The Road Back

[Consigliere]

First of all, if you are of the opinion that Syracuse basketball can't possibly return to relevance until Boeheim is gone, that we are a terrible team and a shell of the program we deserve, that the effects of sanctions have been overblown, and that we will never attract quality recruits because we play zone, that there is no question that Hughes is headed to the NBA draft and that Braswell, Carey, Washington, and anyone else who plays limited minutes is on their way out the door, please stop reading this thread and find your own sandbox to piss in. I have no interest in that kind of drivel here.

Now that THAT is out of the way, to date this has certainly been one of, if not the single, most disappointing season in my almost 50 years of following Syracuse basketball. I think I allowed myself to be deluded into thinking that Guerrier was a 5 star wolf in Canadian sheep's clothing, that Goodine was the next coming of MCW, that a healthy Sidibe would be a double-double machine and that Edwards would be the next unknown European to at the very least be a serviceable part of the rotation. I did not have dreams of a Final Four or ACC upper echelon performance but thought at the very least we would see another 20+ win season and the potential to advance beyond the first weekend of the Big Dance. Well, so much for that.

I do, however, still see a road back to those levels for this program and see signs of positivity in the growth of a young squad lacking any transcendent talent. Last night I saw:

1. Some extended periods of very solid defense - as good as we've seen this year. You don't need all-world athleticism to excel in the zone. You need 5 guys who can anticipate ball movement, who almost instinctively know where their other four teammates will be at all times, understand rotations and know when to challenge the ball and when to protect other areas of the court. Our defensive failings this year are related to all of those concepts and last night, against a team that really challenges perimeter D there were extended periods where the cohesiveness started to show and we effectively shut down VT. I firmly believe this improvement will continue throughout the season and into next year.

2. Despite all the bashing, Sidibe continues to be a very effective rebounder and can shore up a major weakness if he can just eliminate mistakes and stay on the floor. 9 boards in 21 minutes is exceptional against any P5 team. And if you do the math an average of 7.7 rebounds in about 24 minutes per game extrapolates to 13 boards in 40 minutes. He certainly needs to get stronger defensively and to cut down on unforced errors but in a list of problems with this team I don't think he cracks the top 5.

3. Guerrier came through with this second strong performance in a row. It certainly seems he is starting to settle into a role, get more comfortable on the court and in his words "think less and play more." Blooming a little later than many of us expected and I'm really wondering where he would be developmentally had he been able to enroll in January 2019 as was the plan but he is starting to look the part of an impact player.

4. And let's just stop all this fake news about how playing 40 minutes leaves us exhausted at the end of a game. Think about it. An average college basketball game runs two hours. With a 2 1/2 minute break after every four minutes of play, a 15-minute halftime and numerous other timeouts or dead ball situations that means playing 40 minutes has you in motion for roughly a third of the two hours. Do you really think reducing that to 35 minutes would have a major impact? Have you ever watched an intense playground game like the ones most of these guys participate in every day of the off season? No TV timeouts or half time breaks there. JB explained it well in 1996. "I'd rather be playing John Wallace at 75% than anyone else on my roster at 100."

There will certainly be more growing pains and I'm praying we can scratch out the 9 more wins needed to ensure our consecutive winning seasons streak stays alive. And it may not come this year but I've still got a pretty strong level of confidence that brighter days are ahead.

 

[NineOneSeven]

9 more wins. Baw Gawd, stop the dayum match!

 

[OrangeXtreme]

if playing your best players 40 minutes every game was a good idea then every coach would do it. THEY DON'T ! wake up. look around around you. it's a recipe for disaster and we're living it.

Do you think Jay Wright is a good coach?

He played two guys 39 minutes and one guy 36 minutes ... against Creighton.

 

[RF2044]

You raise a good point about Guerrier [had forgotten that].

I wonder how much further along he would be if he'd been allowed to enroll last January. ugh...

 

[Fly Rodder]

This will be a good one to read in March.

 

[OttoMets]

Ah, you had me going there, nodding right along, Mark...couldn't agree more with your first three points. I do think the defense will continue to improve (and in theory at least, if Jason Cipolla and Lazarus Sims can be strong zone defenders, these two guards can as well). I have been very bearish on Guerrier from the first time I saw him play, but last night was far and away the most efficient, effective, and comfortable performance of his career. If he can repeat that even half the time, the team will be better for it.

