The Jim Boeheim Show 1/23/19 | Syracusefan.com

The Jim Boeheim Show 1/23/19

SWC75

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Jim Boeheim’s radio show is on Thursdays from 7-8 or 9PM on ESPN Radio in Syracuse, which is AM1200 or FM 97.7 on the dial. The show originates from Carrabba's Italian Grill in Fayetteville. The first hour, hosted by Matt Park, the Voice of the Orange, is on their general network. The second hour, which begins with the conference season, is hosted by Gomez, a local radio personality.

You can call into the show locally at 315-424-8599 or nationally at 1-888-746-2873. For Gomez’s portion, use 315-424-8599. Or you can submit questions from this page:
Submit a Question! - Syracuse University Athletics
Or on Twitter at mattpark1 or “askBoeheim”.

The show can be heard in Syracuse on FM 99.5. It’s sometime simulcast on AM 1200 or FM 97.7. You can also get it on: TuneIn | Free Internet Radio | NFL, Sports, Podcasts, Music & News

I will be posting my rough transcript the night of the broadcast focusing on my questions, the team and their last and next games and then a second post the next day on other things that were discussed.




MY QUESTIONS/COMMENTS

First Hour:

“Coach, after your discussion of what the Georgia Tech and Duke games were so different, someone on my forum said that “Good teams impose their will on the opposition”. I also have heard it says that good teams take what the other team is giving them. Is the idea of “imposing your will” on the other team over-rated in basketball or in sports in general?”

Second Hour:

“Coach, is our best line-up right now Battle, Hughes, Dolezaj, Brissett and Chukwu and will we be seeing more of that as the season goes along?”



COACH BOEHEIM
(I have, in some instances, put together statements from different parts of the broadcast on the same subject. The quotes may not be verbatim –they are from my scribbled notes. I have not knowingly changed the meaning. In recent years they have started out doing one hour shows and then shifted to two hour shows in January. When they do two hour shows. I will do two posts: one on the night of the broadcast on the issues directly relating to the team on the other the next days on other things that were talked about.)


Matt noted that this show was being done on a Wednesday because of “an unusual Thursday night game”. JB didn’t think much of it, since he has a Saturday road game and Miami plays then, too. “We could have played tonight. It’s all TV, all to get a few extra bucks.”

About the Pitt game: “Our offense had a good stretch in the second half. Our defense was good except when we had a couple of turnovers. It was a good overall effort.“ Matt said that it was “an entirely different Pitt team. They have two great guards.” JB: “They have really good shooting from them and from their senior, Wilson-Frame. It’s hard for them to match-up with North Carolina and Duke because they are so big but they beat Florida State and Louisville and were ahead of Iowa practically the whole game. Pitt and Louisville deserve tremendous credit for being the surprise teams of the league…They are playing at a high level. They attack the whole game, even pressing in the last minute.”

I called in my question after congratulating Coach on the win over Pitt. I told him that Byron nelson once said that all a great shot does it to give you an opportunity to make a great put. Duke was the great shot and Pitt was the great put. He seemed to like the comparison and the next caller agreed with that metaphor.

On teams “imposing their will on their opponent: “If a team is playing a good zone and you can’t make shots there’s no will to impose. The press won’t work against a good point guard and Georgia Tech had one if we shoot well, we are a better team than Georgia Tech. But they shot better than we did. Duke controlled the pace of our game with them. Basketball can be physical if you are a strong rebounding team or if you press well. We are not that team. We are a very good team. We’ve had trouble with good zones. We had a lot of trouble with Oregon’s zone and with Georgia Tech’s. ODU and Buffalo played a tough man-to-man. We made shots vs. Clemson and Duke. But if the other team gets the ball out quickly- if they have a Brady….Pitt just out-scored Louisville. Florida State looked really good starting 12-1. They lost on the road to Boston College and Pittsburgh. I thought Virginia would beat Duke but they shot 3 for 17. They were normally 40%. That’s why Duke won….Notre Dame couldn’t make anything against Georgia Tech, except one guy who was 4 for 4. Pitt had a bad shooting night against Duke.”

