Thanks Red

[Cusefan0307]

Agree with all of that. I don't know that he could have had those conversations as quickly as March when he was hired. That would have gone against JB right away, and he was heavily involved in recruiting these guys - for better and worse.

All of this said - I am willing to be a bit patient and see how the roster looks next year. As you say, quick fixes can happen. It isn't that hard. Just need the NIL money to compete and it sounds like we do for the most part. Will we try? Will we take chances?

Freeman, Moore, Starling, Brown, Copeland... those are the only 5 players I would keep from this year, assuming Mintz is gone...

But Benny, McLeod, Taylor, Hima, Carey... even Bell... they're simply not good enough. Need better. Cuffe could maybe be kept as a 10th guy and Patterson I have no idea...

You forgot Westry. And you’re not booting a lot of guys who play ten minutes a game and finding better guys who are willing to play 10 mpg. I can see 2 of our centers transferring, but not 3.

 

[grepal]

They play 11/12 guys and all of them know their roles and hold up well even in limited minutes. No real drop off, meanwhile our heavy minute guys were exhausted early in the 2nd half. Maybe one day we will have a roster full of guys who belong and we can plug in and stay in the game.

What they do is rare. Hard to find many rotations 11 or 12 deep where the players are happy and don't want to leave to build their resumes for the next level. We would be 10 deep if Naheem and Hima were not hurt. Fla State were not as good or as deep early in the year when their whole roster was not available.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Well, we had a bunch of sophs coming back after just one season. 2 . We did bring in kids from the portal but we were coming off a couple of bad seasons so people weren't lining up to come play for a new coach and a so so program. It will be a bit easier this season to have the talk with a few kids and to sell portal kids on playing a more uptempo game and playing with Freeman. Whether you or I have patience doesn't change anything. And since that is the case, you have no choice.

At what position though.? I go into next year assuming 3 guys(brown/Freeman/JJ) are locked in as starters. Westry and Copeland locked in for rotational minutes possibly one being a starter. Moore will be here along with I’d assume Patterson and Cuffe and probably McLeod.

We should look for a ringer forward and say goodbye to everyone else. That still leaves 4 roster spots open. We can probably get a ringer forward who can shoot(assuming Bell is gone), but I don’t see where we are finding other difference makers everyone wants.

 

[swish7]

Thanks for installing a new brand of basketball, it's refreshing after the same stale approach for the last 6 or 7 seasons. I've thoroughly enjoyed watching Cuse hoops this year. Still too soon to make any judgment on if Red is the right man for the longterm, but I truly appreciate his willingness to mold the program into his own vision.

I was finding myself happy with Red and how the players matched FSUs physical play in the 1st half. Thought that was a real prize fight.

Good job on Red for that aspect.

Then, the wheels fell off. He has a couple years to get it right. Some things feel promising. Other things are head scratchers.

 

[Cusefan0307]

They’ve at least been competitive with top teams. That’s why they’re well inside the tournament despite 7 losses.

They just lost 3 in a row and get Nova on the road tonight. They probably aren’t in once brackets are updated.

 

[dasher]

Do you believe Red will have the business sense to have the talk with several players on the current roster? We need major attrition in addition to incoming high school talents… and I’m not sure Red will be willing to push kids out.

Sure. Red wants to win. He has to know, better than all of us, that this roster isn't quite good enough. The question is whether we can go out and get someone better than what we would be "running off" in the portal. I have to think we could but how can we know for sure at this point?

 

[Cuse181]

They just lost 3 in a row and get Nova on the road tonight. They probably aren’t in once brackets are updated.

We shall see

 

[kcsu]

I think we can be pretty good next year. With a combo of Brown and Freeman up front. Hopefully a healthy Westry and JJ in the back court, we aren't that far off. Need some help in the portal

I agree. Would like to see one more scoring forward added. I think that McCloud and Carey along with Brown can work at the center spot.

 

[dasher]

I agree. Would like to see one more scoring forward added. I think that McCloud and Carey along with Brown can work at the center spot.

I am also not ready to just move on from McCloud. Really disappointed he got hurt because he won't be working on his game while he can't walk.

 

[FrancoPizza]

Sure. Red wants to win. He has to know, better than all of us, that this roster isn't quite good enough. The question is whether we can go out and get someone better than what we would be "running off" in the portal. I have to think we could but how can we know for sure at this point?

Any successful program in this era leverages the portal to their advantage. If this staff can't do that then...

 

[Fly Rodder]

I think we can be pretty good next year. With a combo of Brown and Freeman up front. Hopefully a healthy Westry and JJ in the back court, we aren't that far off. Need some help in the portal

It seems to comes down to whether or not someone can replace Bell in the lineup and IF Copeland and/or Westry can be counted on to play big minutes. Those are the biggest issues. Neither of latter have shown they can be depended on to shoot. Bell hasn’t shown he can do anything other than shoot.

 

[Cusefan0307]

We shall see

Sure sounds like you’re rooting for Pitino.

