The Jim Boeheim Show | Syracusefan.com

The Jim Boeheim Show

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Jim Boeheim’s radio show is on Thursdays from 7-9PM on ESPN Radio in Syracuse, which is AM1200 or FM 97.7 on the dial. The show originates from Delmonico’s Italian Steakhouse on Erie Boulevard in Syracuse. 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.

The first hour is eventually, (it can take weeks) podcasted on the SU Athletics website on this page:

http://suathletics.com/podcasts.aspx


You can call into the show locally at 315-424-8599 or nationally at 1-888-746-2873. For Gomez’s portion, use 315-437-7644. Or you can submit questions from this page:

http://www.suathletics.com/sb_output.aspx?form=4


I will be posting my rough transcript of the first hour the night of the broadcast and will probably do the second hour the following day.


MY QUESTIONS/COMMENTS


First hour:


“Coach, before the Pitt game, Matt interviewed Dick Groat, who has been the color man for Pitt basketball since the Big East was formed. Back in the early 50’s he was Duke’s first great basketball star and set an NCAA scoring record. He was the NCAA player of the year in 1952. He then became a major league baseball player and was the National League MVP and batting champion in 1960 when the Pirates won the World Series. It made me wonder: if a Dick Groat or a Vic Hanson or a Jim Brown came along today,. Would he be allowed to be a multi-sport athlete or would he be forced to choose a sport while he was still in school? Is the specialization we demand of athletes these days really in their best interests? Would it help if each sport was encapsulated in either the fall or the spring semesters?”


Second hour:


“Coach, with DaJuan Coleman out and Jerami Grant now in the starting line-up, we have no scoring off the bench. Looking at clips of Michael Gbinije in high school, he seemed liked a skilled offensive player. He’s been a jack-of –all trades for us but can he become an instant offence guy off the bench?”



COACH BOEHEIM

(I have, in some instances, put together statements from different parts of the broadcast on the same subject)


Coach felt that the Pittsburgh game was “a good win. We did everything right except rebound. We finally got a couple of long rebounds toward the end. Pitt is very, very, good- they beat Clemson by 30 points. Pitt is good. Virginia is good. Duke is bouncing back. Florida State is good. The conference is better than people realize. We’ve made some good plays down the stretch. “


Matt lauded Tyler Ennis for the great plays he’s made at the end of games. But Coach wanted to make sure other players received credit, as well. “You have to make plays to win close games. Tyler can do it. Trevor can do it. CJ and Jerami can do it. Go down the list. You can’t just have one guy. You’ve got to have multiple guys who can make plays to win games.


Matt noted that Pitt had gone up in the polls after we beat them. JB: “People watch games and if a team comes to the Dome and has a chance to win at the end they notice that. They will also notice that Clemson lost at Pitt by 30. This league is not ready for their physical style of play. And they have some seniors, some veteran guys. We didn’t do a good job on the boards. We had to play a great offensive game to win. Not many teams are going to shoot 50% against them. We’ve been pretty good in rebounding but it’s something we really have to think about and get better at.”


I called in my question about multiple sport athletes. “You can play basketball and baseball. You can play football and lacrosse. It’s not easy. The specialization these days takes place mostly in high school. The problems is winter condition programs, indoor practices. It’s hard to do both. You fall behind players who do them. Weight training is a big thing. The football coaches didn’t want Donovan to play basketball. They wanted him in the weight room. Jameis Wintson is playing baseball. Here’s good enough to tell the coaches what he wants to do. It would be tough to have a Dick Groat these days.” Matt described Dick as “a unique American”. JB: “He’s 85 and looks 70. He still plays golf. He was an All-American in two sports. There’s guys that can….


At this point they had technical difficulties and the only thing I heard the next couple of minutes was JB saying “I think we’re off the air”.


When they came back they were discussing the Duke-Miami game, where the Blue devils, out-rebounded the Canes by 14. Jim said that Miami’s defense was good “We had a lot of trouble with them in Syracuse. Duke is not that strong on the boards. They just made up their minds to get the ball. Tony Jekiri is a good young big man for Miami.” Will there be any advantage to Miami or SU for having seen each other before? “There will be some on their side, especially since they came so close here. We had a bad shooting night. If that changes, it will help us. But there’s not much of an advantage for either team. That stuff goes out the window when you play the game. Whoever plays well will win.”


