My two cents, having now seen the team

[IthacaMatt]

Last night was my first time seeing this season's edition of the Orangemen.
I did see some positives out there last night, compared to my expectations coming in.

First of all, Chukwu was not as uncoordinated and clumsy out there as he looked last fall, before his injury. I mean, he's still a giant praying mantis back there, but he wasn't terrible. And while it is sometimes easier to block the shots of 6-7 "big" men, other times (many times in the past) those same undersized power players are quicker than our interior defenders and create different match up problems. But it didn't look that way to me last night. Chukwu looks like he can give us some decent minutes in the middle. I saw him calling out rotations to some of the guys, and he did block a lot of shots. So he may be somewhat serviceable for 10-15 minutes per game.

Sidibe was very good for a first year player. Very good. Lots of rebounds, lots of shots blocked or altered. He even has a bit of a low post game. He's our better center of the two, but I understand why Boeheim starts Chukwu so that he can absorb the first foul or two of the game before bringing Sidibe off the bench.

Moyer is much better than he looked last fall, as well, but still does not look like the player I saw on video from high school or prep school. He seems pretty rusty still. There's not a lot to see in his offensive game right now, but if he can word hard on the offensive boards and get 2 or 3 put-backs a game, that would be very helpful.

Brissett is probably our best player right now, in large part because he's talented, and he's letting the game come to him better than Tyus Battle is right now. Brissett has all the tools to be a proto-typical SU combo forward. He rebounded well for his size, he scores at all 3 levels, and he's not afraid of the moment, so far.

Tyus was really forcing it last night. I haven't seen a box score, but I recall deep in the 2nd half he was shooting only 4-13, and was something like 0-4 from three before he finally bounced one in off the rim, the glass and the rim one more time. A couple of his drives were just awful, where he simply had no lane and flung something up there over his shoulder or whatnot, when he got bailed out on a few calls. Against better competition, he won't get those calls, and that stuff will get packed. Of course, if we started the game better offensively, maybe he wouldn't feel forced to put up more shots, just because who else is going to score.

Howard Washington looked very good to me out there. I like his game a lot. I think he is going to work his way into the rotation more than people expect right now. Geno isn't fully fit yet, and he looked like it. I was glad to see him get out on the floor though, and not injure himself. Sometimes that's the best way to build up your confidence in the bum ankle is to go out and play and not hurt it worse. So that was good. He moves the ball pretty well, but was not that effective on the drive just yet.

I didn't think Frank Howard had that bad a game. In fact, I think he was fairly good out there. His shooting was efficient, and I have to think that he cut down on his turnovers, but I missed the first 5 minutes of the game (when we fell in another hole), so maybe I missed his worst part of the game. And as I said, I haven't seen a box score yet.

Marek Dolezaj was pretty interesting. He's good in the press. He keeps the ball moving on offense. He is certainly skinny, but it didn't look that bad on him, if you know what I mean. He didn't look like a high school kid out there playing against grown men, but it was only Division 2 opposition. He didn't score a ton, and he won't be the next coming of Kristof Ongenaet, at least not for a couple more years, but the kid has talent and there will probably be some games that he helps us this year.

All in all, they looked more like a basketball team than I expected. They were not terrible, well, after that first 10 minutes or so, when they fell behind by a dozen, thanks to John Wallace's son shooting lights out early. So I guess I was spared the worst of it. I still think it's going to be very touch-and-go whether we can manufacture a winning record out of this group. But I don't think this is going to be the total disaster I was expecting. At least, not so long as these guys keep playing hard when the inevitable losses start to add up, and making the tournament looks harder and harder.

 

[Townie72]

I am no where near as negative on these players as many here are. (Although I would agree that Frank may never be a PG because of his decision-making, TO's, etc)

The task is going to get them to be effective as a team and that's going to take a while. We certainly haven't seen that. I suspect and hope SU will get better, even much better, over the course of the season.

Last year, it never really worked. Even someone of JB's experience and skills couldn't make a great chicken salad of those chicken feathers. And some of that was because the two grad transfers wouldn't or couldn't adapt (although they each had great individual performances in games).

At the end of last year's NCAA tourney, I thought about how many good players there are. But here aren't as many good team.

 

[billsin01]

I am no where near as negative on these players as many here are. (Although I would agree that Frank may never be a PG because of his decision-making, TO's, etc)

The task is going to get them to be effective as a team and that's going to take a while. We certainly haven't seen that. I suspect and hope SU will get better, even much better, over the course of the season.

