and got them a quality shot. Their big with the hair like the lion in The Wizard of Oz was good. Really dominated the boards inside and was decent finishing. Mathis is a nice player too.

That said, I don't see them staying in the top 25. Once we brought in a competent PG, we took control and that was without our best outside shooter and best rebounder and inside defender. Maybe that kid that is hurt for them is awesome and they end up a lot better. But I would love to see them again in the NCAA tournament. The rematch would not be close.

For us, thought Kadary had some adversity to face for the first time in college. Struggled a little early with guys in his grill and attempts to double him when he had the ball but he learned from it and they were forced to fall back on him because he sliced up their man so badly. He wasn't much of a factor scoring in his first game on the road but he again filled up the stat sheet (7 assists, 5 steals, 3 boards). There is a lot to like about him.

With Joe, I wasn't happy with his shot selection or his accuracy on those shots but I give him credit for at least cutting down on the number of shots he takes. Again, he should be the 4th or 5th option when he is out on the court. He is a facilitator and should not be looking to score all the time. Though I will have less of an issue here if he is play SG and has quality looks available. But he got better after another disastrous start. One area he desperately needs to improve on defense is what he does when he is the only guy back on defense (typically because the opponent has gotten a turnover). He is the worst Syracuse PG I have ever seen at cutting off the lane to the hoop for the guy with the ball. You have to present yourself in front of the guy with the ball. You have to face him and read him and react to him and stay in front of him. Joe regularly stands with his body to the side, at a right angle to the guy with the ball. This invites him to go forward and attack the rim and inevitably leads to an uncontested basket. He has to get better at staying in front of his man. Also happens all the time in the 2-3.

Quincy was our best 3 point shooter. He is looking good taking outside shots. Also continues to get points inside. I thought he was easily our best player last night. Only quibble is I wish he get more rebounds. His spending more time on the perimeter might be hurting his rebounding numbers a bit.

Marek did a nice job and actually finished with the 2nd most shots on the team. Doubt that has happened many times. They were leaving him alone unless he got inside 6 feet so he should take a lot of shots. Unusual for him to have the ball so much and only get 1 assist, but I think RU knew he liked to dish and played him that way, kind of forcing him to take more shots. He didn't rebound very well (4). Never has been a great rebounder and I am pretty sure he never will. Not a banger, not really comfortable pounding down low. Still, a good effort playing against 2 good shot blockers.

Alan had another wild game. He is willing to fight for position and pound down low and got his share of boards (8). At times, you can see a fine athlete and a terrific scorer out there. But you can also see why he has struggled against this RU defense in the past. He likes some room to shoot, panics a bit when someone is in his grill and really struggles against doubles. The RU pressure bothered JGII and Alan. That is how he ended up with 6 turnovers. Appeared to get frustrated by the extended defense on him (like Joe) and like Joe, took some crazy long 3s at important times when he needed smarter and more of a team player. Hopefully he learns from this.

Surprised Woody played a lot in the first half. Shocked JPA and Bras got in. Good to see them all contribute.

I think the turning point of the game was around the 3 minute mark. We finally got the lead but you could see Kadary was exhausted, fighting desperately to catch his breath. JB did not take him out, he made a couple of big uncharacteristic mistakes and that was the game. Gotta find a way to rest him so he has something left for the end of the game. I understand though that taking him out meant JG would have to play point and he was reluctant to do that. Tough spot for JB.

Hated those announcers. Never mentioned how many fouls players had, never discussed strategy, showed little interest in the game. Way too much time talking about inane garbage no one tuning into a basketball game wants to hear. The director was awful too. I know it was a Rutgers game and getting assigned to one is a punishment for the crew but ugh, that was brutal to listen to. Thought the refs called a good game.

 

[pfister1]

I think this game was the one that broke the camel's back and cemented Kadary as the team's primary PG. I think JGIII does a good game against zones and might be our best PG against that defense. Against a laid back man defense, JGIII is also fine.