Are more teams playing zone these days? “No. Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, UNC have always played zone. Miami is one of the few teams that plays all zone. Miami will be aware of Cooney and CJ. They let Grant and Ennis shoot. We got pretty good shots but missed quite a few good looks. They play a good match-up zone. They have size and athletic ability. They have shot blockers. Duke got on the boards and rebounded well. We are not great on the boards but we need to do better.


Then they discussed the next opponent, Wake Forest, which we will play before next week’s show. “They haven’t lost at home. They have good players and it’s a tough venue. They just won their first road game in 2 years. Tyler Cavanaugh is a good player.”


How is DaJuan Coleman doing? “We’re just hoping that he can be healthy. There was too much pain for him to be able to play. If he heals properly he should be at full strength next year. He was just starting to be comfortable with our system. We tried different therapies but they were for football players who have to be able to run, not basketball players who have to be able to jump.” Matt suggested Tyler Roberson would be getting more playing time now. JB: “We’ll see what the games dictate. We’ve got different options. We might play two big men at once.” Depth? “With teams holding the ball we don’t have to get up and down the court as much. The players won’t get tired.”


Later a caller named John said he hoped DaJuan would come back stronger. “We don’t need him to get any stronger. Nobody can move him now. He lost 30 pounds. We want to him lose some more and play at about 265-270. He just has to be healthy and he’ll be able to rebound and score. He’s shown signs of improvement and we thought he’d be a big factor this year. It’s a terrible thing to happen to a young player.”


The Ohio State Illinois game was on TV and it wasn’t very pretty. “Both teams have been losing. When you lose you lose confidence.” Ohio State lost 4 in a row after being unbeaten and Wisconsin 3 in a row. JB said that they, Iowa State and Oregon started 58-0 and have been 0-14 since then. “Losing doesn’t mean you aren’t a good team. We had a bad streak last year. In the NCAA tourney the only thing that counts is winning games.”


They talked about Creighton’s explosion vs. Villanova. “I saw them Saturdays against Providence and they couldn’t hit anything. I was surprised Villanova didn’t get out on them. They are small and quick and play good defense. When guys shoot from deep you gotta go out and get them. Sometimes it doesn’t matter if they are four feet behind the line.”


Matt noted that Doug McDermott was a Wooden finalist and so was CJ Fair. JB said that as the team does better the more credit the individual player will get. “Last Michael Carter-Williams was on everybody’s list as the best point guard. Then we lost some games and he wasn’t even all-league. I don’t think you should punish a guy for being on a bad team or reward him for being on a good team. Get the best player. McDermott and Smart are right up there. If we play well, CJ will be right there and get recognized.”


Somebody wanted to know about the rule forbidding coaches from being on the court during a game. JB: “The rule should be enforced. I don’t know why it isn’t. It’s not a hard rule to enforce”.


Another fan wanted to know how the freshmen are doing in practice. “They are working hard. They are a little behind where we’d like to see them. It’s a battle every night in this league. It’s difficult to put in a guy who is not ready. It would hurt his progress more than help. The best way to get more playing time is to look good in practice. These guys look good one day and like freshmen the next. Trevor Cooney wasn’t ready when he sat out that year. There are different levels of players. Some freshmen can step in and play. With others, it takes time.” How do players respond to sitting on the bench? “They don’t like it. But if the team is losing and they think they might make a difference, they like it even less.”


They talked about the top freshmen in the country. Joel Embiid will probably be the #1 draft choice. When he was growing up in the Cameroons, he looked at VHS tapes of Hakeem Olajuwon. “That’s a good tape for a young big man to look at. “ JB agreed that “Wiggins is good, Randle is very good. Parker is the best all-around and most NBA-ready player.”