Tom in Syracuse congratulated Jim on a great win and wondered where it ranked among his biggest wins. Jim said it was the best regular season win he’d ever had. “If you’ve got good players, you have a chance to win. When we shoot it well, we can play with anybody.” Matt noted that Duke beat Florida State without Williamson for the second half. They took us into overtime without reddish and Jones and they beat Virginia without Jones. JB: Jones is good on defense but he can’t shoot. Duke is good. Guys like Bolton and O’Connell are good but not getting the recognition because of the young stars. “Zion was “unstoppable at Pittsburgh. “It’s hard to miss lay-ups and dunks. If he’s got an edge he finishes strong. He takes up space. I haven’t seen anybody like him in years. He’s must see TV.”

William in Clayton noted Jim’s comment that Duke controlled the pace of our game: How can we control the pace against Miami? JB: “You can’t really control the pace of the game if they want to slow it down. Duke wanted to play fast. You have to be able to play both ways….We didn’t start off playing well, partially due to frank’s injury. We are playing better but the good news is that we can get better. We are showing very positive strides.” (I think you make positive strides and show positive signs.)

Matt had listened to a show Steve Lappas is doing in which he said that Shaka Smart wasn’t using his “press all the time” strategy at Texas. He said “that proves it doesn’t work in elevated conferences”. Jim added that Smart has been able to recruit bigger players at Texas and they don’t press as well as the 6-4 guys he had at VCU.“

Chris Lykes of Miami is “really skilled. He can pass and shoot. Miami lacks depth but they have good players and a good team. They have athletic players and their big guys can shoot it.”

Josh in Boulder is “happy about the Duke game” and wants to keep it going. He wondered if Marek passing skills were taught or did he already have them? JB: “he’s a very good ball-handler and passer. Sometimes teams overplay us and he can get those back door passes. But teams will have seen that on tape and will be prepared for it. But his passing skills will still help us. His shooting has improved. If he can find a way to get stronger, (chicken marsala?), he could be one of the best players in the league in the next two years.” Jim was later asked if Marek’s experience in Europe has helped him with his passing skills. “Not at all. He grew up from guard. He always had the passing skills. He’s improved his shooting skills.”

Tyus Battle “has been bringing the ball up even with Frank in the game. Tyus can bring the ball up. He’s demonstratively a better player. His shooting is up. His court awareness is up. He should have been 1st team all-league last season.”

They talked about recruiting, although it’s still too early to name names. “In the old days, we’d try to recruit 20 players and get 2 - 3 guys. Now we recruit 8-10 guys to get 3-4. We still fail half the time. (He laughed.) We got two guards we really like, a big guy and a wing guy. We don’t know whose coming back. We did didn’t’ think Tyus Battle would be coming back but he did.”

I called in my second question about using the Battle-Hughes-Dolezaj-Brissett-Chukwu line-up. JB: “I don’t think so. I like Elijah at small forward. He doesn’t play the guard spot on defense. It could happen but it’s more likely next year. Different guys can contribute on different nights.”
 
On Marek: “If he can find a way to get stronger, (chicken marsala?), he could be one of the best players in the league in the next two years.”

Love this comment, glad that JB believes in Marek so highly.

Think about that statement tho - it’s pretty bold, considering Marek is currently averaging 3.5 points per game.

We agree? Disagree? (I think I agree - guy has the potential to be extraordinary for us...but he needs to get after it & take it, not be so passive.)
 
On Marek: “If he can find a way to get stronger, (chicken marsala?), he could be one of the best players in the league in the next two years.”

Love this comment, glad that JB believes in Marek so highly.

Think about that statement tho - it’s pretty bold, considering Marek is currently averaging 3.5 points per game.

We agree? Disagree? (I think I agree - guy has the potential to be extraordinary for us...but he needs to get after it & take it, not be so passive.)