But fatigue...can't get on board with that take. Even if they don't get tired (and I think nearly every physiologist would say they do), it presents a competitive disadvantage if the opponents are even 5% fresher due to a couple minutes on the bench. And this is just the physical perspective - on the mental side, every SU starter shows that he needs to spend a couple minutes getting in-game instruction...there are so many missed passes and forced shots and loose balls stared at that deserve both a psychological pause and a little bit of coaching.

This style worked for Boeheim for 40 years -- even John Wallace* took a seat on both sides of a media timeout while Bobby Lazor held down the fort -- and I think it's no coincidence that the program's nosedive has coincided with the adoption of the ironman lineup.

*Assuming that logic is sound (and it may be, though maybe not if taken to the 40-minute extreme), it can apply to John Wallace and not, for example, Joe Girard. There's a lot less daylight between our current starters and their backups than there was between the fifth third-leading scorer in school history and his.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

You raise a good point about Guerrier [had forgotten that].

I wonder how much further along he would be if he'd been allowed to enroll last January. ugh...

I think that's a part of the story that easily gets forgotten. Not crazy to think he'd be further along if things had gone according to plan.

Re: the 40 minutes thing... people can rationalize it all they want, but yes, I do believe our players would play better going 35 minutes a game instead (and maybe Washington or Goodine give a big spark in their ten minutes or so once in a while), and the problem with the John Wallace quote is that Wallace was an all-american and an all-time great in school history, and the guys we are loading minutes onto are... not.

 

[chugg21]

Do you think Jay Wright is a good coach?

He played two guys 39 minutes and one guy 36 minutes ... against Creighton.

We have 3 guys averaging more MPG than their leader with a 4th (Girard) that should pass their top guy by next week. Probably not the best example.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Hughes, Buddy and Joe were missing short the last 5 minutes last night. Why is that?

Even Joes uncle sat him on the bench at times in Glens Falls last year.

 

[Ghost]

44% John Wallace would be the best player on our team even with them at 100% (other than Hughes). Not the best example.

 

[Fly Rodder]

Hughes, Buddy and Joe were missing short the last 5 minutes last night. Why is that?

There was one play in the 2nd half where Hughes tripped or stumbled while trying to get a loose ball, (I can't remember the sequence), he got up holding his side and wincing and JB was standing four feet away yelling at him to get back on defense. Hughes held his side the whole way down the court and was grimacing for the next few minutes.

 

[Ghost]

Ah, you had me going there, nodding right along, Mark...couldn't agree more with your first three points. I do think the defense will continue to improve (and in theory at least, if Jason Cipolla and Lazarus Sims can be strong zone defenders, these two guards can as well). I have been very bearish on Guerrier from the first time I saw him play, but last night was far and away the most efficient, effective, and comfortable performance of his career. If he can repeat that even half the time, the team will be better for it.

I struggle a bit on point one. I felt like VaTech was missing shots, and my god, they had some easy looks under the hoop that they were late making the pass on, and sometimes just missed the look altogether. I think if they were adept offensively, and not quite as inexperienced, they could have really shredded us in the first half. I think they adjusted a bit, and did better, but I thought we were pretty weak on defense. It seemed more like we just got away with leaving open the corner three, and baseline for an extended period.

 

[Consigliere]

I think that's a part of the story that easily gets forgotten. Not crazy to think he'd be further along if things had gone according to plan.

Re: the 40 minutes thing... people can rationalize it all they want, but yes, I do believe our players would play better going 35 minutes a game instead (and maybe Washington or Goodine give a big spark in their ten minutes or so once in a while), and the problem with the John Wallace quote is that Wallace was an all-american and an all-time great in school history, and the guys we are loading minutes onto are... not.

I can respect the opinion that a marginally fresher backcourt at the end of games would be a net positive. I just don't see that third guard on the roster right now. I've called Howard low risk; low reward and I will double down on that. His game is just too conservative for me at this point. Brycen may be the biggest disappointment on a team full of disappointments. The Carey injury gave him a huge opportunity that he failed to seize. And let's be clear. That opportunity surfaced not solely in games, but I trust that he struggled in practices as well.
What I WOULD like to see is for Quincy's role continue to grow and for Sidibe to ramp up to 30 mpg by avoiding foul trouble. Then Elijah can swing to the backcourt for 8 - 10 minutes of his 35+ and give Buddy and Joe each a brief breather.