Kevin Durrant has been on a streak of 40 point games. “He realized that with Westbrook out, he has to score 40 to win. You can’t stop a 6-10 guy who can shoot 5 feet beyond the arc. You can’t double him. The other guys are too good. You hope to hold him to 30 and shut down everyone else.“


Jim revealed that one reason he never went to the NBA is that it’s such a long season, especially if you have a poor team. “30-40 games in you know where you are and you’ve got 40 games left.” He said it was a “long slog” to get through such a season with a bad team. They both commiserated with Carmelo Anthony who has to play out the string with a bad Knicks team.


This is the sixth straight year SU has started conference play 5-0. JB: “I don’t keep track of that”. But it does belie the notion that playing a weak early schedule fails to prepare us for the conference season.


Matt asked for a Super Bowl prediction, even though that’s another week away. “If it were any palce but New York, I’d pick Denver. But in that kind of weather, I’ll go with Seattle and their good defesne. They need to play that game someplace where it’s warm.
 
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“With teams holding the ball we don’t have to get up and down the court as much. The players won’t get tired.”

Interesting tidbit here. Could be something to watch. If the tempo picks up, perhaps that dictates more Roberson.

Also enjoyed his comment about the NBA schedule.

Thanks for transcribing!
 
Hard to contradict JB because he watches a lot of games, but I don't believe this:

"Are more teams playing zone these days? “No. Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, UNC have always played zone. Miami is one of the few teams that plays all zone..."
 
"I don’t think you should punish a guy for being on a bad team or reward him for being on a good team. Get the best player. If we play well, CJ will be right there and get recognized.”

wait . . . what?
 
“With teams holding the ball we don’t have to get up and down the court as much. The players won’t get tired.”

Interesting tidbit here. Could be something to watch. If the tempo picks up, perhaps that dictates more Roberson.

Also enjoyed his comment about the NBA schedule.

Thanks for transcribing!

Im not sure teams are dumb enough to try and go uptempo vs us tbh. Weve go a pg that will make the right pass in that situation surrounded by 4 guys that can attack the rim at all times. Even with Roberson, bj, and/or patterson in you've got 3 more guys that can run and jump out of the gym. Until/unless we get more consitancy from 3 we are much easier to defend in the half court set. If someone wants to try and run on us they better hit every shot otherwise they'll have to replace the rims from the dunkfest we would put on them.
 
Im not sure teams are dumb enough to try and go uptempo vs us tbh. Weve go a pg that will make the right pass in that situation surrounded by 4 guys that can attack the rim at all times. Even with Roberson, bj, and/or patterson in you've got 3 more guys that can run and jump out of the gym. Until/unless we get more consitancy from 3 we are much easier to defend in the half court set. If someone wants to try and run on us they better hit every shot otherwise they'll have to replace the rims from the dunkfest we would put on them.
The point is though, from the clues of what is being said, you will not be seeing much of Roberson, BJ, or Buss in game situations. Looks like JB is telling us to get used to the tight rotation we saw against Pitt.

The clues are: "the other frosh aren't ready" and "we don't need them because we play slow games" = don't expect to see them unless it's a blowout.
 
Another excellent write up! I just eat this stuff up!


I hope it's not fattening.

eckhardtx.jpg
 
wait . . . what?
I think he meant that the voters tend to notice players on good teams. It shouldn't be that way but is. He's saying that if we play well, CJ will be noticed too.
 
Also would like to thank you for these posts. Do not get an opportunity to hear the show down here in NC.

Interesting comment that Miami is aware of Cooney and CJ, let Ennis and Grant shoot. Last game with Miami Cooney had 12 three point attempts. Maybe Ennis should take a few more three point attempts if Miami locks down on Cooney.
 
I'm glad I went to bed before you posted this last night. Otherwise, I would have stayed up reading it and lost some of my beauty sleep. :) Thanks once again.
 
Thanks Steve as always.

One note though: I know we've played plenty of former big east teams but we're in the ACC! :) (Your show description states conference play starting for the wrong league)
 
WITH GOMEZ:

They talked about this contest to see who can come up with a “perfect” NCAA bracket with winners in all 67 games. JB: “I don’t know how you could do that. Maybe with a computer you could come up with all the possibilities and submit each one. I think one guy won a couple of years ago.” Actually the odds are 1 in 9.2 quintillion:

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebas...ffering-1-billion-for-perfect-tourney-bracket.

