Sure

[Day2]

Are you JB? I feel this is the response JB would make in a press conference if asked about Benny's recent strides and sudden DNP.

My cover’s blown.

 

[OrangeinDC]

Agreed. With Jim instead of it being "Hey you kids get off my lawn", it's " Hey you kids get of my court"! Back when I played the center covered the corner with a 50 pound backpack on.

After walking 20 miles to the game in the snow.. barefoot!

 

[Zelda Zonk]

As I said about this in the Benny thread, why not deflect this question if he feels that way?

He'd rather throw a kid under the bus than accept responsibility for that kid's development and the team's record? Sincere question from a friend.

 

[OrangeinDC]

According to the crew on this site, that’s nothing new. Not sure why it would bother him considering JB has been “doing that” for years. The guys that left last year left because either Jim was right (q shouldn’t shoot 3s), they weren’t good enough (woody) or because they didn’t like that they had to earn their time (Kadary).

Bruh, because he's an 18 year old kid. In the gym criticism of players by coaches is fair game. You get on them when needed, but you also have to find something, a building block for the kid to build on, improve, and contribute; plus give you the chance to tell him good job. That starts the reset of the relationship, and it's a two way street between coach/player in regard to developing trust and building a relationship.

You don't put them on blast out to the public..

The kids that left last year argument is over, old, done. They're gone, not here and it will either work out for them or it won't, it was their option and their choice. It's the same with us, decisions will either work out in the big picture, or they won't. What are we doing now, next and in the future? That's my focus. I can't speak for everyone, but this is my honest opinion.

 

[orangepassion]

It’s a private institution. They can fine him for wearing the wrong tie.

(And they had plenty of opportunities back in the 80s.)

If they were going to fine him based on dress, it would have had to be done Pre-Juli, like the stunner below.

 

[OrangeinDC]

Do you feel that Boeheim is giving up on BW, or he is using blunt psychology because he thinks BW will meet that challenge?

You can see Benny is not the kind of kid that needs blunt psychology.

 

[Zelda Zonk]

Yes. Major personality flaw. If you haven’t noticed it’s become much more pronounced over the past decade. Guy has no respect for anyone but himself and his boys.

I don't know that i'd go that far.
Being a head coach, there is always some wiggle room between being a 'hard ass drill sargent' vs being a 'nurturing father figure.' A Bobby Knight or a Woody Hayes could get away with being a Richard. "Tough love" and all that. You can make a case for 'toughening up' a player with harsh treatment. But, yeah—i agree with you, there have been issues with JB doing dickish things and still not getting results out of it, and it doesn't come across as strategic and it doesn't come across as being part of JAB's natural personality. So, it's bizarre.

It's just bad coaching. Knight and Hayes—who knows if their ways actually were productive. Results can be independent of technique. You can succeed despite your own efforts and tendencies.

These types of comments about Benny seem myopic. We just lost a significant chunk of the roster last year, and some of those players could have made this team better. It's not the same as it was, where a kid signed and you'd expect him to be here for 3-4 years. If they're not happy after a few months, they're looking for other opportunities. And with the way kids just go away to different high schools, they're conditioned to be able to move around and not feel locked in to one school. "Loyalty" is not a factor. An NBA contract is like winning the lottery when you're not a top 20 recruit, and kids are willing to take more risks.

This all said, i don't disagree that Benny hasn't been very good in games. But, supposedly, he was close to 'even' with Jimmy in preseason, and it's silly to neglect the mental aspect as a major component toward success. Two things are happening with our program: JB/The Staff is not evaluating recruits well; and when we get them, they're not managing psyches well. I can't put that on anyone's shoulders other than JAB's, though.

So, what he's saying about Benny now—i don't think it's as bad as many in this thread. But, i do think it's wrong and counterproductive. There are better ways to handle it.

