Reply to thread

Message: [QUOTE="KevMonstah, post: 1987130, member: 327"] I like this team a lot, but I do see some flaws. They will never be one of those teams that plays with true fire, especially as far as rebounding goes. You get and keep the energy going by getting after the opponent, and unfortunately, the zone defense itself is not one that gets after teams, unless trapping. It has lots of advantages, but the opposing team is not going to get the ball after a basket and think "ok, we got 30 seconds of pressure trying to keep us from making a shot." It's not designed that way, and either through lack of teaching the skill or lack of interest in doing it, Syracuse hasn't been a good rebounding team in a long time. I'd almost say that they cannot possibly be emphasizing it during practice. Let's look back to one single play from last year: against Pitt, late, one Pitt guy shooting an FT, four Cuse guys to rebound ... and the Pitt guy manages to contest it. How? That shouldn't be possible. What I see on the team is a bunch of guys that can play, but just don't fit into an ideal lineup. Your best offensive lineup, with Lydon at C, can't play D or rebound. The best defensive lineup isn't going to score much, unless they press enough to generate TOs like the end of the Virginia game. The best rebounding lineup ... is there one? You have guys you want to play in positions - Roberson at 3, Dajuan at 4, White at 2, I think Lydon at 3/4 is best for his future, definitely not 5 - but they don't work at those spots due to lack of skills or physicality-wise. So, the coaches have to make that work. But all that aside, I like this team. They have enough talent and depth that they should make it work and work greatly. I am looking forward to watching them improve all season long, and I'm looking forward to watching them run to Phoenix. This team is unlike the usual JB/SU teams, which tend to peak too early. I'll trade a couple of losses in the early parts for a long NCAA run way more than I want to see a team peak early and not make a long run. So long as they learn from the losses, that is. Kev [/QUOTE]

Verification: What is a Syracuse fan's favorite color?