Last year, it never really worked. Even someone of JB's experience and skills couldn't make a great chicken salad of those chicken feathers. And some of that was because the two grad transfers wouldn't or couldn't adapt (although they each had great individual performances in games).

At the end of last year's NCAA tourney, I thought about how many good players there are. But here aren't as many good team.

It's hard to have good teams when you turn 75% of your roster over every year. That's a lot of what we're seeing these past few years -- we haven't been exceptionally talented to per se, but the fact that we have 900 question marks and unknowns and about 2 things we can bank on make the early portion of the season a rollercoaster you're just hoping to survive before then playing a grueling conference schedule. I don't envy JB.

 

[billsin01]

Last night was my first time seeing this season's edition of the Orangemen.
I did see some positives out there last night, compared to my expectations coming in.

First of all, Chukwu was not as uncoordinated and clumsy out there as he looked last fall, before his injury. I mean, he's still a giant praying mantis back there, but he wasn't terrible. And while it is sometimes easier to block the shots of 6-7 "big" men, other times (many times in the past) those same undersized power players are quicker than our interior defenders and create different match up problems. But it didn't look that way to me last night. Chukwu looks like he can give us some decent minutes in the middle. I saw him calling out rotations to some of the guys, and he did block a lot of shots. So he may be somewhat serviceable for 10-15 minutes per game.

Sidibe was very good for a first year player. Very good. Lots of rebounds, lots of shots blocked or altered. He even has a bit of a low post game. He's out better center of the two, but I understand why Boeheim starts Chukwu so that he can absorb the first foul or two of the game before bringing Sidibe off the bench.

Moyer is much better than he looked last fall, as well, but still does not look like the player I saw on video from high school or prep school. He seems pretty rusty still. There's not a lot to see in his offensive game right now, but if he can word hard on the offensive boards and get 2 or 3 put-backs a game, that would be very helpful.

Brissett is probably our best player right now, in large part because he's talented, and he's letting the game come to him better than Tyus Battle is right now. Brissett has all the tools to be a proto-typical SU combo forward. He rebounded well for his size, he scores at all 3 levels, and he's not afraid of the moment, so far.

Tyus was really forcing it last night. I haven't seen a box score, but I recall deep in the 2nd half he was shooting only 4-13, and was something like 0-4 from three before he finally bounced one in off the rim, the glass and the rim one more time. A couple of his drives were just awful, where he simply had no lane and flung something up there over his shoulder or whatnot, when he got bailed out on a few calls. Against better competition, he won't get those calls, and that stuff will get packed. Of course, if we started the game better offensively, maybe he wouldn't feel forced to put up more shots, just because who else is going to score.

Howard Washington looked very good to me out there. I like his game a lot. I think he is going to work his way into the rotation more than people expect right now. Geno isn't fully fit yet, and he looked like it. I was glad to see him get out on the floor though, and not injure himself. That's the best way to build up your confidence in the bum ankle is to go out and play and not hurt it worse. So that was good. He moves the ball pretty well, but was not that effective on the drive just yet.

I didn't think Frank Howard had that bad a game. In fact, I think he was fairly good out there. His shooting was efficient, and I have to think that he cut down on his turnovers, but I missed the first 5 minutes of the game (when we fell in another hole), so maybe I missed his worst part of the game. And as I said, I haven't seen a box score yet.

Marek Dolezaj was pretty interesting. He's good in the press. He keeps the ball moving on offense. He is certainly skinny, but it didn't look that bad on him, if you know what I mean. He didn't look like a high school kid out there playing against grown men, but it was only Division 2 opposition. He didn't score a ton, and he won't be the next coming of Kristof Ongenaet, at least not for a couple more years, but the kid has talent and there will probably be some games that he helps us this year.

All in all, they looked more like a basketball team than I expected. They were not terrible, well, after that first 10 minutes or so, when they fell behind by a dozen, thanks to John Wallace's son shooting lights out early. So I guess I was spared the worst of it. I still think it's going to be very touch-and-go whether we can manufacture a winning record out of this group. But I don't think this is going to be the total disaster I was expecting. At least, not so long as these guys keep playing hard when the inevitable losses start to add up, and making the tournament looks harder and harder.