I think he has a weakness with a guy in his grill. Completely takes away his ability to take good outside shots. If he wants to shoot, he is forced to take shots from 28 feet. Even though he is being defended far from the basket, which should open up opportunities to drive, he is either unwilling or unable to do this.

You can't have a PG run your offense 30 feet from the basket. And then there is the problem of his reaction when they doubled him away from the basket. That should be easy picking for an experienced PG, but when he got doubled, Joe just tried to dribble out of it and disaster ensued.

JGIII is a talented young player. I think splitting minutes at PG and SG should be good for him. He should find it easier to get quality looks playing away from the ball and for him to contribute, he needs to get quality looks.

Rutgers played generally good defense. It was like a bad imitation of what UConn used to do under Calhoun. Once Kadary took over, things changed pretty dramatically, as he was able to beat players playing extended defense on him, get in the paint and get 2 on 1s pretty easily. If we played him at PG the whole game, I think we win by 10.

Props to that fat kid on Rutgers. Fine player. Knows how to play. Can shoot but also passed it well. He was their one answer to the 2-3; their only decent outside shooter. We did not do a good job shading the zone to take him away, especially in the first half. I think we got better tracking him in the second and frankly, I think carrying all that fat around finally got to him and slowed him down.

Thought the RU PG Young was a good player. Not a shooter, good defender, did a nice job beating JGIII off the dribble and getting in the paint a lot, where he found the open guy and got them a quality shot. Their big with the hair like the lion in The Wizard of Oz was good. Really dominated the boards inside and was decent finishing. Mathis is a nice player too.

That said, I don't see them staying in the top 25. Once we brought in a competent PG, we took control and that was without our best outside shooter and best rebounder and inside defender. Maybe that kid that is hurt for them is awesome and they end up a lot better. But I would love to see them again in the NCAA tournament. The rematch would not be close.

For us, thought Kadary had some adversity to face for the first time in college. Struggled a little early with guys in his grill and attempts to double him when he had the ball but he learned from it and they were forced to fall back on him because he sliced up their man so badly. He wasn't much of a factor scoring in his first game on the road but he again filled up the stat sheet (7 assists, 5 steals, 3 boards). There is a lot to like about him.

With Joe, I wasn't happy with his shot selection or his accuracy on those shots but I give him credit for at least cutting down on the number of shots he takes. Again, he should be the 4th or 5th option when he is out on the court. He is a facilitator and should not be looking to score all the time. Though I will have less of an issue here if he is play SG and has quality looks available. But he got better after another disastrous start. One area he desperately needs to improve on defense is what he does when he is the only guy back on defense (typically because the opponent has gotten a turnover). He is the worst Syracuse PG I have ever seen at cutting off the lane to the hoop for the guy with the ball. You have to present yourself in front of the guy with the ball. You have to face him and read him and react to him and stay in front of him. Joe regularly stands with his body to the side, at a right angle to the guy with the ball. This invites him to go forward and attack the rim and inevitably leads to an uncontested basket. He has to get better at staying in front of his man. Also happens all the time in the 2-3.

Quincy was our best 3 point shooter. He is looking good taking outside shots. Also continues to get points inside. I thought he was easily our best player last night. Only quibble is I wish he get more rebounds. His spending more time on the perimeter might be hurting his rebounding numbers a bit.

Marek did a nice job and actually finished with the 2nd most shots on the team. Doubt that has happened many times. They were leaving him alone unless he got inside 6 feet so he should take a lot of shots. Unusual for him to have the ball so much and only get 1 assist, but I think RU knew he liked to dish and played him that way, kind of forcing him to take more shots. He didn't rebound very well (4). Never has been a great rebounder and I am pretty sure he never will. Not a banger, not really comfortable pounding down low. Still, a good effort playing against 2 good shot blockers.

