The biggest thing SU needs...

[A Clockwork Orange]

Yes, getting George and Kingz is a step in the right direction. The talent pool is much closer to a top 7 ACC team than it has been in a few years.

That said, SU needs to take a long, hard look at the assistant coaches. This team desperately needs a coach who can teach man-to-man defense.

Yes, a lot of defense is effort, but this team has been lost on the defensive end for the past two years. Some of that is fast-twitch talent, but a lot of it comes down to coaching.

There won't be any coaching changes, but there should be. A top defensive assistant could help this team early in the year when they're still learning each other on the offensive end. I'd be okay returning to straight zone if it was as dogged as it was in the early 2010s.

But man-to-man with flashes of zone is the right move in today's college basketball landscape. There are too many great shooters who can stretch the zone to its limits.

I wish they'd be proactive on the coaching side because I have less faith in the coaching staff than in the team they're assembling. Hopefully, I'm dead wrong, and Red shows out next year.

 

[orangefog]

Yes, getting George and Kingz is a step in the right direction. The talent pool is much closer to a top 7 ACC team than it has been in a few years.

That said, SU needs to take a long, hard look at the assistant coaches. This team desperately needs a coach who can teach man-to-man defense.

Yes, a lot of defense is effort, but this team has been lost on the defensive end for the past two years. Some of that is fast-twitch talent, but a lot of it comes down to coaching.

There won't be any coaching changes, but there should be. A top defensive assistant could help this team early in the year when they're still learning each other on the offensive end. I'd be okay returning to straight zone if it was as dogged as it was in the early 2010s.

But man-to-man with flashes of zone is the right move in today's college basketball landscape. There are too many great shooters who can stretch the zone to its limits.

I wish they'd be proactive on the coaching side because I have less faith in the coaching staff than in the team they're assembling. Hopefully, I'm dead wrong, and Red shows out next year.

The annual coaches meetings are at the Final Four, maybe we can find someone there.

 

[Sbucketball]

IMHO, if our HC can't coach, he shouldn't be our HC. So I don't really care to hide him behind an A+ assistant this year. Let's see what he has. And to be clear, I'm absolutely rooting for huge improvement and a long career. But let's not put a Band-Aid over a missing limb just to kick the can down the road until the assistant gets a better opportunity. If Autry isn't the guy, hiding him would be a disservice for this program in the long run. No one expects a final four, and with this roster he should be able to meet JW's threshold for the season. After that, let's talk about improving his staff.

 

[Zelda Zonk]

I thought we hired a M2M guru last year. Not sure I trust Red to be able to assess who would be a good ‘next’ addition to the staff in that capacity, if the last one didn’t work out so well. Then, there’s the issue of who would want to come, to a staff that is already on the hot seat, ostensibly with only one season left to prove itself.

My fear is this: we ‘run it back,’ like the idiots say. Same staff. We get marginally better players via the portal, have one fewer injury to deal with next year, and marginally improve our record, and get marginally closer to the Bubble. And then the AD and the apologist Pollyanna fans crow, “See! Be patient! We’re on an upward trend!”

And SU basketball lies in mediocrity for another decade.

 

[grepal]

I thought we hired a M2M guru last year. Not sure I trust Red to be able to assess who would be a good ‘next’ addition to the staff in that capacity, if the last one didn’t work out so well. Then, there’s the issue of who would want to come, to a staff that is already on the hot seat, ostensibly with only one season left to prove itself.

My fear is this: we ‘run it back,’ like the idiots say. Same staff. We get marginally better players via the portal, have one fewer injury to deal with next year, and marginally improve our record, and get marginally closer to the Bubble. And then the AD and the apologist Pollyanna fans crow, “See! Be patient! We’re on an upward trend!”

And SU basketball lies in mediocrity for another decade.

I am not sure in the portal era what to think. Coaches go deep in the tournament then lose their roster and need to start over again. No continuity at all. Identity of a coach is one thing, the ability to get 10 new guys a tear to buy into that identity is another especially when someone else is offering a bigger bag by Christmas if they leave at the end of the year. Not just Red, any coach who can't match you bag for bag will struggle.

 

[Fly Rodder]

Coaches go deep in the tournament then lose their roster and need to start over again.

This isn't really true for the P4 schools that know what they're doing and have the resources in place to execute the plan. Retention is 1B to Recruiting's 1A.

