Non-Midnight Madness Thoughts - part 1

[General20]

It was absolutely great to see the spike in excitement that occurred all over Syracuse after Midnight Madness. The University really deserves a lot of credit for doing something special.

All that excitement has lead to a lot of speculation over what should be a very good SU team. I'd like to throw my hat into the ring with some speculatoin that has absolutely nothing to do with what happened durrig Midnight Madness, off season work outs, or early practices.

The Freshmen:

I'm very excited about this class as a group. I haven't had such a good feeling about an incoming class since the Devendorf, Rautins, Onuaku class. That was not a very highly rated (especially in comparison to this one) but, like this class, I had a good feeling about all three players. That class worked out pretty darn well by all reasonable standards. I cant wait to see what this class will do.

Here is my guess:

Christmas: I only saw him play a couple of times in high school, but from what I saw he oozed athletic ability (read as potential) but he did not have the offensive skill set to start for SU. So naturally, my prediction a few months later is that he will indeed be a starter for us on opening day. Why? Simply because he has a lot of potential. There is a very real chance that he is a starter even though he is the third best power forward on the team. And if that comes to be, I will agree with the decision wholeheartedly. Let Fair and Southerland play when the game is in the balance and things get tough, but start Christmas, allow him to develop, and invest in his potential. The way I see it, SU is good enough to win games early in the year, so we should play Christmas as much as we can when, theoretically, we will be able to win without him playing great in the hopes that this investment will pay off down the road when, theoretically, we will need the Warrick-type player Christmas can become to win a championship. Think Rick Jackson as a sophomore, and remember that Christmas will be a very different player at the end of the year than he will be at the beginning.

Cooney: It seems like everybody is now mentioning that Cooney is more athletic than you might think. And that is true. But he's still a shooter. And we still have a log jam in the backcourt. Shooters need consistency and time to find their groove. As a rule, you want to start your shooters, and bring your energy guys off the bench, if you can. Playing spot minutes as the fourth or fifth guard isnt going to do Cooney any favors. That is why I am a believer that he should get a red shirt, if he agrees to take one. In the not too distant future, he will be a starter, I think he will be an above average defender and a great scorer of the basketball. Think of what he could be five years from now and weight that against what he can potentially give us this year. Red shirt is the right move.

Carter-Williams: I've seen MCW play more than either of the other two guys in this class and I am a huge fan of his. If I was a betting man, I'd bet on his jersey hanging from the rafters before its all said and done. When you look at him he looks 10 years old and is rail thin, but dont worry about him putting on weight. Being skinny is going to do two things for him (1) keep him at SU and out of the NBA (2) get him foul calls that hugely muscled guys like Triche and Paul Harris (in his day) never get. As it stands, MCW can shoot, pass, defend, and drive the lane as good as we need, without putting on an ounce of muscle. Defensively he uses his height and length better than any guard I have ever seen. He sucks people into him like a giant squid or something. One minute a guy is driving the lane, and the next there are arms all around him, and he doesn't know how to get out. That said, I hope MCW, barely plays. He is good, and most years he would be counted on to contribute right away, but there is a chance both Triche and Waiters have break out years and there simply isnt any room for MCW. In my opinion that would be the best case scenario. Worst case scenario is than either Triche or Waiter's plateaus and Boeheim has a very difficult decision to make regarding playing time because both those guys will be pushed hard by MCW. The good news for SU fans is that neither of those scenarios are bad.

 

[jordoo]

I'll admit that I am not really excited about Rakeem starting if its do to potential. A big part of that is that I am really high on CJ. With Fab last year it was different because our other option was Baye with an injured hand and rick was already starting. I understand you're reasoning and I also think Rakeem will be a big time PF for us in the future.

Agreed that Cooney should redshirt.

I think MCW is too good to sit, but at the same time I really like the 3 guuards we have returning. It's hard to imagine JB playing a 4 guard rotaion regularly.

 

[Oakland]

I'm very excited about this class as a group. I haven't had such a good feeling about an incoming class since the Devendorf, Rautins, Onuaku class. That was not a very highly rated (especially in comparison to this one) but, like this class, I had a good feeling about all three players. That class worked out pretty darn well by all reasonable standards. I cant wait to see what this class will do.

General, you are one of the most astute posters on the board, but I don't believe anyone at this point of time who says he was more excited about the Devo class than the Flynn, Greene, etc. class, unless you are Devo's Mother or Andy's father.

 

[StopCoolio]

There’s another half to the ‘4’ starter conversation…who would you rather have as a 6th man? If the offense is a little sluggish, I’d prefer CJ coming off the bench to Rak so personally, I think this team is better with Rak starting and CJ as the first man off the bench.

 

[cuseclappy]

i think one thing that hasnt been said a lot is MCW athletic ability. for those who went to MM he had a major throw down over fab. give him a year in the weightroom and a little more bulk plus that athletic ability and hes going to be a terror

 

[General20]

I was a lot higher than most on Onuaku. Plus I saw Rautins play a lot in high school, so I was pretty high on him too.

I'm not trying to say I was not very happy with Flynn, Greene, Jardine, and Jackson, but I didnt have a good feeling about each one the way I did with the previous class. I'm not a big fan of small guards no matter how good they are, so Flynn came in with one strike in my mind, even though I knew he was good (and actually always thought he was better than Harris). I wasn't out of this world on either Jardine or Jackson, but I only saw them play one or twice in high school so I didnt really have much to get excited about.

 

[OttoMets]

There’s another half to the ‘4’ starter conversation…who would you rather have as a 6th man? If the offense is a little sluggish, I’d prefer CJ coming off the bench to Rak so personally, I think this team is better with Rak starting and CJ as the first man off the bench.

This is a good point. Just like two years ago, when starting Scoop and bringing in Triche would've been a huge drop-off, it'd be better to start the project and get him confidence while holding back the more trusted veteran as a sixth man.

 

[arbitragegls]

...this is going to be a fun and knuckle season. Will JB stick with the talent he has had for one or more years...will he give his frosh the ability to play and grow...this is going to be a NC year...I believe that and JB yearns for 1 more title...so buckle up and lets see how JB rolls the talent...he certainly has more this year than any year I can remember

 

[Garbs]

There’s another half to the ‘4’ starter conversation…who would you rather have as a 6th man? If the offense is a little sluggish, I’d prefer CJ coming off the bench to Rak so personally, I think this team is better with Rak starting and CJ as the first man off the bench.

this

 

[cortacuse]

Rak starts and CJ brings instant O...

 

[EastCoast2]

There’s another half to the ‘4’ starter conversation…who would you rather have as a 6th man? If the offense is a little sluggish, I’d prefer CJ coming off the bench to Rak so personally, I think this team is better with Rak starting and CJ as the first man off the bench.

agreed