Thanks for the info, AZ.
I will say—and this is not directed to you at all AZ—but when recruiting handlers and hangers-on talk about the uncertainty of whether JB will be the head coach, he’s stated over and over again that he’s going to keep on coaching. A ton of head coaches have been hired and fired since he first announced his retirement timeline back in 2015, and he’s outlasted them all. So our assistant coaches do have ammo to push back on that chatter with. (And I’m someone who believes it’s time for JB to retire.)
As for recruiting rivals saying Syracuse didn’t make the tourney last year, our past decade tourney performance is one of the strongest parts of our pitches for our coaches to highlight. We were in the Sweet 16 two years ago and again in 2018. We made the Final Four in 2016, plus a tourney appearance in 2019. (Not too mention the 2009-2014 high water mark.) That’s a heck of a lot better recent results than Iowa, Tennessee and Marquette. Again, our coaches have the receipts to push back on these narratives.