Alan had another wild game. He is willing to fight for position and pound down low and got his share of boards (8). At times, you can see a fine athlete and a terrific scorer out there. But you can also see why he has struggled against this RU defense in the past. He likes some room to shoot, panics a bit when someone is in his grill and really struggles against doubles. The RU pressure bothered JGII and Alan. That is how he ended up with 6 turnovers. Appeared to get frustrated by the extended defense on him (like Joe) and like Joe, took some crazy long 3s at important times when he needed smarter and more of a team player. Hopefully he learns from this.

Surprised Woody played a lot in the first half. Shocked JPA and Bras got in. Good to see them all contribute.

I think the turning point of the game was around the 3 minute mark. We finally got the lead but you could see Kadary was exhausted, fighting desperately to catch his breath. JB did not take him out, he made a couple of big uncharacteristic mistakes and that was the game. Gotta find a way to rest him so he has something left for the end of the game. I understand though that taking him out meant JG would have to play point and he was reluctant to do that. Tough spot for JB.

Hated those announcers. Never mentioned how many fouls players had, never discussed strategy, showed little interest in the game. Way too much time talking about inane garbage no one tuning into a basketball game wants to hear. The director was awful too. I know it was a Rutgers game and getting assigned to one is a punishment for the crew but ugh, that was brutal to listen to. Thought the refs called a good game.

Only quibbles are with your turning point and focus on Kadary’s fatigue and mistakes. Felt like the whole team was gassed and there were mistakes made defensively and offensively by multiple guys. I think JB should have burned his last TO and tried to get the troops a breather (obviously he wasn’t really subbing that late in the second half). What good was having that TO in our pocket once the opportunity to expand on our lead passed and the lead ultimately evaporated. Don’t think it ever got used.

 

[81South]

In this day and age I’m surprised you went with ‘fat kid’. Harper was a man last night.

 

[Cuseregular]

In this day and age I’m surprised you went with ‘fat kid’. Harper was a man last night.

in this day and age suprised you went with that avatar, not that I don't LOVE it......

 

[malpearl31]

I think this game was the one that broke the camel's back and cemented Kadary as the team's primary PG. I think JGIII does a good game against zones and might be our best PG against that defense. Against a laid back man defense, JGIII is also fine.

I think he has a weakness with a guy in his grill. Completely takes away his ability to take good outside shots. If he wants to shoot, he is forced to take shots from 28 feet. Even though he is being defended far from the basket, which should open up opportunities to drive, he is either unwilling or unable to do this.

You can't have a PG run your offense 30 feet from the basket. And then there is the problem of his reaction when they doubled him away from the basket. That should be easy picking for an experienced PG, but when he got doubled, Joe just tried to dribble out of it and disaster ensued.

JGIII is a talented young player. I think splitting minutes at PG and SG should be good for him. He should find it easier to get quality looks playing away from the ball and for him to contribute, he needs to get quality looks.

Rutgers played generally good defense. It was like a bad imitation of what UConn used to do under Calhoun. Once Kadary took over, things changed pretty dramatically, as he was able to beat players playing extended defense on him, get in the paint and get 2 on 1s pretty easily. If we played him at PG the whole game, I think we win by 10.

Props to that fat kid on Rutgers. Fine player. Knows how to play. Can shoot but also passed it well. He was their one answer to the 2-3; their only decent outside shooter. We did not do a good job shading the zone to take him away, especially in the first half. I think we got better tracking him in the second and frankly, I think carrying all that fat around finally got to him and slowed him down.

Thought the RU PG Young was a good player. Not a shooter, good defender, did a nice job beating JGIII off the dribble and getting in the paint a lot, where he found the open guy and got them a quality shot. Their big with the hair like the lion in The Wizard of Oz was good. Really dominated the boards inside and was decent finishing. Mathis is a nice player too.

That said, I don't see them staying in the top 25. Once we brought in a competent PG, we took control and that was without our best outside shooter and best rebounder and inside defender. Maybe that kid that is hurt for them is awesome and they end up a lot better. But I would love to see them again in the NCAA tournament. The rematch would not be close.