The mid-majors are definitely getting hosed in this new era. They used to be able to compete with an older team, but those guys are jumping to P4 teams during the portal. And to be honest, most mid-majors were 1-2 trick ponies anyway. They would get a great up and coming coach, he would put together a good team and coach them to a tourney as seniors and then he bails for a new job. The players are doing the same thing. And if a team like Alabama or Arizona wants to keep their roster, they will. They're generally only trading out bench depth for other players.

 

[JRHEETER]

IMHO, if our HC can't coach, he shouldn't be our HC. So I don't really care to hide him behind an A+ assistant this year. Let's see what he has. And to be clear, I'm absolutely rooting for huge improvement and a long career. But let's not put a Band-Aid over a missing limb just to kick the can down the road until the assistant gets a better opportunity. If Autry isn't the guy, hiding him would be a disservice for this program in the long run. No one expects a final four, and with this roster he should be able to meet JW's threshold for the season. After that, let's talk about improving his staff.

I do. We are VASTLY understaffed compared to peer programs.

This I believe is also on Autry.

When the NCAA raised the limit on coaches most of our peer schools grabbed extra bench coaches. Why Autry does not want more is beyond me. And no, this is not a $$$$ thing.

 

[cusefan88]

I do. We are VASTLY understaffed compared to peer programs.

This I believe is also on Autry.

When the NCAA raised the limit on coaches most of our peer schools grabbed extra bench coaches. Why Autry does not want more is beyond me. And no, this is not a $$$$ thing.

They could/should hire three more people to the program on the coaching and player development side.

 

[Brooky03]

A billionaire or two would go a long way. Let’s get some of those

 

[Zelda Zonk]

I am not sure in the portal era what to think. Coaches go deep in the tournament then lose their roster and need to start over again. No continuity at all. Identity of a coach is one thing, the ability to get 10 new guys a tear to buy into that identity is another especially when someone else is offering a bigger bag by Christmas if they leave at the end of the year. Not just Red, any coach who can't match you bag for bag will struggle.

I'm not sure if you're agreeing with or disputing something i said here. If the suggestion is that negative perception of Red's 'acumen' may be due to roster upheaval, and all of the teams are succeptible—recalling the NCState coach being fired—that isn't my platform. I recognize the portal and NIL have trashed "continuity." I think college 'free agency' is a bad, bad joke and isn't sustainable. It not only diminishes the potential for continuity and brand building and getting to a point where random fans can care about a program over time... but it wrecks alums' personal investment in their own teams.

That said, my perspective on Red has not so much to do with the win-loss records. It's about a consistent display on the court that we just don't do things the right way. We don't execute fundamentals. We don't play even average defense. We don't have any perceptible offensive scheme. It's all of those things, and the little nuances within the game that exemplify those broad gripes.

I have long said that JB's zone was only effective (a weapon) 'every five years,' but that it also was effective at raising our floor. The problem with that is that it also lowered the ceiling. And other things i don't think anyone has any interest in seeing me litigate here... But, Red has really only been a part of that for a long period of time, and when that security blanket was gone, he hasn't shown the ability to coach a different system. It was folly to assume that he could just 'shift' and be at an ACC level. We all hoped, and we all wanted to trust that, but that would be only a "faith" move.

Yeah, the current state of college basketball is... stupidity. Free agency for players who haven't 'earned' it as in the pros, when they only have a 'four' year window anyway... stupid. The public paying college kids is stupid. Calling it "NIL" when it has zero to do with that anymore, stupid. Portal time opening during the tournament? Stupid... No binding contracts with players(?) and players able to sue coaches mid-season for breach of contract... stupid. We are in the Era of Dumb, all around.

 

[Zelda Zonk]

A billionaire or two would go a long way. Let’s get some of those

Billionaires might be assessing their budgets right now.

I remember some years ago, i used to design materials for the Salzburg Music Festival and the White Knights (totally not a Klan thing at all). The client was a 'billionaire' named Vilar i believe. At some point, the markets shifted and he, as the rumor had it, was no longer a billionaire. And that's when he stopped paying our invoices. The guy went from barely a billionaire to barely not a billionaire and he stuck us with an $8,000 unpaid bill.

Holy crap. I just googled the guy. He died in 2021, and was convicted of fraud.