He's the one guy we have who can shoot from the Outer Limits and the Twilight Zone, dribble drive to the basket, finish well, rebound, blocks shots, steal the ball and pass it. And he's 6-10. he just needs to find a way to get to 200+ without losing his quickness and to gain the confidence needed to use his skills aggressively.

Also, there was speculation last year he might not come back because European players have a reputation, (it was said), for leaving after a year or two to go back home. It sounds like JB thinks he will be a four year guy here.
 
On Marek: “If he can find a way to get stronger, (chicken marsala?), he could be one of the best players in the league in the next two years.”

Love this comment, glad that JB believes in Marek so highly.

Think about that statement tho - it’s pretty bold, considering Marek is currently averaging 3.5 points per game.

We agree? Disagree? (I think I agree - guy has the potential to be extraordinary for us...but he needs to get after it & take it, not be so passive.)
One of the best players in the league? I think we all should know Coachspeak when we hear it.

What he means is with the I Stewart snub, Marek is an integral part of next years team and JB/SU need him to stay here.
 
On Marek: “If he can find a way to get stronger, (chicken marsala?), he could be one of the best players in the league in the next two years.”

Love this comment, glad that JB believes in Marek so highly.

Think about that statement tho - it’s pretty bold, considering Marek is currently averaging 3.5 points per game.

We agree? Disagree? (I think I agree - guy has the potential to be extraordinary for us...but he needs to get after it & take it, not be so passive.)
I disagree.
 
He's the one guy we have who can shoot from the Outer Limits and the Twilight Zone, dribble drive to the basket, finish well, rebound, blocks shots, steal the ball and pass it. And he's 6-10. he just needs to find a way to get to 200+ without losing his quickness and to gain the confidence needed to use his skills aggressively.

Also, there was speculation last year he might not come back because European players have a reputation, (it was said), for leaving after a year or two to go back home.
Women have a way of changing that.
 
This seems strange to me ...

On teams “imposing their will on their opponent: “If a team is playing a good zone and you
can’t make shots there’s no will to impose. The press won’t work against a good point guard
and Georgia Tech had one if we shoot well, we are a better team than Georgia Tech. But they
shot better than we did. Duke controlled the pace of our game with them."

How does a team which is the better team (they are) shoot 31-80 (9-43) then able to control
the pace of the game, ie, impose their will, and force the game into a 90s pace? But how is a
team that is better than GTech (JB's words), shoot 18-57 (7-33), and not be able to impose
THEIR will and force tempo?

That seems like both sides of the same comment. Go make the weaker team adjust, go
after them.

Kev
 
On Marek: “If he can find a way to get stronger, (chicken marsala?), he could be one of the best players in the league in the next two years.”

Love this comment, glad that JB believes in Marek so highly.

Think about that statement tho - it’s pretty bold, considering Marek is currently averaging 3.5 points per game.

We agree? Disagree? (I think I agree - guy has the potential to be extraordinary for us...but he needs to get after it & take it, not be so passive.)
I was just telling someone that I really hope Marek stays all 4 years. I think he will be really, really, good by his sr. year
 
Jim Boeheim’s radio show is on Thursdays from 7-8 or 9PM on ESPN Radio in Syracuse, which is AM1200 or FM 97.7 on the dial. The show originates from Carrabba's Italian Grill in Fayetteville. The first hour, hosted by Matt Park, the Voice of the Orange, is on their general network. The second hour, which begins with the conference season, is hosted by Gomez, a local radio personality.

You can call into the show locally at 315-424-8599 or nationally at 1-888-746-2873. For Gomez’s portion, use 315-424-8599. Or you can submit questions from this page:
Submit a Question! - Syracuse University Athletics
Or on Twitter at mattpark1 or “askBoeheim”.

The show can be heard in Syracuse on FM 99.5. It’s sometime simulcast on AM 1200 or FM 97.7. You can also get it on: TuneIn | Free Internet Radio | NFL, Sports, Podcasts, Music & News

I will be posting my rough transcript the night of the broadcast focusing on my questions, the team and their last and next games and then a second post the next day on other things that were discussed.