For us, thought Kadary had some adversity to face for the first time in college. Struggled a little early with guys in his grill and attempts to double him when he had the ball but he learned from it and they were forced to fall back on him because he sliced up their man so badly. He wasn't much of a factor scoring in his first game on the road but he again filled up the stat sheet (7 assists, 5 steals, 3 boards). There is a lot to like about him.

With Joe, I wasn't happy with his shot selection or his accuracy on those shots but I give him credit for at least cutting down on the number of shots he takes. Again, he should be the 4th or 5th option when he is out on the court. He is a facilitator and should not be looking to score all the time. Though I will have less of an issue here if he is play SG and has quality looks available. But he got better after another disastrous start. One area he desperately needs to improve on defense is what he does when he is the only guy back on defense (typically because the opponent has gotten a turnover). He is the worst Syracuse PG I have ever seen at cutting off the lane to the hoop for the guy with the ball. You have to present yourself in front of the guy with the ball. You have to face him and read him and react to him and stay in front of him. Joe regularly stands with his body to the side, at a right angle to the guy with the ball. This invites him to go forward and attack the rim and inevitably leads to an uncontested basket. He has to get better at staying in front of his man. Also happens all the time in the 2-3.

Quincy was our best 3 point shooter. He is looking good taking outside shots. Also continues to get points inside. I thought he was easily our best player last night. Only quibble is I wish he get more rebounds. His spending more time on the perimeter might be hurting his rebounding numbers a bit.

Marek did a nice job and actually finished with the 2nd most shots on the team. Doubt that has happened many times. They were leaving him alone unless he got inside 6 feet so he should take a lot of shots. Unusual for him to have the ball so much and only get 1 assist, but I think RU knew he liked to dish and played him that way, kind of forcing him to take more shots. He didn't rebound very well (4). Never has been a great rebounder and I am pretty sure he never will. Not a banger, not really comfortable pounding down low. Still, a good effort playing against 2 good shot blockers.

Alan had another wild game. He is willing to fight for position and pound down low and got his share of boards (8). At times, you can see a fine athlete and a terrific scorer out there. But you can also see why he has struggled against this RU defense in the past. He likes some room to shoot, panics a bit when someone is in his grill and really struggles against doubles. The RU pressure bothered JGII and Alan. That is how he ended up with 6 turnovers. Appeared to get frustrated by the extended defense on him (like Joe) and like Joe, took some crazy long 3s at important times when he needed smarter and more of a team player. Hopefully he learns from this.

Surprised Woody played a lot in the first half. Shocked JPA and Bras got in. Good to see them all contribute.

I think the turning point of the game was around the 3 minute mark. We finally got the lead but you could see Kadary was exhausted, fighting desperately to catch his breath. JB did not take him out, he made a couple of big uncharacteristic mistakes and that was the game. Gotta find a way to rest him so he has something left for the end of the game. I understand though that taking him out meant JG would have to play point and he was reluctant to do that. Tough spot for JB.

Hated those announcers. Never mentioned how many fouls players had, never discussed strategy, showed little interest in the game. Way too much time talking about inane garbage no one tuning into a basketball game wants to hear. The director was awful too. I know it was a Rutgers game and getting assigned to one is a punishment for the crew but ugh, that was brutal to listen to. Thought the refs called a good game.

Really nice summary / analysis. Your comment about Quincy spending a little too much time on the perimeter echoed a point JB made in the post-game presser (that Quincy had 0 offensive rebounds for the first time this season since he was drifting away from the basket more).

We are abysmal at transition defense - did Joe ever learn the concept of “stop ball” while retreating on D? With 4:51 to play (after he missed a long 3 attempt) Joe backpedaled all the way to the dotted line inside the lane instead of stopping the ball between the top of the key / foul line area. Foul on Joe, 2 FTs for RU. Then on the very next possession (after the 2nd missed 3 by Joe), he gambled by going for a steal in the backcourt, allowing the RU guard a head of steam to attack the basket and drop off a pass to the big guy for a dunk. And if you watch the replay, on the 2nd runout Griffin was running back on D with his head completely turned away from the ball. Just inexcusable. By the time Griffin finally turned to look for the ball, the RU kid was already by him.