See? I can be reasonable.

 

[NineOneSeven]

I struggle a bit on point one. I felt like VaTech was missing shots, and my god, they had some easy looks under the hoop that they were late making the pass on, and sometimes just missed the look altogether. I think if they were adept offensively, and not quite as inexperienced, they could have really shredded us in the first half. I think they adjusted a bit, and did better, but I thought we were pretty weak on defense. It seemed more like we just got away with leaving open the corner three, and baseline for an extended period.

Isn't VaTech also one of the shorter and younger teams around?

 

[OttoMets]

I struggle a bit on point one. I felt like VaTech was missing shots, and my god, they had some easy looks under the hoop that they were late making the pass on, and sometimes just missed the look altogether. I think if they were adept offensively, and not quite as inexperienced, they could have really shredded us in the first half. I think they adjusted a bit, and did better, but I thought we were pretty weak on defense. It seemed more like we just got away with leaving open the corner three, and baseline for an extended period.

I think it's even simpler - for the most part they did move our defense and the ball just didn't go in in the first half. It was clear as day that they would revert to the mean and SU would need to keep scoring.

But there have been some strong half-court defensive possessions mixed in with the futility. And I think there will be more as Guerrier and Girard get more comfortable and their teammates are better able to rely on them being where they need to be. (I also think there's a ceiling on this because Girard and Boeheim are so powerfully slow...but again, Cipolla and Sims.)

 

[Ghost]

Isn't VaTech also one of the shorter and younger teams around?

Yes, on both.

 

[realorange]

Agree with the thoughts given in a Positive way in this thread.

It's disheartening to see the posts after a disappointing loss like last night. We knew this kind of game would happen this year and it will be offset by a game we shouldn't have won.

Posters who have always been negative this year showed up on the game thread as soon as we went down by six. They were accompanied by others whose names I've never seen before piling on with the low class remarks.

The good thing to see about this team is that they do show signs of improvement every game. Last night they unfortunately had a brain frat in the second half they couldn't recover from.

Patience is a difficult thing to have when things don't go the way you'd like, but that's when it's the most needed.

 

[Jasoncuse]

Guerrier's finding his footing and is in the exact role he needs to be in - 15-25 minutes a game, spending the majority of his offensive time patrolling inside the arc and attacking the glass. He's starting to show glimpses of being able to slash and finish, and I think everything is starting to slow down for him. He's not particularly skilled, which is a concern, but the energy and effort makes up for any shortcomings. He needs to be the energy guy and needs to continue being an interior factor because that's where his strengths are.

 

[DoctorBombay]

First of all, if you are of the opinion that Syracuse basketball can't possibly return to relevance until Boeheim is gone, that we are a terrible team and a shell of the program we deserve, that the effects of sanctions have been overblown, and that we will never attract quality recruits because we play zone, that there is no question that Hughes is headed to the NBA draft and that Braswell, Carey, Washington, and anyone else who plays limited minutes is on their way out the door, please stop reading this thread and find your own sandbox to piss in. I have no interest in that kind of drivel here.

Now that THAT is out of the way, to date this has certainly been one of, if not the single, most disappointing season in my almost 50 years of following Syracuse basketball. I think I allowed myself to be deluded into thinking that Guerrier was a 5 star wolf in Canadian sheep's clothing, that Goodine was the next coming of MCW, that a healthy Sidibe would be a double-double machine and that Edwards would be the next unknown European to at the very least be a serviceable part of the rotation. I did not have dreams of a Final Four or ACC upper echelon performance but thought at the very least we would see another 20+ win season and the potential to advance beyond the first weekend of the Big Dance. Well, so much for that.

I do, however, still see a road back to those levels for this program and see signs of positivity in the growth of a young squad lacking any transcendent talent. Last night I saw:

1. Some extended periods of very solid defense - as good as we've seen this year. You don't need all-world athleticism to excel in the zone. You need 5 guys who can anticipate ball movement, who almost instinctively know where their other four teammates will be at all times, understand rotations and know when to challenge the ball and when to protect other areas of the court. Our defensive failings this year are related to all of those concepts and last night, against a team that really challenges perimeter D there were extended periods where the cohesiveness started to show and we effectively shut down VT. I firmly believe this improvement will continue throughout the season and into next year.

