Reply to thread

Message: [QUOTE="reedny, post: 2228228, member: 1423"] There's some speculation in the OP, of course -- as there is with any discussion about college choice and draft selection. But it's not as off the wall as you make it sound. As you might remember, TB was class of 15. That year, we were in the "chaos" of the NCAA BS. TB was our bigman to lose, our "all eggs in the basket" center. Having him flip to IU in May of that year was not only a huge loss, it was the start of a difficult recruiting spiral that has persisted for 2 years since. The point the OP makes is that had TB stuck with the plan and committed to SU, he could have been the featured center on a team that went to the FF. Not only would we have arguably won many more games in the regular season with his strength inside, we could have showcased him in a way he couldn't have dreamed of at IU. Being on a more successful (and better coached) team would obviously have helped his draft stock - because he would have benefited from a more successful surrounding cast and more wins. Personally, I have no doubt he would have made us better that year. We had NOBODY inside except Coleman, who could barely play 17 minutes (I won't even bother mentioning Chino). By the time the tournament rolled around, DC's PT was down considerably. I think he had 8 points against MTS, but didn't score against Gonzaga and had 3 points against Virginia and went 5/4 against a team he was taylor-made to play against (UNC) in about 20 minutes. Instead, we had Tyler Lydon, a stretch 4, playing out of position. And (no surprise), we got massacred on the glass against UNC. Different result with TB ... I can't say that with certainty. But IMO he would have given us a better chance. Without him, we had none. And either way, he would have had HUGE exposure at the FF in the NCAA tournament. This past year, even more of the same. We were a doughnut team. Again, TL played center, out of position. We didn't make the tournament. We had no inside scoring and poor rebounding and defense. TT was a disaster inside .. (he's a forward anyway). Would TB have helped us? If you don't think so, you know nothing about college basketball. In all likelihood, we would have done much better ... playing TL at PF with TB at center would have made a night-and- day difference on defense and on the glass. TB would have had another year to showcase himself in the NCAA tournament. That exposure can't be understated .. as Malachai Richardson will tell you. So maybe you don't agree that TB blew it going to IU -- I've never been a crean fan and they were going nowhere. But anyway you slice it, there's definitely some merit to the argument that TB would have been much better off attending SU and being coached by JB -- and I'm dead sure we would have been a much better team with him BOTH years. [/QUOTE]

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