And then on the very next possession, Marek just gives the ball away up top... leading to a Rutgers 3-pt FG over Kadary. We went from up 3 (with the ball!) to down 4 in the span of 90 seconds. Just a brutal sequence all the way around.

 

[Ceerqqq]

Quincy was our best 3 point shooter. He is looking good taking outside shots. Also continues to get points inside. I thought he was easily our best player last night. Only quibble is I wish he get more rebounds. His spending more time on the perimeter might be hurting his rebounding numbers a bit.

Maybe Quincy should spend some time watching tapes of Carmelo Anthony, to see how he did it.

Melo was a major rebounding force for us that year, but he did hit threes regularly.

And yes, JB did send Quincy that memo in his post-game comments.

If Quincy does figure it out, he will dominate headlines regularly, and some might even begin to think of him as a 'superstar', eh?

 

[syrBossHogg]

Nice write up! I was hoping to see Woody get some minutes in the 2nd half, thought it might've help changed the sequences down the stretch. I was a bit harsh on Marek in the game thread, he missed some easy shots but he still had a fine game.

It's nice that even with the inconsistency on offense, the team still finished with 16 assists.

 

[721Comstock]

Nice write up! I was hoping to see Woody get some minutes in the 2nd half, thought it might've help changed the sequences down the stretch. I was a bit harsh on Marek in the game thread, he missed some easy shots but he still had a fine game.

It's nice that even with the inconsistency on offense, the team still finished with 16 assists.

Joe had 6 of those, but I don’t remember one of them.
Was mostly - passed the ball to a teammate, who then chose to shoot, and it went in.


Kadary’s dimes were next-level stuff.
He passed guys open.

 

[Scott11]

Great recap. A few thoughts I had.
Griffin plays like a guy making a highlight real for the pros. I won't presume to know what he is thinking but he looks like a guy trying to score his way into the draft. The staff has to impress upon him that if he is a team player he will get his in the natural course of the game and the pros like a well rounded prospect who distributes, not just a gunner.
I am far from giving up on JG3 and would still start him in the next game, though not necessarily finish with him. What I find most disturbing are two types of choices he makes, when to shoot and to stop trying on defense. He should only take open shots and not force the action. We have enough firepower on this team to try to work for better looks than an off balance 22 footer with 20 left on the shot clock. And when he dribbled the ball off his leg he barely jogged back on defense. His closeouts on the perimeter are halfhearted. There is no excuse not to give it your all on d.
Quincy played a good game last night but he needs to use his body more on the defensive boards. He will get away with mediocre form against Rider but at 6'8 he needs to box out against major conference opponents.
I would have used Woody in the second half to spell JG3 and Kadary. That kid is far ahead where other freshmen have been in our program at this point, Kris Joseph being an example that comes to mind.
We could have easily won that game. I'm excited to see the staff work with these guys and make adjustments after last night. There is some serious talent here for this year and the future. As I mentioned last night I think if Buddy had played JG3's minutes we would have won.

 

[tipphill]

jb did not have jesse or frank ready---that should have been a priority last year. he uses marek in the wrong position because of his lack of planning. he has enough players on this team--boeheim is boeheim . i hesitate to watch the transfer portal.

 

[ElwoodJBlues]

jb did not have jesse or frank ready---that should have been a priority last year. he uses marek in the wrong position because of his lack of planning. he has enough players on this team--boeheim is boeheim . i hesitate to watch the transfer portal.

Jesse missed an entire offseason due to COVID. Frank is a freshman. How is JB supposed to get these guys ready if they’re not in Syracuse?

 

[SWC75]

Joe had 6 of those, but I don’t remember one of them.
Was mostly - passed the ball to a teammate, who then chose to shoot, and it went in.