So I don’t think submitting every possible sheet is an option.


I called in my question about Michael Gbinije. I said that he looked so good in this You-Tube clips, with three pointers, pull up jumpers and drives to the basket, that it seemed that he could help us more on offense than he has:


I acknowledged that in highlight films, the shots always go in, (JB laughed), and that this was against high school completion- but if the college completion isn’t guarding him, shouldn’t he be able to do these things now?


“Every player did what you saw in high school. High school has nothing to do with college. He’s been out of basketball for two years. He didn’t play at Duke and sat out a year here. It’s harder to get to the hoop in college. He’s tentative. It takes a long time for him to get the three off. He needs space. Teams are giving him space and he’s knocked down some threes. He’s got to learn when, where and how to penetrate. He has to get more comfortable on the court. He’s not big enough to be a three. It takes time to make the adjustment. He helps on defense and can be a better offensive player but that will take some time. He’s not really a point guard. We lose our point guard when Tyler comes out. It’s difficult to get him more minutes. Trevor Cooney got more minutes and got more comfortable. Some guys can play for 10 minutes and play well. Some can’t.”


Gomez asked how a coach handles the player’s transition from being stars in high school to fighting for playing time in college. JB: “They are all stars. They have to manage their emotions. They all want to play. We will do what we have to be successful. Some don’t want to wait. That’s why we have 400-500 transfers a year. Most of them aren’t successful at their new place.”


Stan called in and asked how Jim has managed to be so consistently successful over the years. “Good coaches and great players. The assistant coaches do so much to get the players ready every day.”


They discussed the USA basketball team. “Half the national team guys won’t play this summer. Durrant might play because he loves it. LaMarcus Aldridge will play. He’s a big talent. In the end Jerry Colangelo decides who will be on the team. He runs USA Basketball, with some input from Coach Krzyzewski and the assistants.


They talked about Olympic security. “You can never say nothing is going to happen. You are never going to stop a guy or two who decide to strap on a bomb.”


Kobe Bryant made a statement that he didn’t think basketball players learn much in college and that he didn’t see the point of the “one and done” rule:

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebas...e-hoops-really-isnt-teaching-players-anything

He said that players who went right to the NBA have done better than players who went to college for a year or two. JB: “He’s talking about 4-5 guys. The rest haven’t made it. An argument can be made for a great player. But the NBA doesn’t want to deal with that. If high school players can go right to the NBA they lose motivation to study in high school. You can learn quite a bit of basketball in one year of college if you are a talented player. There’s no way of knowing who is going to make it. Half the first-rounders in the last couple of drafts aren’t in the NBA. NBA teams have a roster of 12 guys and have three other guys who practice with them. . It’s tough to beat 3-4 guys who have contracts out if you aren’t one of the top 10-12 players in the draft.”


Phil Jackson was asked who would beat who one on one, the match-ups being Shaquille O’Neal vs. Dwight Howard, Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson, Lebron James vs. Kevin Durrant and Michael Jordan vs. Kobe Bryant:

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on...-michael-jordan-would-beat-kobe-bryant-1-on-1

JB agreed with Phil’s picks. “If they are both in their prime, Jordan wins.” They also talked about feats such as Wilt Chamberlain scoring 50 points in 7 consecutive games, (JB said he also got 20+ rebounds a game and once led the league in assists). Magic Johnson once had 8 straight triple-doubles. Oscar Robertson isn’t impressed- he once averaged a triple double for a season. There have actually been four quadruple-doubles in NBA history but no quintuple doubles:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_(basketball)#Quintuple-double


They talked about the struggles of North Carolina and Duke. The Tar Heels, “haven’t been physical and tough. They don’t get out and run. Their defense hasn’t been good. They haven’t shot well.” Gomez quoted Roy Williams as saying that he’s had to spend too much time coaching effort. JB: “You shouldn’t have to coach effort. I keep hearing about coaches motivating players. It’s your responsibility to play hard. You’ve got to want to work at it.” About Duke: “They don’t have a big guy inside. But they out-rebounded Miami by about 20. They have good players”


Taylor called in and said how much he was looking forward to the Duke game. JB: “The Duke game is a ways away. I don’t think about it.” He does thinks about those students camped out in below zero wind chills to get tickets. “It’s pretty cold to be hanging around outside but it’s great that they do that. We’ve had a couple cold nights. But this is winter in Syracuse”. As I type this up, a weatherman is saying that the “unseasonably cold weather will continue”. To what other season would this weather be appropriate?


