Flacusian
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- Aug 26, 2011
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Really a bummer to have this type of bad press in the midst of an historic basketball season. Certainly the off the court developments this season do raise some questions which merit examination. There is certainly a link between the Fine debacle and this new drug policy investigation. There may not be a causal or direct link between the two but one has to wonder if the heightened scrutiny the program has been under as a result of the Fine situation has played any part in the manner in which this new drug thing has been presented, by whom it was presented, and the timing of it being presented.
One of the claims in the Fine case was that Coach Boeheim was either aware of what had happened and failed to act on it or, coversely, if he wasn't aware of what had happened, that in itself constitues evidence of not having adequate control and oversight of the program. It would not be a stretch to think that the disclosure of the recent drug affair could be pointed to as additional evidence of a program which was not administered with proper oversight if impoprieties or violations of team/school policy were allowed to transpire without consequences. Perhaps its a stretch to think there is a direct connection that this has come out now while the litigation in the Davis vs. Boeheim case moves forward but it would be naive to think that Alred won't bring this up in an effort to paint a picture of Coach Boeheim as presiding over a program which had run amok during his watch.
But then again perhaps the Fine situation and the recent developments are two mutually exclusive events tied together only by the fact that both have to do with the Syracuse Basketball program. The fact that Syracuse is supposed to have self reported the violations would seem positive but the fact that these incidents were allowed to happen in the first place is distressing. Press such as this, whether found to have merit or not tends to shape the perception of the program and can cast it in a negative light. It also constitutes still yet another distraction, negative in nature, which the current players and coaches have to deal with at a time when the primary, unhindered focus should be working toward winning an 2nd National Championship. Even if the accusations of the plaintifs in the Fine/ Boeheim situation end up being largely discredited and the Drug development and NCAA investigation yields nothing of significance, accusations in and of themselves constitute a negative mark against the program and the coaching staff which in turn could affect the program in the future. Nowhere would this possibly be more averse than in the area of recruiting.
I'm hoping that this doesn't amount to much in the long run but I have to admit that it does take a little bit off of the glow of what has been an incredible season on the court. I also hope that the team can continue to focus on their primary objective of bringing another National Championship home to Syracuse. As Coach has said, The difference between winning and losing can be a single play, a single stop. Hopefully the distractions of the developments off the court this season won't affect a single play or a single stop.
One of the claims in the Fine case was that Coach Boeheim was either aware of what had happened and failed to act on it or, coversely, if he wasn't aware of what had happened, that in itself constitues evidence of not having adequate control and oversight of the program. It would not be a stretch to think that the disclosure of the recent drug affair could be pointed to as additional evidence of a program which was not administered with proper oversight if impoprieties or violations of team/school policy were allowed to transpire without consequences. Perhaps its a stretch to think there is a direct connection that this has come out now while the litigation in the Davis vs. Boeheim case moves forward but it would be naive to think that Alred won't bring this up in an effort to paint a picture of Coach Boeheim as presiding over a program which had run amok during his watch.
But then again perhaps the Fine situation and the recent developments are two mutually exclusive events tied together only by the fact that both have to do with the Syracuse Basketball program. The fact that Syracuse is supposed to have self reported the violations would seem positive but the fact that these incidents were allowed to happen in the first place is distressing. Press such as this, whether found to have merit or not tends to shape the perception of the program and can cast it in a negative light. It also constitutes still yet another distraction, negative in nature, which the current players and coaches have to deal with at a time when the primary, unhindered focus should be working toward winning an 2nd National Championship. Even if the accusations of the plaintifs in the Fine/ Boeheim situation end up being largely discredited and the Drug development and NCAA investigation yields nothing of significance, accusations in and of themselves constitute a negative mark against the program and the coaching staff which in turn could affect the program in the future. Nowhere would this possibly be more averse than in the area of recruiting.
I'm hoping that this doesn't amount to much in the long run but I have to admit that it does take a little bit off of the glow of what has been an incredible season on the court. I also hope that the team can continue to focus on their primary objective of bringing another National Championship home to Syracuse. As Coach has said, The difference between winning and losing can be a single play, a single stop. Hopefully the distractions of the developments off the court this season won't affect a single play or a single stop.