Kadary’s dimes were next-level stuff.
He passed guys open.

Most assists are like that.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Joe had 6 of those, but I don’t remember one of them.
Was mostly - passed the ball to a teammate, who then chose to shoot, and it went in.


Kadary’s dimes were next-level stuff.
He passed guys open.

Joe had a couple of very nice passes in the second half actually. Including some nice ones to Marek off a high ball screen that he dished off to someone else.

 

[Orangefan1]

Marek got out muscled and small. Offense seemed to flow
Better but idk he could seem to make much

 

[Red Holzman]

Great recap. A few thoughts I had.
Griffin plays like a guy making a highlight real for the pros. I won't presume to know what he is thinking but he looks like a guy trying to score his way into the draft. The staff has to impress upon him that if he is a team player he will get his in the natural course of the game and the pros like a well rounded prospect who distributes, not just a gunner.

Not ready to make this conclusion, but also concerned/see what you're seeing.
Alan Griffin has a lot of talent and plays hard-
He can help or hurt SU, depending on whether his main goal coming here is selfish auditioning.
For now, give him benefit of doubt and assume early season/few practices that roles being established.

 

[tipphill]

Jesse missed an entire offseason due to COVID. Frank is a freshman. How is JB supposed to get these guys ready if they’re not in Syracuse?

what year is jesse in? so frank is freshman? so what? how many times does marek have to play spot. seems to me, that position is a priority to have a backup and not use marek . jim has a bench but he still sticks to his 7man rotation.----do ya see a pattern here?

 

[ElwoodJBlues]

what year is jesse in? so frank is freshman? so what? how many times does marek have to play spot. seems to me, that position is a priority to have a backup and not use marek . jim has a bench but he still sticks to his 7man rotation.----do ya see a pattern here?

You do realize that Jesse still hasn’t had an off-season in our program, right? He was a late arrival last summer due to unforeseen issues. It’s tough to get a guy physically ready in-season. Frank is raw and athletic, but he’s a freshman. How many freshman centers have contributed right away here? There’s a lot of nuance to the defensive rotations, angles and identifying responsibilities. I’d argue that it’s toughest for the center position.

 

[SWC75]

I think our core group will be Bourama, Marek, Guerrier & Griffin, Newton, Girard, Boeheim and RIchmond. if one of the young centers makes a big move he could join that group. Braswell has whiffed on his opportunity and Owens will probably red-shirt.

 

[tipphill]

You do realize that Jesse still hasn’t had an off-season in our program, right? He was a late arrival last summer due to unforeseen issues. It’s tough to get a guy physically ready in-season. Frank is raw and athletic, but he’s a freshman. How many freshman centers have contributed right away here? There’s a lot of nuance to the defensive rotations, angles and identifying responsibilities. I’d argue that it’s toughest for the center position.

ok we will wait two more years. the better question is how many center contribute here.

 

[007]

ok we will wait two more years. the better question is how many center contribute here.

you would have to go all the way back to last year to find one...

 

[tipphill]

you would have to go all the way back to last year to find one...

i don't think so.

 

[007]

i don't think so.

didn't think you would. sid ended the season with something like 6 consecutive double double games, and was the first center since Jackson to have that many 10+ rebounding games in a row. serious question: what would "contributing" look like to you?

 

[Sherman20]

jb did not have jesse or frank ready---that should have been a priority last year. he uses marek in the wrong position because of his lack of planning. he has enough players on this team--boeheim is boeheim . i hesitate to watch the transfer portal.

Huh? Frank is a freshman. He wasn’t available last year.

 

[tipphill]

Huh? Frank is a freshman. He wasn’t available last year.

i know, but there is no reason not him ready to play for a few minutes in relief. if only to put a body on someone underneath. lets just let marek play center so he can foul out every game or have to play tentatively.
we have a lot of talent on this team ---i expect this will be a very good team by the end of january.marek needs to be set free from the center spot to flourish.