MY QUESTIONS/COMMENTS

First Hour:

“Coach, after your discussion of what the Georgia Tech and Duke games were so different, someone on my forum said that “Good teams impose their will on the opposition”. I also have heard it says that good teams take what the other team is giving them. Is the idea of “imposing your will” on the other team over-rated in basketball or in sports in general?”

Second Hour:

“Coach, is our best line-up right now Battle, Hughes, Dolezaj, Brissett and Chukwu and will we be seeing more of that as the season goes along?”



COACH BOEHEIM
(I have, in some instances, put together statements from different parts of the broadcast on the same subject. The quotes may not be verbatim –they are from my scribbled notes. I have not knowingly changed the meaning. In recent years they have started out doing one hour shows and then shifted to two hour shows in January. When they do two hour shows. I will do two posts: one on the night of the broadcast on the issues directly relating to the team on the other the next days on other things that were talked about.)


Matt noted that this show was being done on a Wednesday because of “an unusual Thursday night game”. JB didn’t think much of it, since he has a Saturday road game and Miami plays then, too. “We could have played tonight. It’s all TV, all to get a few extra bucks.”

About the Pitt game: “Our offense had a good stretch in the second half. Our defense was good except when we had a couple of turnovers. It was a good overall effort.“ Matt said that it was “an entirely different Pitt team. They have two great guards.” JB: “They have really good shooting from them and from their senior, Wilson-Frame. It’s hard for them to match-up with North Carolina and Duke because they are so big but they beat Florida State and Louisville and were ahead of Iowa practically the whole game. Pitt and Louisville deserve tremendous credit for being the surprise teams of the league…They are playing at a high level. They attack the whole game, even pressing in the last minute.”

I called in my question after congratulating Coach on the win over Pitt. I told him that Byron nelson once said that all a great shot does it to give you an opportunity to make a great put. Duke was the great shot and Pitt was the great put. He seemed to like the comparison and the next caller agreed with that metaphor.

On teams “imposing their will on their opponent: “If a team is playing a good zone and you can’t make shots there’s no will to impose. The press won’t work against a good point guard and Georgia Tech had one if we shoot well, we are a better team than Georgia Tech. But they shot better than we did. Duke controlled the pace of our game with them. Basketball can be physical if you are a strong rebounding team or if you press well. We are not that team. We are a very good team. We’ve had trouble with good zones. We had a lot of trouble with Oregon’s zone and with Georgia Tech’s. ODU and Buffalo played a tough man-to-man. We made shots vs. Clemson and Duke. But if the other team gets the ball out quickly- if they have a Brady….Pitt just out-scored Louisville. Florida State looked really good starting 12-1. They lost on the road to Boston College and Pittsburgh. I thought Virginia would beat Duke but they shot 3 for 17. They were normally 40%. That’s why Duke won….Notre Dame couldn’t make anything against Georgia Tech, except one guy who was 4 for 4. Pitt had a bad shooting night against Duke.”

Tom in Syracuse congratulated Jim on a great win and wondered where it ranked among his biggest wins. Jim said it was the best regular season win he’d ever had. “If you’ve got good players, you have a chance to win. When we shoot it well, we can play with anybody.” Matt noted that Duke beat Florida State without Williamson for the second half. They took us into overtime without reddish and Jones and they beat Virginia without Jones. JB: Jones is good on defense but he can’t shoot. Duke is good. Guys like Bolton and O’Connell are good but not getting the recognition because of the young stars. “Zion was “unstoppable at Pittsburgh. “It’s hard to miss lay-ups and dunks. If he’s got an edge he finishes strong. He takes up space. I haven’t seen anybody like him in years. He’s must see TV.”

William in Clayton noted Jim’s comment that Duke controlled the pace of our game: How can we control the pace against Miami? JB: “You can’t really control the pace of the game if they want to slow it down. Duke wanted to play fast. You have to be able to play both ways….We didn’t start off playing well, partially due to frank’s injury. We are playing better but the good news is that we can get better. We are showing very positive strides.” (I think you make positive strides and show positive signs.)