Agree on most of these. Chuckwu looks capable of 10-15 as you state, and that's a really good thing based on what I would have expected. He's going to be atrocious on offense, which will be painful, but he'll fill a role and ultimately that's the most important thing.

Brissett is definitely the most composed player on the floor. I think Battle is probably feeling the weight of the expectations, which are that he will have to score 50 ppg for us to win 15 games this year. I know I'm exaggerating but basically everyone is looking at him expecting 20 a game. That's tough.

Frank was frustrating (he probably will be all year) and the handle/decision making remains questionable at best, but if he's knocking down threes and finding a few players from time to time, that's a good thing.

I wasn't totally sure on Geno playing through what obviously looks like an actively lingering ankle injury. I would have thought giving him another night off may have been the best call, but I'm not claiming to be an expert on it. What I will say is that if he's got an extra gear, he should be a guy who can push double-figures offensively. He has the confidence of a dude who has played a bunch of college hoops and we could use that.

 

[Townie72]

That, Bills01, is my point.

It's easier to win with a highly stable team filled with upperclassmen (e.g., Villanova)

This team appears to have some good players ... some interesting pieces. But it is young and few have played together a lot.

What JB is able to do with them is the true measure of coaching acumen. Let's see what happens after mid-February. There is going to be a slow start. Even JB may not be able to build them into an effective team. But if anyone can do it, he can.

But they are going to have to do it his way.

And there are going to be some egg shells broken in making this omelet. Nobody on that team wants to win more than JB does and some aren't going to like his tough minded approach. (Coaches and fans) There's going to be on-court and off-court criticism maybe at post-game interviews e.g "If I had anybody else I could put out there ...". There's going to be players in JB's doghouse.

 

[billsin01]

That, Bills01, is my point.

It's easier to win with a highly stable team filled with upperclassmen (e.g., Villanova)

This team appears to have some good players ... some interesting pieces. But it is young and few have played together a lot.

What JB is able to do with them is the true measure of coaching acumen. Let's see what happens after mid-February. There is going to be a slow start. Even JB may not be able to build them into an effective team. But if anyone can do it, he can.

But they are going to have to do it his way.

And there are going to be some egg shells broken in making this omelet. Nobody on that team wants to win more than JB does and some aren't going to like his tough minded approach. (Coaches and fans) There's going to be on-court and off-court criticism maybe at post-game interviews e.g "If I had anybody else I could put out there ...". There's going to be players in JB's doghouse.

Yeah, not sure if it read that way but I was agreeing with you. I would argue that while there was a ton of 'sky is falling' posts after some admittedly disappointing recruiting losses the past cycle or two, I do think part of the strategy of taking guys (maybe even as plan B) like Washington, Hughes, Marek (I know there's a chance he just goes back to Europe), Moyer, etc. is that there is some value in at least having a core group of returnees each year. Even if you're sacrificing some of the high-end talent. I am, before people start blasting me, in no way, shape or form suggesting that we no longer want high-end, highly rated recruits, but simply saying I think a guy like Howard Washington may end up being more valuable than he looks at this moment if only for some continuity and (hopefully) improvement from year to year.

 

[rrlbees]

Agree on most of these. Chuckwu looks capable of 10-15 as you state, and that's a really good thing based on what I would have expected. He's going to be atrocious on offense, which will be painful, but he'll fill a role and ultimately that's the most important thing.

Brissett is definitely the most composed player on the floor. I think Battle is probably feeling the weight of the expectations, which are that he will have to score 50 ppg for us to win 15 games this year. I know I'm exaggerating but basically everyone is looking at him expecting 20 a game. That's tough.

Frank was frustrating (he probably will be all year) and the handle/decision making remains questionable at best, but if he's knocking down threes and finding a few players from time to time, that's a good thing.

I wasn't totally sure on Geno playing through what obviously looks like an actively lingering ankle injury. I would have thought giving him another night off may have been the best call, but I'm not claiming to be an expert on it. What I will say is that if he's got an extra gear, he should be a guy who can push double-figures offensively. He has the confidence of a dude who has played a bunch of college hoops and we could use that.

I’m confused on the Frank was frustrating last night?

 

[billsin01]

I’m confused on the Frank was frustrating last night?