I used to say that JB winning the championship in 2003 and then getting into the HoF were the worst things that could have happened to him as a coach. He went from being an unassuming nebbish to an arrogant such and such. It's like when you give someone too much power or too much money or too much fame, when they don't have the right intellect to handle it. They turn into something 'else.' In other years, this kind of thing with Benny would be talked about, too. We talked about Roberson, etc. But, in the shadow of his sometimes inexplicable treatment of his sons in contrast to others, it's just so much more glaring. That episode of Jimmy at the 5 where we got toasted at the rim for a bunch of possessions on the way to the loss—that was glaring. I don't know if he's family-blind, or just stubborn, or if that was a case of 'i legit/objectively thought that could work, but after the first negative result, i thought we'd make up for it on the other end and then after the second, i thought okay small sample size, can't happen again, and then after the third, maybe it's too late to change tactics.' That almost makes sense. Except for the thinking that led to the experiment in the first place, wherein the misfitting son was the first thought. Not the actual backup center.

 

[SUintheVille]

I think as you get older, your personality traits don’t change, they just increase in intensity.

Some, not all, get crankier the older they get, the filter comes off even more. In this case, well you know.

 

[goofnoff]

You don't have to go to Woody Hayes for hard-nose coaches. How about "Gentle Ben"? In the early 70's Schwartzie became the national poster child for exploitive coaches and Syracuse was torn up by the media for being a football factory. One of our All-American linebackers even wrote a book about how Syracuse exploited him, and that was the first death of the football program. As I recall, there was a student movement to shut down the football program.

 

[djcon57]

That episode of Jimmy at the 5 where we got toasted at the rim for a bunch of possessions on the way to the loss—that was glaring. I don't know if he's family-blind, or just stubborn, or if that was a case of 'i legit/objectively thought that could work, but after the first negative result, i thought we'd make up for it on the other end and then after the second, i thought okay small sample size, can't happen again, and then after the third, maybe it's too late to change tactics.' That almost makes sense. Except for the thinking that led to the experiment in the first place, wherein the misfitting son was the first thought. Not the actual backup center.

YEP. You knocked it out of the park. The "not talked about issue" with the whole Jimmy at center vs Wake deal was not just the obvious.

of course, the defense would be lacking, but in his own words, " It gives us a little advantage on the other end that they have to cover Jimmy with a bigger guy."

If the thought behind the decision is based around Jimmy scoring vs "a bigger guy who can't guard him", then he's already lost the plot. We have a preseason All American in Buddy. We have a lights out off the ball shooter in Joe. Both already are lacking in D. We don't need to implement a gameplan to get more shots for Jimmy, but for whatever reason, he appears to be smitten with Jimmy's offensive game...and that said, Jimmy is good on offense, so I don't want to suggest he's not. But you don't need to game plan to get a 60% FT shooter shots driving vs an ACC center. His comment triggered big time red flags with me on that one and as you said I think he legit thought it could work

 

[phil77]

Close games against tougher competition.

Like the 20 point blowout win against PITT?

 

[two3zone]

The fact the HC allowed the team to enter this season with only 8 playable guys is malpractice.

I get wanting an 8 man rotation by conference play but JB built a team and didn’t even invest in trying to have more guys.

Now if he runs it back we will have 5 players sitting on the bench next year because they aren’t ready.

JB talks too much to the press and then what he says he talks like people can’t see thru his crap.

It’s time and we don’t need another year of the boys.

Not only 8 guys, but 5 who never played or rarely played in our system with a defense you can’t grasp right away.

 

[Day2]

Like the 20 point blowout win against PITT?

We were desperate for a win.

 

[CousCuse]

You can see Benny is not the kind of kid that needs blunt psychology.

Do you suppose that the people who who advised Williams to go to Syracuse and play for JAB are fools? He is here for a reason.

 

[4evaOrange]

whatever happened to the goood ole days worrying about what those bonehead, I mean boneyard knuckleheads we’re posting about and us duking it out with them.
Look at what we’ve been reduced to.

Where’s a witch doctor when you need one?!?!?

 

[two3zone]

whatever happened to the goood ole days worrying about what those bonehead, I mean boneyard knuckleheads we’re posting about and us duking it out with them.
Look at what we’ve been reduced to.

Where’s a witch doctor when you need one?!?!?

I’ll take a proctologist at this point.

 

[jdubs30]

YEP. You knocked it out of the park. The "not talked about issue" with the whole Jimmy at center vs Wake deal was not just the obvious.

of course, the defense would be lacking, but in his own words, " It gives us a little advantage on the other end that they have to cover Jimmy with a bigger guy."