Matt had listened to a show Steve Lappas is doing in which he said that Shaka Smart wasn’t using his “press all the time” strategy at Texas. He said “that proves it doesn’t work in elevated conferences”. Jim added that Smart has been able to recruit bigger players at Texas and they don’t press as well as the 6-4 guys he had at VCU.“

Chris Lykes of Miami is “really skilled. He can pass and shoot. Miami lacks depth but they have good players and a good team. They have athletic players and their big guys can shoot it.”

Josh in Boulder is “happy about the Duke game” and wants to keep it going. He wondered if Marek passing skills were taught or did he already have them? JB: “he’s a very good ball-handler and passer. Sometimes teams overplay us and he can get those back door passes. But teams will have seen that on tape and will be prepared for it. But his passing skills will still help us. His shooting has improved. If he can find a way to get stronger, (chicken marsala?), he could be one of the best players in the league in the next two years.” Jim was later asked if Marek’s experience in Europe has helped him with his passing skills. “Not at all. He grew up from guard. He always had the passing skills. He’s improved his shooting skills.”

Tyus Battle “has been bringing the ball up even with Frank in the game. Tyus can bring the ball up. He’s demonstratively a better player. His shooting is up. His court awareness is up. He should have been 1st team all-league last season.”

They talked about recruiting, although it’s still too early to name names. “In the old days, we’d try to recruit 20 players and get 2 - 3 guys. Now we recruit 8-10 guys to get 3-4. We still fail half the time. (He laughed.) We got two guards we really like, a big guy and a wing guy. We don’t know whose coming back. We did didn’t’ think Tyus Battle would be coming back but he did.”

I called in my second question about using the Battle-Hughes-Dolezaj-Brissett-Chukwu line-up. JB: “I don’t think so. I like Elijah at small forward. He doesn’t play the guard spot on defense. It could happen but it’s more likely next year. Different guys can contribute on different nights.”

Thanks, SWC. Enlightening as always. Loved the Byron Nelson quote/metaphor.

The most interesting comment to me came at the very end. "I like Elijah at small forward. He doesn't play the guard spot on defense. It could happen but it's more likely next year." The "Next Years Back Court" thread got me thinking on this, and it seems like JB has plans to move the pieces around.
 
This seems strange to me ...

On teams “imposing their will on their opponent: “If a team is playing a good zone and you
can’t make shots there’s no will to impose. The press won’t work against a good point guard
and Georgia Tech had one if we shoot well, we are a better team than Georgia Tech. But they
shot better than we did. Duke controlled the pace of our game with them."

How does a team which is the better team (they are) shoot 31-80 (9-43) then able to control
the pace of the game, ie, impose their will, and force the game into a 90s pace? But how is a
team that is better than GTech (JB's words), shoot 18-57 (7-33), and not be able to impose
THEIR will and force tempo?

That seems like both sides of the same comment. Go make the weaker team adjust, go
after them.

Kev

Sometimes JB says things.

Like this one - "Our defense was good except when we had a couple of turnovers." What?
 
The most interesting comment to me came at the very end. "I like Elijah at small forward. He doesn't play the guard spot on defense. It could happen but it's more likely next year." The "Next Years Back Court" thread got me thinking on this, and it seems like JB has plans to move the pieces around.
I thought that was an interesting comment too. Combined with his praise of Marek, I can now see JB starting both Marek and Sid. Before I thought Marek's fouls were too valuable at center. But now I think JB is doing everything in his power to retain Marek.

I'm a little disappointed if that's the case in that the log jam at guard will be large, and some good players may not see time. But I think a lot of people thought that this was going to be OB's last season, and now it looks like that might not be the case. Having OB here for another year would be worth the tradeoff.
 
This seems strange to me ...

On teams “imposing their will on their opponent: “If a team is playing a good zone and you
can’t make shots there’s no will to impose. The press won’t work against a good point guard
and Georgia Tech had one if we shoot well, we are a better team than Georgia Tech. But they
shot better than we did. Duke controlled the pace of our game with them."