Alberto Vilar, Arts Patron Convicted of Fraud, Dies at 80 (Published 2021)

An opera fan, he used the riches from his investment business to fuel a spending spree at opera companies and other cultural organizations. But many of his pledges went unfulfilled.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Sherman20]

IMHO, if our HC can't coach, he shouldn't be our HC. So I don't really care to hide him behind an A+ assistant this year. Let's see what he has. And to be clear, I'm absolutely rooting for huge improvement and a long career. But let's not put a Band-Aid over a missing limb just to kick the can down the road until the assistant gets a better opportunity. If Autry isn't the guy, hiding him would be a disservice for this program in the long run. No one expects a final four, and with this roster he should be able to meet JW's threshold for the season. After that, let's talk about improving his staff.

Most of us feel that way. But that’s not the reality of the situation, so in the meantime they should try to improve the assistant coaching staff. Why just stand pat?

 

[tbonezone]

poor red. he'll be handed a team of complete strangers sometime this summer.
low attendence lose yer job . losing record lose yer job. miss the tourney ...

 

[Sherman20]

I do. We are VASTLY understaffed compared to peer programs.

This I believe is also on Autry.

When the NCAA raised the limit on coaches most of our peer schools grabbed extra bench coaches. Why Autry does not want more is beyond me. And no, this is not a $$$$ thing.

Someone on here said we were close to hiring Devo last offseason. I wonder if it will happen this spring along with another offensive or defensive guru.

 

[Niastri]

I thought we hired a M2M guru last year. Not sure I trust Red to be able to assess who would be a good ‘next’ addition to the staff in that capacity, if the last one didn’t work out so well. Then, there’s the issue of who would want to come, to a staff that is already on the hot seat, ostensibly with only one season left to prove itself.

My fear is this: we ‘run it back,’ like the idiots say. Same staff. We get marginally better players via the portal, have one fewer injury to deal with next year, and marginally improve our record, and get marginally closer to the Bubble. And then the AD and the apologist Pollyanna fans crow, “See! Be patient! We’re on an upward trend!”

And SU basketball lies in mediocrity for another decade.

Hold on. The talent level is a massive upgrade. The quality of player we have coming in is worlds better than last season. I’ll go roster spot by roster spot.

Lampkin = Kyle. Trade offense for defense, athleticism and length for bulk and the occasional fancy pass. Lampkin was kind of a known quantity, but that’s all he really has over Kyle.

Freeman < Freeman. A year of experience, and two good feet will make a big difference.

Bell < Kingz. Looking at their stats, it’s crazy. Kingz is like Bell, but with incremental improvement on everything Bell could do, plus Kingz can drive and pass

Starling = Starling. I leaned toward giving senior year Starling the advantage over junior year mostly because this year Starling will be able to play in position. But we’re going to have to give George and Kingz credit for that, not JJ

Nobody < George. We literally failed to recruit a starting point guard last year. If you want to compare George to Carlos, have at it.

Davis < White. This one really isn’t close, but Davis has experience and weight, while White has everything else.

LTaylor = Fennell I have doubts about this one. Fennell has great video, but he’s a freshman. Lucas Taylor at his ceiling was a deep rotation player on any decent team. Fennell comes in with years of National team and semi pro experience.

Majstoravic = Souare. I thought about giving Souare the benefit, he comes in with 500 minutes and a handful of starts in ACC play, way more than Petar will ever get.

Westry/McLeod/Cuffe/Carlos/Moore < Anthony, Womack. This really comes down to if you think Anthony contributes more than Cuffe/Moore and Carlos combined. Is pretty clear… Even worse if you compare Cuffe/Moore to Anthony and place Carlos above as the counterpart to George.

To call this roster turnover a slight upgrade is extravagant hyperbole. They are way better, top to bottom.

And they are likely to get at least one, maybe two players additionally. They are both likely to be better than Davis and Lucas Taylor, the guys they’ll be replacing. The only guy coming off the roster I regret is Moore… And I’ll take Anthony head to head over Choppa

 

[Zelda Zonk]

Hold on. The talent level is a massive upgrade. The quality of player we have coming in is worlds better than last season. I’ll go roster spot by roster spot.

Lampkin = Kyle. Trade offense for defense, athleticism and length for bulk and the occasional fancy pass. Lampkin was kind of a known quantity, but that’s all he really has over Kyle.

Freeman < Freeman. A year of experience, and two good feet will make a big difference.

Bell < Kingz. Looking at their stats, it’s crazy. Kingz is like Bell, but with incremental improvement on everything Bell could do, plus Kingz can drive and pass

Starling = Starling. I leaned toward giving senior year Starling the advantage over junior year mostly because this year Starling will be able to play in position. But we’re going to have to give George and Kingz credit for that, not JJ

Nobody < George. We literally failed to recruit a starting point guard last year. If you want to compare George to Carlos, have at it.