He had a great second half. The handle still a little shaky but he really played well. His first half was every bit as brutal as any of the guys on the roster. That was frustrating b/c I would have liked to see him have a steady 40 mins. Tall ask, but a solid, consistent frank would be a HUGE plus for this team and we haven't seen that yet. But I'm rooting for him and was never one of the folks who was tossing dirt on his grave in the offseason so I don't intend to be overly critical of an exhibition game.

 

[Oráiste]

He had a great second half. The handle still a little shaky but he really played well. His first half was every bit as brutal as any of the guys on the roster. That was frustrating b/c I would have liked to see him have a steady 40 mins. Tall ask, but a solid, consistent frank would be a HUGE plus for this team and we haven't seen that yet. But I'm rooting for him and was never one of the folks who was tossing dirt on his grave in the offseason so I don't intend to be overly critical of an exhibition game.

I think people are forgetting that he is coming off an injury, a benching and nearly being kicked out of the program. These are the first meaningful games in which he has been given real responsibilities that he has played in nearly a year. I think he's anxious to prove that he belongs and that he deserves that responsibility again. He was better in the 2nd game than in the first and I think (hope) he'll continue to improve and the game will slow down for him. The next five games will be tougher than the last two, but should be wins and give him a chance to get his legs further under him. I'm not really going to judge Frank or this team until the 3 game stretch vs. Maryland, Kansas and JUCOnn is complete.

 

[SoBeCuse]

I think people are forgetting that he is coming off an injury, a benching and nearly being kicked out of the program. These are the first meaningful games in which he has been given real responsibilities that he has played in nearly a year. I think he's anxious to prove that he belongs and that he deserves that responsibility again. He was better in the 2nd game than in the first and I think (hope) he'll continue to improve and the game will slow down for him. The next five games will be tougher than the last two, but should be wins and give him a chance to get his legs further under him. I'm not really going to judge Frank or this team until the 3 game stretch vs. Maryland, Kansas and JUCOnn is complete.

Oakland will be tough and a very close spread. They beat Clemson in the NIT last year rather easily, bring back everybody, and have a big time JUCO PG coming in.

 

[DoctorBombay]

He had a great second half. The handle still a little shaky but he really played well. His first half was every bit as brutal as any of the guys on the roster. That was frustrating b/c I would have liked to see him have a steady 40 mins. Tall ask, but a solid, consistent frank would be a HUGE plus for this team and we haven't seen that yet. But I'm rooting for him and was never one of the folks who was tossing dirt on his grave in the offseason so I don't intend to be overly critical of an exhibition game.

I will say this about FH, his postgame comments seem to reflect an increased level of maturity. He seems to have a good grasp of his role & what needs to happen moving forward. Very encouraging.

 

[Orangezoo]

Last night was my first time seeing this season's edition of the Orangemen.
I did see some positives out there last night, compared to my expectations coming in.

First of all, Chukwu was not as uncoordinated and clumsy out there as he looked last fall, before his injury. I mean, he's still a giant praying mantis back there, but he wasn't terrible. And while it is sometimes easier to block the shots of 6-7 "big" men, other times (many times in the past) those same undersized power players are quicker than our interior defenders and create different match up problems. But it didn't look that way to me last night. Chukwu looks like he can give us some decent minutes in the middle. I saw him calling out rotations to some of the guys, and he did block a lot of shots. So he may be somewhat serviceable for 10-15 minutes per game.

Sidibe was very good for a first year player. Very good. Lots of rebounds, lots of shots blocked or altered. He even has a bit of a low post game. He's out better center of the two, but I understand why Boeheim starts Chukwu so that he can absorb the first foul or two of the game before bringing Sidibe off the bench.

Moyer is much better than he looked last fall, as well, but still does not look like the player I saw on video from high school or prep school. He seems pretty rusty still. There's not a lot to see in his offensive game right now, but if he can word hard on the offensive boards and get 2 or 3 put-backs a game, that would be very helpful.

Brissett is probably our best player right now, in large part because he's talented, and he's letting the game come to him better than Tyus Battle is right now. Brissett has all the tools to be a proto-typical SU combo forward. He rebounded well for his size, he scores at all 3 levels, and he's not afraid of the moment, so far.

Tyus was really forcing it last night. I haven't seen a box score, but I recall deep in the 2nd half he was shooting only 4-13, and was something like 0-4 from three before he finally bounced one in off the rim, the glass and the rim one more time. A couple of his drives were just awful, where he simply had no lane and flung something up there over his shoulder or whatnot, when he got bailed out on a few calls. Against better competition, he won't get those calls, and that stuff will get packed. Of course, if we started the game better offensively, maybe he wouldn't feel forced to put up more shots, just because who else is going to score.

