The board bashing of Coach

[Scooch]

Greg Robinson, may he rest in peace, probably never set foot within hours of Syracuse, like his boss, before he got the job. Didn't know a high school coach within hours of the place, or the culture, etc. He was never going to get the players with that background and our crappy at the time facilities.

That's about 180 degrees off from Red (or for that matter had the job gone to Gerry) is and now where SU is in the hoops facility chase.

No players no chance. Players he has a chance, so we will see.

Oh, I agree. Just saying that some people get close to these guys and drink the kool aid. Which is fine. It just doesn’t mean anyone is more right than anyone else when it comes to divining the future.

 

[kcsu]

He needs to play zone..

 

[Cuse181]

Signed his guns went quiet but were 3-0. Let's see how Texas goes.

We should be roasting the players not coach.

we roasted the players last year, same story different year? Whats been the constant?

 

[SFCUSE GURU]

Okay. I’ve lurking around this board for years, and 75% of you don’t know about anything. Especially the long time guys, who do nothing but second guess. What is it like with new players? That takes a few minutes to mesh. This team top to bottom is way more talented than last years. It’s not even close, and Red won20 games with a dsifunctional roster. Look at the guys who left pretty much with the exception of a couple went to non power for schools and can’t even put up stats in those places.

 

[two3zone]

He needs to play zone..

With this roster, I have to agree. They're getting open shots and getting into the lane with ease. At least with the zone the inside will be clogged.

 

[Zelda Zonk]

Okay. I’ve lurking around this board for years, and 75% of you don’t know about anything. Especially the long time guys, who do nothing but second guess. What is it like with new players? That takes a few minutes to mesh. This team top to bottom is way more talented than last years. It’s not even close, and Red won20 games with a dsifunctional roster. Look at the guys who left pretty much with the exception of a couple went to non power for schools and can’t even put up stats in those places.

Every team has new players—both out of high school and out of the portal. Isn’t it a measure of a coach/staff to assess how long it takes to get them to mesh? Isn’t it also revelatory to recognize that issues from last year—with mostly different players—still exist with the new players?

Not sure it’s accurate that we’re ”top to bottom” better than last year. I happen to think it’s a mixed bag, and commensurately, we will succeed and fail in mixed ways this year.

 

[Ottoman]

Okay. I’ve lurking around this board for years, and 75% of you don’t know about anything. Especially the long time guys, who do nothing but second guess. What is it like with new players? That takes a few minutes to mesh. This team top to bottom is way more talented than last years. It’s not even close, and Red won20 games with a dsifunctional roster. Look at the guys who left pretty much with the exception of a couple went to non power for schools and can’t even put up stats in those places.

You make some decent points, but the guys that left from last year's team have not all flopped. Judah is in the G-league, Maliq is playing very well for Duke, Benny had 17 pts 7 rebs and 1 block his last game. Heck even Peter Carey is playing well for Siena. These guys weren't all stiffs - and at least 2 possibly 3 of them would be starting today if they stayed. The problem wasn't talent, it was attitude. They didn't get along with the staff and none of us know for sure why that was the case.

 

[sutomcat]

He needs to play zone..

I am going to guess that he will play some zone against Texas. I think he has completely shunned it so far so he can spring it on an opponent in a relatively big game. Like Texas.

I don’t think he is going to play it all game long but will in spots. And we might see some pressing as well.

 

[MSOrange]

Only if his name is JIM BOEHEIM can we bash him incessantly.

No many just criticize when it was warranted and it was warranted late in his career, whether you want to admit it or not, chuck.

 

[Goin' Deep]

I think the "bashing" is more about...just where is this team??
Formal practice started @ 9/25...other than JJ , who stands out consistently on offense??
Defensively, yeah we are brutal. Do we see a TEAM that looks like it has played together??
What is the status of Westry and McLeod?? Supposedly they are good enough physically to play.
Intensity, anticipation on D..precision on O...when do we see it??
OK we're nearly 2 months into the season and 4 more to go...IT'S EARLY but it's also getting late.

 

[Hopkins16]

Some of the bashing of Red is way over the top and some criticism is warranted. I've watched a lot of basketball the past 2 weeks (top D1 teams playing cream puffs and also against very good teams) and like SU, these teams have turned over their roster (due to transfers, new players, graduation, leaving for the draft etc.). These top D1 teams are beating the cream puffs by an expected good margin and are competitive against each other.

What is bothersome and worries the board complainers, myself included, is unlike us, these other teams gel and don't seem like misfits. It appears that they have sound offensive and defensive schemes, don't appear discombobulated, have a game plan and look like they actually practice together.

 

[kcsu]

With this roster, I have to agree. They're getting open shots and getting into the lane with ease. At least with the zone the inside will be clogged.

After watching three straight games of our Gs being beat consistently off the bounce. no help, inability to fight through screens. Unfortunately, yes, the zone might be the only way to go. It certainly can't be any worse.

 

[kcsu]

I am going to guess that he will play some zone against Texas. I think he has completely shunned it so far so he can spring it on an opponent in a relatively big game. Like Texas.

I don’t think he is going to play it all game long but will in spots. And we might see some pressing as well.

