Ok where do you stand on the Chicken or the egg

[Eric15]

Am I the only one here who actually talked to Mike throughout his career at SU?

I talked to him in 1996 when I was in 8th grade and he was very nice to me.

 

[Shenexon]

I love conspiracy theory threads. I have an alternate explanation that exposes SU's master plan. For some time SU has been seeking to expand on the west coast. Mike has been our scout to check out and colonize potential candidates for SU West Campus. We almost had USC but they backed out. It turned out that Trojans refuse to wear Orange.

Washington came into play with their cloudy conditions and underperforming basketball team. This time Hopkins was welcomed, basketball there radically improved, and phase 2 planning began. It's all still super-secret at this time but look for the Huskies to switch to an Orange color scheme in the coming years. Academics will follow.

On second thought, it seems more likely to just be a function of life that Mike wants his own legacy and to be closer to his parents. I like the idea of an SU West Campus with Mike as our colonizer in chief but think the reality is far more mundane. Life happens...

 

[SBU72]

would hop have "bolted" if offered the usc job 4 years prior or Oregon St 3 years prior?

Do assistant coaches really turn down P5 jobs they applied for if offered? Then why apply? Leverage?

"If nominated I will not run, if elected I will not serve."

 

[rrlbees]

Do assistant coaches really turn down P5 jobs they applied for if offered? Then why apply? Leverage?

"If nominated I will not run, if elected I will not serve."

You’re asking the wrong person. I was being rhetorical to the person I asked.

 

[SBU72]

You’re asking the wrong person. I was being rhetorical to the person I asked.

Srry, I pretty much figured as much. Didn't think you would really think that but seemed like a good build on.

 

[FrancoPizza]

It doesn’t make any sense the other way

I mean really are you saying Jim’s preference was to retire. If that was his preference and Mike left even though he knew Jim wanted to retire??

Really? Come on!
I don’t think his preference was to retire as he didn’t even set that date up!! It that was mandated by the NCAA violations correct?

Some people just want to believe that close associates and friends could never possibly be at odds. It happens. Yes, JB intended to honor the retirement date. But he clearly did not want to, and that strained the relationship with Hop in the last couple years. The retirement agreement between Boeheim and the university unfortuantely did not include language to prevent JB from making the transition difficult for Mike.

Hop was oh so close to leaving several times prior, I believe that. But there's no way that Hop leaves at the 11th hour if he knew that JB was ready and willing to step down and allowed Mike to start recruiting his own players. No way.

 

[20Plus]

I thought after the first few days of commentary everyone was essentially saying the same story just with a positive or negative twist. I sat in the middle on that.

Now after the recent research and talking to people with 1° of separation from myself and Jim and myself and Mike I know better!!

And the worst conclusion I draw is recruiting DID suffer because of the lack of effort from both and also the limitations from sanctions!

 

[tbonezone]

JB wasn't going gently into the night. hopkins realized this and bolted. good move. that's my take.

 

[bevosu]

The NCAA didn't "mandate" it - SU threw it in as part of their preliminary self-imposed sanctions, as they tried to get out in front of the NCAA hammer fall.

My personal taek on all of this is:
JB was convinced by SU admins that he needed to fall on his sword due to the NCAA , but he refused to do so immediately, so then the "will retire in 3 years" thing got put out there.
Everybody was fairly OK with that. For a while.
Then JB got that 9 game suspension, and a real-life taste of what his world minus coaching Syracuse basketball would be like. Juli is on record stating he hated it, he was miserable.
Hop realizes JB doesn't really, really want to retire.
Hop doesn't want to be the guy who forces his mentor to retire before he's ready to.
Hop has a sick father on the other coast, so when the Washington job opens up, it neatly resolves all of those issues for Hop AND for JB:
Hop gets a P5 HC job, near his Dad, and JB gets to keep coaching for as long as he wants to.

Are you Frank Capra?

 

[SWC75]

Are you Frank Capra?

It's a wonderful life.

 

[Ghost]

I think likely Metta World Peace (Ron Artest) told him to get out - because if this St. John's gig doesn't work out, he might want to coach the Orange after JB leaves. That's just how Metta do.

Anyway, I'm basing this on the fact that he probably saw the footage of our Cornell fight, and wanted in - maybe we felt a bit more like somewhere he would fit in, or something he could build on because of the foundation we established that day:

 

[GoCuse14]

Why do people keep asking this question?

Mike left two years ago. He's building himself a very nice career at UWash -- as he hoped he would.

Jim (and SU) made it very clear that Jim was leaving at the end of 2018 season. Mike knew this. (For gosh sakes, it was announced by the Chancellor. What's more official than that?)

Mike had been wanting to get back to the West Coast for years (e.g. the USC fiasco). He made that very clear when USC screwed him.

Am I the only one here who actually talked to Mike throughout his career at SU?

Because this is a fan message board...asking these questions is what is done.

 

[Ghost]

I talked to him in 1996 when I was in 8th grade and he was very nice to me.

Did he provide any clues at the time that he may be leaving for UW??????

 

[Newhouser]

JB wasn't going gently into the night. hopkins realized this and bolted. good move. that's my take.

The first sentence is the big question moving forward. Will JB ever go gently into the night if asked to?

 

[SWC75]

The first sentence is the big question moving forward. Will JB ever go gently into the night if asked to?

Some spring he'll quietly and succinctly announce that he's retiring and that will be it. His terms, not somebody else's.