sutomcat
2024 Iggy Award (ACC Tournament Record)
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The Syracuse Boys and Girls Club has a fundraiser dinner each year just before the start of the SU basketball season. It is highlighted by the presence of the SU coaching staff and players (JB is a huge supporter of this organization) and gives the attendees a good opportunity to see the team and coaches and get some insights into how things are going just before the season opener.
I attended last night, as did intrepid reporter LincolnCuse, who incidentally provided me with an excellent ginger ale (shaken, not stirred, just the way I like it). Here is my report:
Companies buy tables for the event. The big donors get a player, a coach or a grad assistant as a dining partner. I think each table also has one or two kids from the club (the best behaved, highest achievers are rewarded for their work by getting a chance to attend the dinner).
The table my company bought was graced by the presence of Baye Keita, formerly known as Baye Moussa Keita, aka BMK. We also had two kids from the club, who appeared very uncomfortable (we eventually got them to relax and enjoy the event, largely through the magic of macaroni and cheese).
Anyway BMK was very outgoing, told a lot of funny stories and was a great person to have dinner with. He says he is 3 credit short of graduating and is probably going to take some IT courses in the spring semester because he has interest in that field for the future. He was extremely forthcoming signing autographs and posing for pictures, encasing a group of 7 or 8 kids in his enormous wingspan, growling, laughing and shouting "Who wants to take a picture with the big guy?", which ignited an explosion of giggles laughter and shouts of "Me!" from the kids. Baye also made it a point to get up and visit the tables with the true frosh players to be sure they were okay and maybe to help break the ice and get the conversation flowing at their tables.
Baye said the team has great chemistry this season, everyone is working hard and gets along well. He said the freshmen are all special players, including Chino. Said the game he is most looking forward to is the game at Duke. Said all the ACC players are talking about is the zone and that they are all worried about it. Is also really looking forward to visiting Hawaii. His family is all going to be there (very rare for him) and he can't wait to see them. And he loves Hawaii, visited there in high school (Oak Hill apparently played there).
He is a great ambassador for the university. Don't know what he is going to do with his life once basketball is done but I am sure it will be something we can all be proud of. Great guy.
Maybe the best part of the event is near the end, when JB gets up and discusses the team. This year, he was uncharacteristically positive. He said the team benefited greatly from the early start with the practices and games in Canada in the summer. He said it was clear that all of the players on the team have made substantial improvement from the start of practice and that the team is ahead of schedule compared to recent years.
He also said about 10 NBA scouts have visited practice so far this year, and that they were very impressed with the team. Said that they thought Syracuse was the most impressive team they have seen so far this year.
At one point he even said that 'with any coaching what so ever, we should go undefeated'. That is of course classic Boeheim sarcasm, but it still might illustrate some of the optimism he has for the team right now.
Says that the move to the ACC, coupled with the Final Four visit last season has fueled great interest in the team. Said we have sold more season tickets this year than we have in 20 years. This trend was indeed reflected in the attendance at the dinner; it was a capacity crowd I would estimate at 25% larger than any year I can remember.
Didn't talk much regarding particular players, but he singled out BJ a couple of times. Once BJ got a little unruly and JB looked at him and said "and I was planning on playing him on Friday night too". Later, when talking about CJ, he looked at BJ and said "we had a freshman go up against a senior today in practice. It wasn't......pretty. (Big smile). CJ against BJ. But that is okay, that is gonna happen. That is how you learn (big smile aimed directly at BJ).
That is actually a good sign for BJ. JB reserves that kind of good natured public trash talk/kidding for players who can handle it and are capable of great things. Dion was a favorite target in the recent past....
Anyway, the players were great to the kids, JB did a nice job answering questions from the kids (they asked questions like "how many points will the team score this year") and everyone had a great time. If you have the opportunity to attend some day, you should.
I attended last night, as did intrepid reporter LincolnCuse, who incidentally provided me with an excellent ginger ale (shaken, not stirred, just the way I like it). Here is my report:
Companies buy tables for the event. The big donors get a player, a coach or a grad assistant as a dining partner. I think each table also has one or two kids from the club (the best behaved, highest achievers are rewarded for their work by getting a chance to attend the dinner).
The table my company bought was graced by the presence of Baye Keita, formerly known as Baye Moussa Keita, aka BMK. We also had two kids from the club, who appeared very uncomfortable (we eventually got them to relax and enjoy the event, largely through the magic of macaroni and cheese).
Anyway BMK was very outgoing, told a lot of funny stories and was a great person to have dinner with. He says he is 3 credit short of graduating and is probably going to take some IT courses in the spring semester because he has interest in that field for the future. He was extremely forthcoming signing autographs and posing for pictures, encasing a group of 7 or 8 kids in his enormous wingspan, growling, laughing and shouting "Who wants to take a picture with the big guy?", which ignited an explosion of giggles laughter and shouts of "Me!" from the kids. Baye also made it a point to get up and visit the tables with the true frosh players to be sure they were okay and maybe to help break the ice and get the conversation flowing at their tables.
Baye said the team has great chemistry this season, everyone is working hard and gets along well. He said the freshmen are all special players, including Chino. Said the game he is most looking forward to is the game at Duke. Said all the ACC players are talking about is the zone and that they are all worried about it. Is also really looking forward to visiting Hawaii. His family is all going to be there (very rare for him) and he can't wait to see them. And he loves Hawaii, visited there in high school (Oak Hill apparently played there).
He is a great ambassador for the university. Don't know what he is going to do with his life once basketball is done but I am sure it will be something we can all be proud of. Great guy.
Maybe the best part of the event is near the end, when JB gets up and discusses the team. This year, he was uncharacteristically positive. He said the team benefited greatly from the early start with the practices and games in Canada in the summer. He said it was clear that all of the players on the team have made substantial improvement from the start of practice and that the team is ahead of schedule compared to recent years.
He also said about 10 NBA scouts have visited practice so far this year, and that they were very impressed with the team. Said that they thought Syracuse was the most impressive team they have seen so far this year.
At one point he even said that 'with any coaching what so ever, we should go undefeated'. That is of course classic Boeheim sarcasm, but it still might illustrate some of the optimism he has for the team right now.
Says that the move to the ACC, coupled with the Final Four visit last season has fueled great interest in the team. Said we have sold more season tickets this year than we have in 20 years. This trend was indeed reflected in the attendance at the dinner; it was a capacity crowd I would estimate at 25% larger than any year I can remember.
Didn't talk much regarding particular players, but he singled out BJ a couple of times. Once BJ got a little unruly and JB looked at him and said "and I was planning on playing him on Friday night too". Later, when talking about CJ, he looked at BJ and said "we had a freshman go up against a senior today in practice. It wasn't......pretty. (Big smile). CJ against BJ. But that is okay, that is gonna happen. That is how you learn (big smile aimed directly at BJ).
That is actually a good sign for BJ. JB reserves that kind of good natured public trash talk/kidding for players who can handle it and are capable of great things. Dion was a favorite target in the recent past....
Anyway, the players were great to the kids, JB did a nice job answering questions from the kids (they asked questions like "how many points will the team score this year") and everyone had a great time. If you have the opportunity to attend some day, you should.