How does a team which is the better team (they are) shoot 31-80 (9-43) then able to control
the pace of the game, ie, impose their will, and force the game into a 90s pace? But how is a
team that is better than GTech (JB's words), shoot 18-57 (7-33), and not be able to impose
THEIR will and force tempo?

That seems like both sides of the same comment. Go make the weaker team adjust, go
after them.

Kev

You can call into the show locally at 315-424-8599 or nationally at 1-888-746-2873. For Gomez’s portion, use 315-424-8599. Or you can submit questions from this page:
Submit a Question! - Syracuse University Athletics
Or on Twitter at mattpark1 or “askBoeheim”.
 
I thought that was an interesting comment too. Combined with his praise of Marek, I can now see JB starting both Marek and Sid. Before I thought Marek's fouls were too valuable at center. But now I think JB is doing everything in his power to retain Marek.

I'm a little disappointed if that's the case in that the log jam at guard will be large, and some good players may not see time. But I think a lot of people thought that this was going to be OB's last season, and now it looks like that might not be the case. Having OB here for another year would be worth the tradeoff.
If Brissett is back, the obvious lineup is Brissett, Sidibe and Marek, with Hughes and Carey in the backcourt and Buddy first off the bench (allowing Hughes to swing to forward). The wrinkle (your log jam) happens only if the new frosh are better than those returning players - would be a good thing if it happens.
 
If Brissett is back, the obvious lineup is Brissett, Sidibe and Marek, with Hughes and Carey in the backcourt and Buddy first off the bench (allowing Hughes to swing to forward). The wrinkle (your log jam) happens only if the new frosh are better than those returning players - would be a good thing if it happens.
While I think Sid/Marek may both start, I don't think they will be on the floor together for long. IMO, it looks like the center position will take a huge dropoff after those 2.

Add to that the excellent backups at forward -either Hughes or QG (who I think is the most game ready frosh). I think Marek will get plenty of minutes, I just hope most of them are at center. I think he may start at forward in an almost token kind of way.
 
I hope Marek can start at forward. If he strengthens his shooting and as a result, his confidence, he'll be more valuable there. He's shown us glimpses of his ability to drive.
Sid is still not 100% healthy and when he is, we've seen what he is capable of doing. Marek can sub at center but I believe his real value is at forward.
 
Part 2

Jim and Gomez had their usual session joking around about the producer, Paulie. Gomez said he’d bene selected as “Employee of the Year” at the station, maybe because his name is mentioned so much on the loudspeaker. JB: “Who voted? His parents? Even that would probably be a split. Gomez said “He’s like Cal Ripken: he keeps showing up”. Later they came back from a segment and Jim’s mike was working. They couldn’t find Paulie who was schmoozing with the customers. JB: “He’s not going to win this year. He’s on the “To Go” list”.

Tennessee- Vande4rbilt was on the TV screen at the restaurant. JB said he’d not seen much of Tennessee but he figures they’ve probably got a lot of good juniors and seniors who have helped to build the program. “They are a big factor. Really good young players can have an impact but veteran players make a difference. Tennessee is very strong but Kentucky is coming on and that will be a great match-up.“ The game was being played at Vanderbilt, a strange arena with the seats entirely on one side of the court and the benches are normally under the baskets. But this night they were along the sides, which shocked Jim, (although he’s never coached there). He said it looked like the sort of “dugout” you see in NCAA situations. The baskets there are suspended from the ceiling, not supported by stanchions.
The press box was “way too high” and the photographers too close. “You wind up in them sometimes”.

“Vandy lost their best player. Matt Moyer just three up an airball from three. Wait- he was setting a screen.” Gomez asked why he as an undergrad transfer, was playing this year. “We supported him playing right away. There are a couple of exceptions. We didn’t pursue them with Elijah. They are strange rules.”

There’s an SEC-Big 12 challenge and Tennessee will play West Virginia, who is having a bad year. “The big one will be Kentucky vs. Kansas, (this Saturday). Kansas lost their big guy but will still be tough to beat. Kentucky is paying at a high level.”