Howard Washington looked very good to me out there. I like his game a lot. I think he is going to work his way into the rotation more than people expect right now. Geno isn't fully fit yet, and he looked like it. I was glad to see him get out on the floor though, and not injure himself. That's the best way to build up your confidence in the bum ankle is to go out and play and not hurt it worse. So that was good. He moves the ball pretty well, but was not that effective on the drive just yet.

I didn't think Frank Howard had that bad a game. In fact, I think he was fairly good out there. His shooting was efficient, and I have to think that he cut down on his turnovers, but I missed the first 5 minutes of the game (when we fell in another hole), so maybe I missed his worst part of the game. And as I said, I haven't seen a box score yet.

Marek Dolezaj was pretty interesting. He's good in the press. He keeps the ball moving on offense. He is certainly skinny, but it didn't look that bad on him, if you know what I mean. He didn't look like a high school kid out there playing against grown men, but it was only Division 2 opposition. He didn't score a ton, and he won't be the next coming of Kristof Ongenaet, at least not for a couple more years, but the kid has talent and there will probably be some games that he helps us this year.

All in all, they looked more like a basketball team than I expected. They were not terrible, well, after that first 10 minutes or so, when they fell behind by a dozen, thanks to John Wallace's son shooting lights out early. So I guess I was spared the worst of it. I still think it's going to be very touch-and-go whether we can manufacture a winning record out of this group. But I don't think this is going to be the total disaster I was expecting. At least, not so long as these guys keep playing hard when the inevitable losses start to add up, and making the tournament looks harder and harder.

Great take Matt. Agree with everything. I really think if we can find a groove offensively, our defense will be good enough to win enough games for a positive season.

Frank looked much better off the ball than on it. He seemed to settle in much better in that role. Also loved how comfortable HW was just running the point and facilitating. That fact alone really increases his value.

 

[realorange]

Oakland will be tough and a very close spread. They beat Clemson in the NIT last year rather easily, bring back everybody, and have a big time JUCO PG coming in.

True enough, except their big man has to sit thanks to the NCAA.

 

[rrlbees]

I will say this about FH, his postgame comments seem to reflect an increased level of maturity. He seems to have a good grasp of his role & what needs to happen moving forward. Very encouraging.

Frank Howard and Syracuse's basketball hope for a functioning 1st half offense

 

[FrancoPizza]

I do think part of the strategy of taking guys (maybe even as plan B) like Washington, Hughes, Marek (I know there's a chance he just goes back to Europe), Moyer, etc. is that there is some value in at least having a core group of returnees each year.

You almost make it sound like we skipped the A-listers because we wanted more stability.

 

[two3zone]

Yeah, not sure if it read that way but I was agreeing with you. I would argue that while there was a ton of 'sky is falling' posts after some admittedly disappointing recruiting losses the past cycle or two, I do think part of the strategy of taking guys (maybe even as plan B) like Washington, Hughes, Marek (I know there's a chance he just goes back to Europe), Moyer, etc. is that there is some value in at least having a core group of returnees each year. Even if you're sacrificing some of the high-end talent. I am, before people start blasting me, in no way, shape or form suggesting that we no longer want high-end, highly rated recruits, but simply saying I think a guy like Howard Washington may end up being more valuable than he looks at this moment if only for some continuity and (hopefully) improvement from year to year.

I guess I don't understand why Marek would come here just to leave early to go back to Europe.

 

[billsin01]

You almost make it sound like we skipped the A-listers because we wanted more stability.

Not at all. There is obviously missed targets and we need premium talent. My point was that signing a guy like Hughes or using the scholly Sidibe despite his not having a really lofty ranking or making mate Roberts a big priority even though he’s a project suggests there is some thought to trying to build a bit of continuity. But we still unquestionably need high-end pieces as well.

 

[billsin01]

I guess I don't understand why Marek would come here just to leave early to go back to Europe.

I don’t either but it seems people believe he’s a short-timer. Also, things in college hoops rarely make sense.

 

[two3zone]

I don’t either but it seems people believe he’s a short-timer. Also, things in college hoops rarely make sense.

