I have said if the fanbase accepts what we have become then I will shut up. A lot of the fanbase doesn’t accept that and thus if we want to pretend we are an elite program then what has happened deserves the reactions we get.
However if we aspire to be a team that is good and actually is top 10 in basketball revenue and top 10 in basketball resources then criticism goes with that.
The fact is we have the oldest HC in the P5. We don’t change much in the program year after year playing style wise, preparation wise.
We are the most predictable program in P5 basketball.
Again if the fanbase accepts being middle of the ACC then fine.
The highest we have finished in the ACC standings since 2014 was tied for 6th 2 years ago.
We consistently been in 8-11 range the last 7 years.
I want to address other parts of your post but it won’t matter you are locked in your thoughts.
Why aren’t we recruiting more guards? In the class of 2021 we offered only one guard. In the class of 2022 we lost our top commit and we lost our top SG target who is from NYS to Ohio State.
If fans want to accept we are medicore now then I am sure you would get less negativity and be fine with more apathy for a fanbase that has been pretty loyal.
AC Milan used to be a giant in Serie A did their fanbase accept their downfall while shuting up? How many seasons in a row did they miss Champions League? Syracuse fans never expect to be Juventus aka Duke/UNC but we expect to be AC Milan which is a big fish that competed before their downfall. We don’t expect to be Lazio a middle of the tier club that can win cups but not compete at the top.(Yes I get European soccer)
Syracuse fans dont expect final fours every season or top 4 seeds every season. How about actually getting thru one regular season in 7 years finishing top 4. That isn’t a lot to ask with resources we have.
I am not "settling" for mediocrity. I am probably not as upset about it as you, and others, are but I, too, long for the days of 2008-2014.
Where you and I differ is in the reasons why we are "mediocre" by our historical standards (although, to be clear, most other programs would kill for our level of "mediocrity".)
You blame it on both coaching and recruiting. I agree with you on recruiting. Has to be better or we will never see 2008-2014, or 1985-1991, again unless our recruiting improves significantly.
I disagree with you on coaching. In fact, one of the things about having a less innately talented team is to see how it improves, or doesn't, throughout the year.
This year's team is night and day from earlier in the season and is playing, by far, its best ball.
Last year's team was playing its best ball at the end of the season.
The 2019 team is more difficult to evaluate because it struggled down the stretch but 4 of its last 7 games were also against top 5 teams and, of course, we had the FH fiasco going into the tourney.
The 2018 team was clearly playing its best basketball at the end of the season.
IMO, the 2017 team is an example of team that never found its footing, mostly because JB could simply not get them to play any defense.
The 2016 was obviously playing its best ball at the end of the season.
Regardless of whether the right moves are made in any particular game, the trend in most of these seasons has been upward and that is coaching.
So someone, you or otherwise, is going to have to make some much more compelling arguments, than what has been made thus far, to convince me that JB is no longer a top coach.
There are very few individuals on this board who criticize with anything more than sweeping generalizations.
You want my attention? Support your criticisms with solid evidence or at least solid reasoning. Very little of that on this board.
Those who criticize also have a higher burden of proof. After all, you are telling the world that you know more about how to make the program successful than a guy who has devoted his entire professional life to coaching and has done so with a level of success that few other coaches have been able to emulate. That is a tough ask.
BTW, making statements like, "We are the most predictable program in P5 basketball." doesn't help your cause. Unless you have spent, not just this season, but the last few seasons watching every single P5 program's games, you have absolutely no basis for making this statement. It comes across as an idiotic statement.