The women were playing Miami without Miranda Drummond. Matt talked about how they “spread the floor and shoot three pointers.” JB: They shoot a lot. They are streaky. They can make a lot or miss a lot. But it doesn’t deter them.”

Clemson has been “worn down” by their early schedule: Duke, Syracuse, Virginia, Florida State and NC State. JB: Come on….when you start out in a hole, it’s hard to come back.” Matt marveled at Virginia’s balance. “5 guys score 10-12 points vs. Wake Forest. 7-1 Jay Huff leads with 15.0 per game.” But they lost at Duke. JB: “When you don’t make those 3’s it’s really hard.”

Their trivia question is this: There have been 82 Dome crowds of 30,000 = for basketball, (we are 54-28 in those games). Georgetown has bene the opponent for 17 of those games, the most for any team. Which team has drawn the second most? JB: Vice Chancellor Cliff Winters made the decision to move from Manley to the Dome. They let me have my say. I thought we’d never get more than 15-16,000, which we averaged the first year, and that we’d never have the home court advantage we had at Manley. But the decision was made. He said “We’re going. We have to.” I told him OK, I’ve got it”. (I remember reading something about JB slamming his fists on the desk.) Matt said the historical average has bene 22,800 and in 1988-89 we averaged 29,900. JB: “I think we averaged 30,000 for conference games. People came from all over once we started playing in the Dome. They didn’t bother in Manley because they couldn’t get tickets. Fans have made it possible to maintain the kind of program we have.”

They talked about technical fouls. Dan Dakich said he once got T’d 14 seconds into a game. JB got T’d by Teddy Valentine in Valentine’s first game. “I didn’t even talk to him. It was one of the other refs. Tim Higgins, who was a great referee, one of the best in the game, refused to call Tim Curley of BC for putting his hand up through the basket to block a shot. I blew up and he called nothing. Then there was another call. I was sitting down and raised my hand and Higgins called a technical. He called it a “cumulative technical for all the things I’d said during the game.” Gomez reminded Jim that he was once T’d up in an exhibition game. “That was Mike Kitts. He’s from here and doesn’t do our regular games. I was actually mad at somebody else. I don’t get technicals much anymore. They don’t do any good.”

Marty from Tampa asked about the end of JB’s Duke press conference, when he said “Hey, Coach Waters”. People thought he was kidding Mike Waters, who covers the team for the local paper. In fact he was acknowledging the presence of Bucky Waters, who coached West Virginia back in the 60’s and Duke in the early 70’s and has bene Jim’s friend for 50+ years. “I hit a basket at the buzzer to beat him.” That would have been on 2/13/65, an 83-81 SU win at Manley. Coach Waters, who I remember as a long time TV commentator for college basketball in the 70’s and 80’s, before the Enberg-Packer-McGuire team took over.

There was a celebrity at courtside in the Duke game- Jay Z. Gomez suggested that that’s a reason to go to college rather than the G league – you don’t get celebrities coming to you games. JB: “There’s nothing to be gained in the G league for him. Being in college is great for his brand. He’ll get 4-5 different contracts out of this. No top player will ever play in the G League. Only marginal players will and they’ve already got 10-12 marginal players on each team.” (Darius Bazley: “Ouch!”)

Gomez noted that a Maverick fans had been expelled for making too much noise. Jim recalled the “screamer” they encountered at N.C. State who sat behind the bench and “yodeled” the whole game. “But we won.” Gomez said that Northwestern has a “screamer”, too.