If the thought behind the decision is based around Jimmy scoring vs "a bigger guy who can't guard him", then he's already lost the plot. We have a preseason All American in Buddy. We have a lights out off the ball shooter in Joe. Both already are lacking in D. We don't need to implement a gameplan to get more shots for Jimmy, but for whatever reason, he appears to be smitten with Jimmy's offensive game...and that said, Jimmy is good on offense, so I don't want to suggest he's not. But you don't need to game plan to get a 60% FT shooter shots driving vs an ACC center. His comment triggered big time red flags with me on that one and as you said I think he legit thought it could work

Because he’s working backwards in order to fit the narrative that Jimmy has to play. No one disagrees with the fact Jimmy is way better offensively right now than Frank or Benny. You can’t even argue that. I also don’t think 1 fan (or assistant coach for that matter) thinks Jimmy was the answer defensively at the 5, especially during that last play at Wake. JB kept defending it by saying Jimmy helps on offense

 

[tipphill]

just stop having the press conferences. maybe jim will get the message.. this is a terrible way for our coach to wind down his great career. i wish he would bow out gracefully, and be the hof guy. alas, that is not in his competitive nature to do so. i will not watch the press conferences because it is painful to watch him, and i really do feel bad.. to see him struggle. he is the face of syracuse unversity and the face of the city of syracuse, and deserves better,
i really no longer care much about the team losing, i do care about the coach, and how he handles himself. to me he as lost something, but i do not know what that is.

 

[Cuse181]

Actually, I didn't see that. I also didn't see him saying much to his son sitting next to him either.

VOD is available.

 

[CousCuse]

Because he’s working backwards in order to fit the narrative that Jimmy has to play. No one disagrees with the fact Jimmy is way better offensively right now than Frank or Benny. You can’t even argue that. I also don’t think 1 fan (or assistant coach for that matter) thinks Jimmy was the answer defensively at the 5, especially during that last play at Wake. JB kept defending it by saying Jimmy helps on offense

That's a snap decision he made during crunch time. Who do you trust to make the right play, James made a nad read, Frank might have as well. You can fixate all you want on that one play, but the refs systematically took that game away from Syracuse starting with the no call when Girard got ran over in transition, to the huge discrepancy in fouls and free throws and to finally sitting Jesse on the bench. Shameless.

 

[jec1521]

That's a snap decision he made during crunch time. Who do you trust to make the right play, James made a nad read, Frank might have as well. You can fixate all you want on that one play, but the refs systematically took that game away from Syracuse starting with the no call when Girard got ran over in transition, to the huge discrepancy in fouls and free throws and to finally sitting Jesse on the bench. Shameless.

Do you know how lame it sounds blaming the refs in a game against Wake Forest when you are Syracuse sitting at 8-9 with one of the worst defenses statistically in the country?

 

[CousCuse]

Do you know how lame it sounds blaming the refs in a game against Wake Forest when you are Syracuse sitting at 8-9 with one of the worst defenses statistically in the country?

I also would add bumping Buddy from behind on the inbound play and then calling it Wake's ball.There are going to be 4 or 5 ACC spots for the NCAA and the league doesn't want Syracuse to get one over Wake, if it came to those 2 teams.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

Not only does this approach not work in college basketball anymore it doesn't even work in the NBA and those guys are paid professionals. He just needs to retire so the program can begin to move forward whether it get better or it gets worse but this will never end well as he is holding it hostage because he has nothing better to do with his time

 

[Cuse181]

Not only does this approach not work in college basketball anymore it doesn't even work in the NBA and those guys are paid professionals. He just needs to retire so the program can begin to move forward whether it get better or it gets worse but this will never end well as he is holding it hostage because he has nothing better to do with his time

“He has nothing better to do with his time”

Kind of ironic coming from a poster on a fan site… lol

 

[CousCuse]

What a troll.

How many games has Syracuse got with that kind of home cooking? None. Just like the FSU football game, FSU gets a bowl, Syracuse can go kick rocks. If you didn't have blind contempt for Boeheim, you would be able to see it.