I'd get it if he left for the NBA but don't understand the trek back to Europe after a year or two here if he does have NBA talent.

 

[hungrychuck]

I think people are forgetting that he is coming off an injury, a benching and nearly being kicked out of the program. These are the first meaningful games in which he has been given real responsibilities that he has played in nearly a year. I think he's anxious to prove that he belongs and that he deserves that responsibility again. He was better in the 2nd game than in the first and I think (hope) he'll continue to improve and the game will slow down for him. The next five games will be tougher than the last two, but should be wins and give him a chance to get his legs further under him. I'm not really going to judge Frank or this team until the 3 game stretch vs. Maryland, Kansas and JUCOnn is complete.

You're making it sound like some of those things weren't of Frank's own doing. Not his fault that he got hurt, but the behavioral issues are entirely his own. Is he suddenly a team leader? Extremely skeptical on that.

And let's not have short memories. Frank played pretty well against non-conference cupcakes last year, and wilted quickly against tougher opposition. I'm not ready to celebrate his stronger second half against Division 2 Southern Connecticut.

 

[Townie72]

Not at all. There is obviously missed targets and we need premium talent. My point was that signing a guy like Hughes or using the scholly Sidibe despite his not having a really lofty ranking or making mate Roberts a big priority even though he’s a project suggests there is some thought to trying to build a bit of continuity. But we still unquestionably need high-end pieces as well.

You mean high end pieces like Villanova, the 2016 National Champions?

 

[billsin01]

You mean high end pieces like Villanova, the 2016 National Champions?

I’m with you but I don’t see us writing off top rated guys if we have shot.

 

[Townie72]

I’m with you but I don’t see us writing off top rated guys if we have shot.

As I am sure you are aware, the "high enders" seem to result in a lot of violent swings in team performance year-to-year. These up and down years don't sit to well with the SU fan base.

And while SU us an attractive destination for most players, the high-enders have alternatives that are just as good, or in their eyes, better (Kentucky, Duke. UNC, Louisville, etc.). When those high-enders choose one of these schools, some of the SU fans point to this as a coaching/recruiting "failure".

No wonder JB is "salty".

 

[billsin01]

As I am sure you are aware, the "high enders" seem to result in a lot of violent swings in team performance year-to-year. These up and down years don't sit to well with the SU fan base.

And while SU us an attractive destination for most players, the high-enders have alternatives that are just as good, or in their eyes, better (Kentucky, Duke. UNC, Louisville, etc.). When those high-enders choose one of these schools, some of the SU fans point to this as a coaching/recruiting "failure".

No wonder JB is "salty".

I guess it’s how we define high-enders’. I meant more guys like bazely and Carey. Even Brissett feels like he could be a short-timer. I don’t think we’ll end up exclusively recruiting guys we think are going to be here for 3/4 years

 

[SoBeCuse]

As I am sure you are aware, the "high enders" seem to result in a lot of violent swings in team performance year-to-year. These up and down years don't sit to well with the SU fan base.

And while SU us an attractive destination for most players, the high-enders have alternatives that are just as good, or in their eyes, better (Kentucky, Duke. UNC, Louisville, etc.). When those high-enders choose one of these schools, some of the SU fans point to this as a coaching/recruiting "failure".

No wonder JB is "salty".

I’m sure you’re aware that they recruit to and for a certain system just like Boeheim does. They aren’t worried about length. I think they care about gritty ball handlers with multiple skill sets. Guys who will excel in M2M. One cannot deny that during Villanova’s current run of excellent play on the court; they have had a better collection of guards who handle the ball better, who are quicker, and with better skill sets than our guys despite the overall recruiting rankings differences which seem to indicate that Syracuse generally recruits better in terms of incoming talent. They get their guys to stay longer and develop better while our raw guys with the NBA measurables bolt the first chance they get. I worry about our current collection of overall guard talent trying to emulate the Villanova style of offense. Sidibe has a chance to be a better Ochefu-type of C though. Frank doesn’t look like he could make it off the bench for a good Villanova team. Tyus can play anywhere.

Recruiting is an inexact science but I like how they have built continuity more than we have. Of course their system allows it more I think by not relying on the damn zone which caters to length and attractive NBA measurables. Oh, and we could’ve had Jalen Brunson .

I think the more deeper issue is how we can get our more talented players (who are often still raw/limited) to stay in school a little longer.