Taylor added that Jim should “retire and run for the Dome exits”. JB: “I didn’t hear that.”


Somebody wondered “What pro sport is the hardest to play?” Gomez repeated Ted Williams assertion that the hardest thing in sports is to hit a baseball. JB: “TV makes high level sports look easy. Hitting a baseball is very hard. Being a quarterback and having 300 pound guys after you and completing a pass down the field is hard. Pro athletes are so good at what they do that you have to admire and respect them.”


Nick wanted to talk about Richard Sherman. JB: “You shouldn’t interview people in the heat of the moment. Let them shower and come into a news conference. People don’t understand how fired up you get on a football field. It’s a physical tough game.”


Gomez noted that CJ Fair was in a headline on ESPN. JB said it was “about four year players”. I was unable to find that article but I did find this one you might like:

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/92793/syracuse-is-americas-best-team


Pat called in and wondered which college basketball games JB prefers to watch. He primarily watches teams that we are going to play, especially in the conference. JB says he does the same and he thinks fans are watching more and more ACC games rather than watching our old Big East rivals such as Louisville, Connecticut and Georgetown. Of course, Louisville will be an ACC next year- and Maryland won’t. Go figure…


Pat said he always does the opposite of what regular callers Dro and Vito do and for that reason he doesn’t treat the games as matters of life or death. Coach Boeheim said “It’s not life or death- for you guys.”
 
I'm glad I went to bed before you posted this last night. Otherwise, I would have stayed up reading it and lost some of my beauty sleep. :) Thanks once again.

I've now added the Gomez segment. :)
 
He (Gbinije) is not big enough to be a three

now, that's news. G is listed at 6-7. As recently as 2009, he was using 6-5 Paul Harris and Andy Rautins at the 3. So I guess the days of the smaller 3 are officially over. Perhaps coincidentally, perhaps not: SU has had three 30 win seasons, two #1 seeds and made it twice past the Sweet 16 in the four years since Harris/Rautins last manned the 3 spot.
 
now, that's news. G is listed at 6-7. As recently as 2009, he was using 6-5 Paul Harris and Andy Rautins at the 3. So I guess the days of the smaller 3 are officially over. Perhaps coincidentally, perhaps not: SU has had three 30 win seasons, two #1 seeds and made it twice past the Sweet 16 in the four years since Harris/Rautins last manned the 3 spot.
Yikes, now hints MG won't be getting big time. "It's difficult to get him more minutes", "not really a point guard", "will take some time".

I've got to reel back my hopes for the rotation. 7 people with MG seeing under 10 per unless there is a blowout (what could be classified in the old days as 6.5). But I guess there is only 13+ tourney games left though.
 
Just a thanks for your posts. Always informative and especially help in those hours waiting for game time.
 
now, that's news. G is listed at 6-7. As recently as 2009, he was using 6-5 Paul Harris and Andy Rautins at the 3. So I guess the days of the smaller 3 are officially over. Perhaps coincidentally, perhaps not: SU has had three 30 win seasons, two #1 seeds and made it twice past the Sweet 16 in the four years since Harris/Rautins last manned the 3 spot.

Maybe by "small," JB is also referring to G being very thin, though that's never stopped JB from playing other thin guys up front.
 
Maybe by "small," JB is also referring to G being very thin, though that's never stopped JB from playing other thin guys up front.

I don't know that G-man is all that skinny.
 
Not sure what JB was getting at. He's played G at the three briefly and he held his own. And as others said, he's played lesser specimens there in the past.
 

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