Taking a step back to appreciate the moment

[Orangezoo]

I wanted to post this outside of the ACC media day thread on purpose as it is not specific to the event alone.

First off let me say I know we all tend to dislike coach k and sir cries a lot from UNC. With that said I always enjoy cherishing the three Hall of Famers coming together as I did when Pitino was part of it as well. Put fan stuff aside, just how much longer will three guys who are part of 30 plus years of college hoops be able to do this? It's a treasure we don't appreciate as much now as we will when it's gone. I'm sure there will be others but will they truly be as unique in representing some of the most important eras of the sport? And doing so together now in the same conference as close friends and true gurus. We will look back and miss these guys something fierce when new blood has to work it's way to hopefully be able to recreate these moments if it's ever possible again.

It's a blessing to be able to be around for this and just enjoy it.

 

[bballbeadle]

What is the basis of the intensity of Duke/SU rivalry (which Duke would deny exists)? Coaches K & B. These guys are legends and they are nearing the end of their careers. Honestly, every game at this point is precious. I know the Duke fans are feeling this, too. The rivalry is made more interesting by their longtime friendship. It undoubtedly galls a lot of fans as well, since we tend to want to demonize our opponents. But K & B won’t go down that road.

I think the game has worn more on K than on Boeheim. He has physical issues. He has had stress issues (having to leave for most of a season at one point). I can read Boeheim’s mind. - yes! I can! - and I know he hopes that K will retire and he will surpass K’s win totals. I kind of hope that as well.

 

[br801]

What is the basis of the intensity of Duke/SU rivalry (which Duke would deny exists)? Coaches K & B. These guys are legends and they are nearing the end of their careers. Honestly, every game at this point is precious. I know the Duke fans are feeling this, too. The rivalry is made more interesting by their longtime friendship. It undoubtedly galls a lot of fans as well, since we tend to want to demonize our opponents. But K & B won’t go down that road.

I think the game has worn more on K than on Boeheim. He has physical issues. He has had stress issues (having to leave for most of a season at one point). I can read Boeheim’s mind. - yes! I can! - and I know he hopes that K will retire and he will surpass K’s win totals. I kind of hope that as well.

JB would need to have his vacated win's restored by the fools running the NCAA, but yes, it could happen.

 

[Orangezoo]

What is the basis of the intensity of Duke/SU rivalry (which Duke would deny exists)? Coaches K & B. These guys are legends and they are nearing the end of their careers. Honestly, every game at this point is precious. I know the Duke fans are feeling this, too. The rivalry is made more interesting by their longtime friendship. It undoubtedly galls a lot of fans as well, since we tend to want to demonize our opponents. But K & B won’t go down that road.

I think the game has worn more on K than on Boeheim. He has physical issues. He has had stress issues (having to leave for most of a season at one point). I can read Boeheim’s mind. - yes! I can! - and I know he hopes that K will retire and he will surpass K’s win totals. I kind of hope that as well.

Very true on the health issue. I would say that Juli probably has a lot to do with keeping JB young for sure. Also while K has his health issues he also has even higher expectations to manage to go with. It is a treasure though and it's going to be hard to accept the reality of when college hoops is still running hot and these guys are no longer an active part of it.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Very true on the health issue. I would say that Juli probably has a lot to do with keeping JB young for sure. Also while K has his health issues he also has even higher expectations to manage to go with. It is a treasure though and it's going to be hard to accept the reality of when college hoops is still running hot and these guys are no longer an active part of it.

Boeheim, Coach K, Droopy Dog and Quick-Trigger Pitino were some of the very few guys who bridged those two generations of great coaches - the 70s-80s coaches like Bobby Knight, John Thompson, Dean Smith, Louie Carneseca, Rollie Massimino, Jerry Tarkanian; and then the more modern era big time guys like Tom Izzo, Bill Self, Billy Donovan, Jim Calhoun and Lute Olsen.

I, too, hope that Boeheim outlasts K's health.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Did you see this article on SB Nation, on the winners and losers among the FBI Trial verdict. Toward the end, there was a whole discussion by Boeheim of whether to pay players at the end of the article that was fascinating! Who knew he was so liberal toward the players' rights?

Jim Boeheim really doesn’t want college basketball players to get paid. LeBron James is laughing at him.

Check this out (only partial quote):

”I think we should do as much as we can for the players under the system. We have improved it. We could get the parents to games. I think we could do that more easily. Anything we can do extending the players’ educations, make sure it’s paid for.