They are dropping sports at Connecticut because of their $40 million deficit. “Some sports cost only $1-2 million so they won’t save much. Basketball and Football cost the most but they are the only ones that can make money so they won’t get rid of them. They don’t get the crowds they used to in basketball and football isn’t drawing anything. …We dropped tennis and golf back in the 70’s. I didn’t get paid as the golf coach and we had the course for free. They saved about $25,000. SU lacrosse doesn’t make money. SU athletics breaks even, even with fund raising. “

Carmelo Anthony will be ‘traded’ to the Bulls, although he’s not going to play for them. He’ll be released to become a free agent effective February 7th. JB: “He knows he won’t start and will have plenty of energy left. He’s got to find the right place. He averaged 13-14 points easily in 20 minutes in Houston, (actually 13.4 in 29.4). They were losing to I juries to other players.” James Harden has scored 200 consecutive unassisted points. “He has the ball all the time. He has to score with the guys they are missing. He’s a strong, tough player. He’s capable of 40/10 every night, as long as he can hold up.” Harden was on his way to scoring 61 points against the Knicks in the Garden. “The Knicks have a disadvantage- Everyone likes to have a big game in the Garden.”

Marina Riviera deserved unanimous selection to the Hall of Fame “but others have deserved it, too. It’s the dumb baseball writers. Why wasn’t Hank Aaron unanimous? Those guys, (who refuse to vote for an obvious HOFer), should never be allowed to vote again. Every vote should be made public.” Matt: “They cleaned it up and that’s why this happened.”

Jim has had a “bad movie year”. The only academy award nominee he’s seen was “A Star is Born”, which he liked. “Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga were really good.” Gomez said he’d looked at Jim’s IMDB page:
Jim Boeheim - IMDb
It has him as an actor in “Blue Chips” (1994) and “With a Kiss” (2016) but not in “He Got Game” (1998), where he’s listed as playing himself, as opposed to Blue Chips, where he played Jim Boeheim. “You’re not acting if you’re playing yourself.” He had no idea what “With a Kiss” was, (or if Julie knew about this), or what “Four Square Miles to Glory”, which is “in production” is. It turns out, (if you click on them) that “Four Square Miles” is about Mount Vernon, NY and all the players that have come from that area. Jim did say he remembers doing something in New York. “With a Kiss” is a documentary about Bill Raftery, not a “TV movie”.

Gomez looked at Jim IMDB page last year, too:
The Jim Boeheim Show- before Virginia II
He didn’t click on “See full bio” this time and the subject of “Lazerus” didn’t come up. I may ask him about the status of that movie next show if I can’t come up with anything better for the second hour.
 
One of the best players in the league? I think we all should know Coachspeak when we hear it.

What he means is with the I Stewart snub, Marek is an integral part of next years team and JB/SU need him to stay here.


What I like about JB’s comment is that it means he thinks Matek is returning. Iv’e assumed he’d head back to the old country.
 
Thanks, SWC. Enlightening as always. Loved the Byron Nelson quote/metaphor.

The most interesting comment to me came at the very end. "I like Elijah at small forward. He doesn't play the guard spot on defense. It could happen but it's more likely next year." The "Next Years Back Court" thread got me thinking on this, and it seems like JB has plans to move the pieces around.
It's common for JB to have one G/ Combo. It helps his rotation. This year and last it was Battle, before it was Silent G.
 
Gurrier seems to think he's a one-and-done. Does he start? Is he first off the bench next year? Going to be a crowded front court if Brissett and Marek both come back.
 
What's the answer to the trivia Q?

I would imagine it's probably Nova.
Or maybe UConn?
 
Part 2

There’s an SEC-Big 12 challenge and Tennessee will play West Virginia, who is having a bad year. “The big one will be Kentucky vs. Kansas, (this Saturday). Kansas lost their big guy but will still be tough to beat. Kentucky is paying at a high level.”

Coach, we all know that already.
 
What's the answer to the trivia Q?

I would imagine it's probably Nova.
Or maybe UConn?


From the media Guide, page 181:

Georgetown has played before 17 crowds of 30,000 or more here
Pittsburgh has 9
Connecticut, St. John's and Villanova have 7 each.
Notre Dame has 6
Louisville has 5
Boston College & Seton Hall have 4
Duke and Providence have 3
Kentucky and North Carolina have 2
Georgia Tech, Miami, Michigan, North Carolina State , Rutgers and Temple have 1 each.
 

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