 

[Millhouse]

Red is fine, he should get time, it's all fine

I just think it's goofy to pretend like this bubble if we are lucky year is any better or more enjoyable than other bubble if we are lucky years

Ordinary was a disaster last year and it is so refreshing this year, I don't get it

 

[Cuseball]

At what position though.? I go into next year assuming 3 guys(brown/Freeman/JJ) are locked in as starters. Westry and Copeland locked in for rotational minutes possibly one being a starter. Moore will be here along with I’d assume Patterson and Cuffe and probably McLeod.

We should look for a ringer forward and say goodbye to everyone else. That still leaves 4 roster spots open. We can probably get a ringer forward who can shoot(assuming Bell is gone), but I don’t see where we are finding other difference makers everyone wants.

Agreed.

Assuming Brown starts at Forward or Center, JJ at 2G and Freeman at SF you have solid bench depth with Cope, Chance, Moore, Cuffe and Mcleod. The question is do all these pieces fit together or are players too similar.

We need a true starting PG as none of these players are floor generals. Cope is way too erratic and JJ is not a facilitator. We also need outside shooting.

The combo of players mentioned above would be better defensively but the outside shooting problems we are seeing this year would persist or possibly get worse.

In any case, five of these 8 players would be Red's recruited players (JJ, Freeman, Chance, Cuffe and Mcleod) and everyone agrees on the potential of Brown, Cope and Moore. Whatever happens next year is 100% on Red.

Cuse!

 

[Cuseball]

Red is fine, he should get time, it's all fine

I just think it's goofy to pretend like this bubble if we are lucky year is any better or more enjoyable than other bubble if we are lucky years

Ordinary was a disaster last year and it is so refreshing this year, I don't get it

It's because people were very tired of Jimmy, tired of the passive zone, tired of the last couple very poor years and in need of change. People had had enough of Jimmy and it was beyond time for him to move on.

Red offers that change by being younger, relating to the players and fans and instilling a more exciting brand of basketball. Perhaps that thirst for change and hope for a better future, is why he is getting a pass from many on some of the same things Jimmy got bashed for (6 absolute blowout losses including a 36 point humiliation), very poor offense (our 2 pt shooting, 3 pt shooting, assist totals and even rebounding margin is worse than last year), poor inbounding plays, poor end of half plays.

I believe in Red and think this will turn out fine but I am not doing cartwheels as of yet. We can blame Jimmy on the recruits Red inherited but Red decided who to keep. Red had seen two years of Benny and decided he could fix him and we could thrive with Benny at forward. That bet has failed miserably. Red decided to bring in 4 new players who have been okay but are far from difference makers.

Cuse!

 

[Cuse181]

You can think this, but it is not necessarily true.

I can’t know for sure, but making St. John’s and Iona winners is a huge sign that he could’ve done that here. He also showed a willingness to turn over a bad roster, which Syracuse needed.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I can’t know for sure, but making St. John’s and Iona winners is a huge sign that he could’ve done that here. He also showed a willingness to turn over a bad roster, which Syracuse needed.

Stop. St John’s has more losses after 19 games this year than they had after 19 games last year.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Red is fine, he should get time, it's all fine

I just think it's goofy to pretend like this bubble if we are lucky year is any better or more enjoyable than other bubble if we are lucky years

Ordinary was a disaster last year and it is so refreshing this year, I don't get it

Well you regularly index on unusual things, so it makes sense you don't get it.

 

[Brooky03]

Red is fine, he should get time, it's all fine

I just think it's goofy to pretend like this bubble if we are lucky year is any better or more enjoyable than other bubble if we are lucky years

Ordinary was a disaster last year and it is so refreshing this year, I don't get it

Expectations. When you replace a top 10 coach in the history of college bball, you expect to be worse. We’re not worse, so we’re beating expectations and that makes people hopeful.

 

[Cuse181]

Stop. St John’s has more losses after 19 games this year than they had after 19 games last year.

Yeah let’s just throw out all nuance and compare gross numbers. This Syracuse team has a better record through 19 games than the 15-16 team, is this team better?

 

[Millhouse]

Well you regularly index on unusual things, so it makes sense you don't get it.

I will admit I don't get your point

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I will admit I don't get your point

I'll take it.

 

[djorange1989]

You make it sound so much easier than it is. Pitino overturned everyone at St. John’s outside of the center and still has 7 losses.

This. The jury is out on Red but he needs more than just this year, our program wasn’t one or two kids away from being very good.

 

[Dave]

Ummm, yeah, they are.

…. Ran the program into the ground…… dug the grave…..CHEAPSHOTS. QED

 

[pearl31]

…. Ran the program into the ground…… dug the grave…..CHEAPSHOTS. QED

The truth, unfortunately, is often painful. Especially in the context of hindsight.
*going by the standards he himself established for this program* JB (gradually, over the course of aprox 10 years) steered this thing into the ditch

this from one of JB's biggest cheerleaders, who often fought the torches-and-pitchforks hordes on here during those 10 years