We keep our players up there at Christmas -- let’s send them home. Let’s pay for them to go home a couple times. Why not? Why can’t we do that? Why shouldn’t we do that? I think they do that for other scholarship people. I think they can get transportation. Why don’t we talk about that?

“And the players’ images, fine. There’s a lot of pitfalls for that, but go ahead. If Tyus Battle can do a commercial in town and make money, I’m 100 percent for that. It’s not hurting anything. Let’s do that. And if there’s something about that they want to put in a trust, that’s fine, too.”

 

[OttoMets]

Did you see this article on SB Nation, on the winners and losers among the FBI Trial verdict. Toward the end, there was a whole discussion by Boeheim of whether to pay players at the end of the article that was fascinating! Who knew he was so liberal toward the players' rights?

Jim Boeheim really doesn’t want college basketball players to get paid. LeBron James is laughing at him.

Check this out (only partial quote):

”I think we should do as much as we can for the players under the system. We have improved it. We could get the parents to games. I think we could do that more easily. Anything we can do extending the players’ educations, make sure it’s paid for.

We keep our players up there at Christmas -- let’s send them home. Let’s pay for them to go home a couple times. Why not? Why can’t we do that? Why shouldn’t we do that? I think they do that for other scholarship people. I think they can get transportation. Why don’t we talk about that?

“And the players’ images, fine. There’s a lot of pitfalls for that, but go ahead. If Tyus Battle can do a commercial in town and make money, I’m 100 percent for that. It’s not hurting anything. Let’s do that. And if there’s something about that they want to put in a trust, that’s fine, too.”

The devil's in the details, but I like where Boeheim is with the broad strokes. The trust idea is very interesting. Never heard that suggested before, but that could overcome some of my reluctance to further monetize the sport that's been ruined by money.

Here's a thought: let's return basketball to being a spring semester sport. Get these kids off the practice court in September and October, let them be college students. Ease into hoops with a couple exhibitions and non-conference games in the couple weeks before finals (which we still did as recently as the mid-'90s), and then send them home for Christmas on the school's dime. That shouldn't be too much to ask. You know, if the university chancellors and presidents had the kids' best interests (rather than their own greed) in mind.

 

[bballbeadle]

Did you see this article on SB Nation, on the winners and losers among the FBI Trial verdict. Toward the end, there was a whole discussion by Boeheim of whether to pay players at the end of the article that was fascinating! Who knew he was so liberal toward the players' rights?

Jim Boeheim really doesn’t want college basketball players to get paid. LeBron James is laughing at him.

Check this out (only partial quote):

”I think we should do as much as we can for the players under the system. We have improved it. We could get the parents to games. I think we could do that more easily. Anything we can do extending the players’ educations, make sure it’s paid for.

We keep our players up there at Christmas -- let’s send them home. Let’s pay for them to go home a couple times. Why not? Why can’t we do that? Why shouldn’t we do that? I think they do that for other scholarship people. I think they can get transportation. Why don’t we talk about that?

“And the players’ images, fine. There’s a lot of pitfalls for that, but go ahead. If Tyus Battle can do a commercial in town and make money, I’m 100 percent for that. It’s not hurting anything. Let’s do that. And if there’s something about that they want to put in a trust, that’s fine, too.”

Yes, I LOVED that he spoke out for that! He has a heart as well as the smart.

 

[realorange]

For me, the worst thing about the SB article was the author essentially calling JB a liar when he said there was zero money left in the Athletic Dept. budget at the end of the year because all sports needed the financial support.
As others have said, there are sports writers, or whatever they want to call themselves, who took what JB said and either ignored it or took it upon themselves to twist it for their own warped purposes. Fortunately, anyone who pays attention and understands what JB is saying sees this for what it's worth----garbage.

 

[OttoMets]

For me, the worst thing about the SB article was the author essentially calling JB a liar when he said there was zero money left in the Athletic Dept. budget at the end of the year because all sports needed the financial support.
As others have said, there are sports writers, or whatever they want to call themselves, who took what JB said and either ignored it or took it upon themselves to twist it for their own warped purposes. Fortunately, anyone who pays attention and understands what JB is saying sees this for what it's worth----garbage.

On one hand, Boeheim sometimes takes some liberties with the language (and the truth).

On the other, his informed opinion added a whole lot more to that article than the goofy writer did. I agree, those last couple paragraphs were worthless and his unsubstantiated contradiction of Boeheim jumped out as especially weak.