Agreed. However, I would like to see full court pressure vs the press. Be on the ball from the baseline and use your subs to stay fresh. I hated being pressured it definitely takes Gs' out of their routine which is good also speeds up the game.

 

[hoopsupstate]

One area our defense has improved over last year is out of bounds plays from the baseline. We played zone out of bounds last year and it seemed teams hit a three every time. This year we’re playing man and it’s 100% better. They’re communicating ok out of bounds. They just need to communicate better In the half court.

 

[two3zone]

Agreed. However, I would like to see full court pressure vs the press. Be on the ball from the baseline and use your subs to stay fresh. I hated being pressured it definitely takes Gs' out of their routine which is good also speeds up the game.

I thought this originally too, but seeing any of these guys play defense in an open court could be really really really bad, especially when we play better teams.

 

[PhatOrange]

I love Red, he was one of my favorite players growing up but Wildhack should’ve cleaned house. Hard to promote someone imo who was part of the decline.

There’s a lot wrong right now.

 

[SYRtoBOS]

Results? Boeheim lost to these teams for a couple of years. Amazing people forget that part. Never this bad? The team is undefeated and they have played terribly. Just got a top 5 recruiting class (something JB didn’t do ever from my research) in the hardest time to get a player ever with NIL. Just signed a legacy recruit of the biggest legacy the program may have.

And it’s so funny that if they win these games by 10-12 everyone is so happy and jolly and praising Red.

How about getting Donnie Freeman for only 150k in NIL? He had offers that were 3x-4x that and chose to PLAY FOR RED.

I bet all the complainers on here too have never met Red, never talked to him or anything like that. Because if you got the opportunity to, you would realize how great of a person he is and how much he knows about the game and how much he loves Syracuse.

Lastlt, I think the team could go undefeated winning games by 2 points all year and some of you would still complain. And no this isn’t directly aimed at you, it’s aimed at everyone that continues to be such a downer 3 games in to the season and acting like little babies that it’s over. Want the team to get better? Stop complaining and donate…

I dont agree with your first point (bolded). I think that less people would be upset and there would far more optimists coming to his defense. It's just needing some last second heroics against le moyne and Youngstown is not a great look, even this early in the season...

As for your second point (again, bolded) I doubt that if they won out the rest of the year by a couple points a game people would be upset. That being said, they would struggle to understand why the team is prepared for some games but not others. The donation part is also pretty far out of line, I think many of us are donating but by doing that we maintain the right to be concerned when the returns aren't matching the investment. No one should be attacked over the performance, but donating isn't a one way street anymore.

 

[Eric15]

Wasn’t there a Sack Mac pack

That sounds like a brand of jock strap.

 

[Sbucketball]

I think we probably need to play at least a good amount of Zone, even though two starters aren't exactly zone pieces. Honestly my biggest concern about defaulting to Zone is that Red had to prove to recruits last year he's running a m2m program, and spending this year in a Zone is going to completely unravel that. He'll get pegged as a Zone coach very quickly even if it's a break glass in case of emergency situation. And he can't afford for recruiting to fall off. I'm sure Donnie won't appreciate it either as he wanted to play in a m2m system to audition for the nba.

 

[Eric15]

And it’s so funny that if they win these games by 10-12 everyone is so happy and jolly and praising Red.

"If the team was playing better and beating crap teams by reasonable margins everyone would be more content."

Yes, that is correct.

 

[Newhouser]

"If the team was playing better and beating crap teams by reasonable margins everyone would be more content."

Yes, that is correct.

Tough to comment on any statement beginning with "IF". Long way to play out and nobody is bum rushing Red, but this is big boy business and not all fans are idiots. The product this year has not been good.

 

[Bayside44]

Oh, I agree. Just saying that some people get close to these guys and drink the kool aid. Which is fine. It just doesn’t mean anyone is more right than anyone else when it comes to divining the future.

If he cannot recruit at a high level he has no chance. Scheming only goes so far and I agree I don't think he's Brad Stevens.

So far he's recruiting at a very good level.

 

[grepal]

I appreciate the sentiment - bashing of anyone associated with the program is ridiculous. They are all working very hard to try and succeed.

Disagreements on strategy, however, is a different matter. Any time a program with our pedigree puts a defense on the floor like we did the last few weeks will take some well-deserved heat. There are certain expectations for play at this level, and one is a competent defense against lower-level competition. Orange standard, right?

While I agree that Red did have some success last year and that this season is young, there are some red flags worth mentioning.

That being said, I love that Red seems to understand where he is not strong. He hired a GM with analytics and player analysis skills. He hired an assistant with some success coaching defense. Right now, those are areas where we are struggling mightily. We recruited several players that are not a good fit at this level and our defense has been very sloppy.

I think a lot of us enjoy being armchair quarterbacks when it comes to strategy, etc That is a part of being a fan and caring. I just want the suggestions to be in a positive tone. We should display the same high standards we expect out of our coaches, players and the entire University.

 

[Brooky03]

No many just criticize when it was warranted and it was warranted late in his career, whether you want to admit it or not, chuck.

Pretending people waited until it was warranted is a wild retelling of board history.

 

[Brooky03]

He needs to play zone..