Davis < White. This one really isn’t close, but Davis has experience and weight, while White has everything else.

LTaylor = Fennell I have doubts about this one. Fennell has great video, but he’s a freshman. Lucas Taylor at his ceiling was a deep rotation player on any decent team. Fennell comes in with years of National team and semi pro experience.

Majstoravic = Souare. I thought about giving Souare the benefit, he comes in with 500 minutes and a handful of starts in ACC play, way more than Petar will ever get.

Westry/McLeod/Cuffe/Carlos/Moore < Anthony, Womack. This really comes down to if you think Anthony contributes more than Cuffe/Moore and Carlos combined. Is pretty clear… Even worse if you compare Cuffe/Moore to Anthony and place Carlos above as the counterpart to George.

To call this roster turnover a slight upgrade is extravagant hyperbole. They are way better, top to bottom.

And they are likely to get at least one, maybe two players additionally. They are both likely to be better than Davis and Lucas Taylor, the guys they’ll be replacing. The only guy coming off the roster I regret is Moore… And I’ll take Anthony head to head over Choppa

I'm not going to dispute your assessments. The theme of the post was "marginal improvement" on the various levels. Leading to complacency with Red's continuity.

That said, i'm still going to reserve my personal jubilation over the "massive" upgrades. Until games actually begin, but especially until the entire roster is completed. What we have, what we get, and how those players actually play are still going to be limited by the coaching and the system. 'Specs' aren't the story. I hope for the best. I expect... not the best. That's just me. Burned too many times, and now shy.

 

[hoopsupstate]

Someone on here said we were close to hiring Devo last offseason. I wonder if it will happen this spring along with another offensive or defensive guru.

Why would Devo leave his tv gig? He’s just getting started on ESPN.

 

[cardiac]

Hold on. The talent level is a massive upgrade. The quality of player we have coming in is worlds better than last season. I’ll go roster spot by roster spot.

Why is it suprising that our roster this year is more talented then the team who won 14 games and finished 115th. It would actually be hard to have a worse roster then last year

 

[kingtidge]

Hold on. The talent level is a massive upgrade. The quality of player we have coming in is worlds better than last season. I’ll go roster spot by roster spot.

To call this roster turnover a slight upgrade is extravagant hyperbole. They are way better, top to bottom.

It's definitely better, but is it a tournament team?

I think it could be if things pan out right.

Not sure with Red pulling the strings tho. Have my doubts.

 

[23Zone]

A lot of it comes down to simple chemistry and on court leadership, two things we severely lacked last year in my opinion. Time will tell if it is better next season. We'll know as soon as the LeMoyne game lol.

 

[sufan59]

It's definitely better, but is it a tournament team?

I think it could be if things pan out right.

Not sure with Red pulling the strings tho. Have my doubts.

A coach worth keeping should make it work with the players we have now. Though we are still adding to the roster. This roster has a lot of talent as it is right now to be a tournament team.

 

[Niastri]

Why is it suprising that our roster this year is more talented then the team who won 14 games and finished 115th. It would actually be hard to have a worse roster then last year

I didn’t say it was surprising, I merely responded to ZZ suggesting we have “marginally better” players than last season. The roster is way better, and we aren’t done yet.

Somebody else asked if I think we’re a tournament team. I say yes, the difference between Carlos and George alone is at least 5 wins. We were competitive in a lot of games we lost, even with Carlos, Davis and Taylor starting a combined 65 games. Next year, even if we have severe injury problems like last year, we’ll have top high school recruits or experienced P4 players filling the gap.

I think we are at least a bubble team next year, better if chemistry works out, and a few things go right. I’d like to see the roster filled out first, but I think we really did well this portal season. Only one clear miss, and Stephen going to UNLV might not hurt depending on whom we back fill with.

 

[FrancoPizza]

poor red. he'll be handed a team of complete strangers sometime this summer.
low attendence lose yer job . losing record lose yer job. miss the tourney ...

Poor red? He’s a very wealthy man and is very very lucky to be in his situation.

 

[capeorange]

Poor red? He’s a very wealthy man and is very very lucky to be in his situation.

I believe that was sarcasm.

 

[Newhouser]

Why would Devo leave his tv gig? He’s just getting started on ESPN.

My question is why would we hire him? The only coaching I've seen him do was when he got T'd up in TBT.

We need fewer alums. Need fresh eyes and perspective.