2. Despite all the bashing, Sidibe continues to be a very effective rebounder and can shore up a major weakness if he can just eliminate mistakes and stay on the floor. 9 boards in 21 minutes is exceptional against any P5 team. And if you do the math an average of 7.7 rebounds in about 24 minutes per game extrapolates to 13 boards in 40 minutes. He certainly needs to get stronger defensively and to cut down on unforced errors but in a list of problems with this team I don't think he cracks the top 5.

3. Guerrier came through with this second strong performance in a row. It certainly seems he is starting to settle into a role, get more comfortable on the court and in his words "think less and play more." Blooming a little later than many of us expected and I'm really wondering where he would be developmentally had he been able to enroll in January 2019 as was the plan but he is starting to look the part of an impact player.

4. And let's just stop all this fake news about how playing 40 minutes leaves us exhausted at the end of a game. Think about it. An average college basketball game runs two hours. With a 2 1/2 minute break after every four minutes of play, a 15-minute halftime and numerous other timeouts or dead ball situations that means playing 40 minutes has you in motion for roughly a third of the two hours. Do you really think reducing that to 35 minutes would have a major impact? Have you ever watched an intense playground game like the ones most of these guys participate in every day of the off season? No TV timeouts or half time breaks there. JB explained it well in 1996. "I'd rather be playing John Wallace at 75% than anyone else on my roster at 100."

There will certainly be more growing pains and I'm praying we can scratch out the 9 more wins needed to ensure our consecutive winning seasons streak stays alive. And it may not come this year but I've still got a pretty strong level of confidence that brighter days are ahead.

God help us all.

 

[Townie72]

I can respect the opinion that a marginally fresher backcourt at the end of games would be a net positive. I just don't see that third guard on the roster right now. I've called Howard low risk; low reward and I will double down on that. His game is just too conservative for me at this point. Brycen may be the biggest disappointment on a team full of disappointments. The Carey injury gave him a huge opportunity that he failed to seize. And let's be clear. That opportunity surfaced not solely in games, but I trust that he struggled in practices as well.
What I WOULD like to see is for Quincy's role continue to grow and for Sidibe to ramp up to 30 mpg by avoiding foul trouble. Then Elijah can swing to the backcourt for 8 - 10 minutes of his 35+ and give Buddy and Joe each a brief breather.

See? I can be reasonable.

On the topic of “disappointments” as in “Bycen may be the biggest disappointment in a team full of disappointments”.

My question is why fans do this to themselves, especially long term fans who really ought to have learned by now?

The key is not to believe anything but your own eyes after you have seen the player play enough against quality competition a number of times.

There are exceptions to this, but for most kids coming in, don’t believe recruiting services that award stars, press reports, so-called “experts” or even your own eyes when you are looking at selected video clips of high school games. They all lie. Sometimes for profit, sometimes because they feel the have to and sometimes because of pure incompetence.

The audience of fans for this laps it up. No fan wants to read, “This kid is two or three years away from contributing meaningfully at the ACC level.”

 

[orangehipfan]

First of all, if you are of the opinion that Syracuse basketball can't possibly return to relevance until Boeheim is gone, that we are a terrible team and a shell of the program we deserve, that the effects of sanctions have been overblown, and that we will never attract quality recruits because we play zone, that there is no question that Hughes is headed to the NBA draft and that Braswell, Carey, Washington, and anyone else who plays limited minutes is on their way out the door, please stop reading this thread and find your own sandbox to piss in. I have no interest in that kind of drivel here.

Now that THAT is out of the way, to date this has certainly been one of, if not the single, most disappointing season in my almost 50 years of following Syracuse basketball. I think I allowed myself to be deluded into thinking that Guerrier was a 5 star wolf in Canadian sheep's clothing, that Goodine was the next coming of MCW, that a healthy Sidibe would be a double-double machine and that Edwards would be the next unknown European to at the very least be a serviceable part of the rotation. I did not have dreams of a Final Four or ACC upper echelon performance but thought at the very least we would see another 20+ win season and the potential to advance beyond the first weekend of the Big Dance. Well, so much for that.

I do, however, still see a road back to those levels for this program and see signs of positivity in the growth of a young squad lacking any transcendent talent. Last night I saw:

1. Some extended periods of very solid defense - as good as we've seen this year. You don't need all-world athleticism to excel in the zone. You need 5 guys who can anticipate ball movement, who almost instinctively know where their other four teammates will be at all times, understand rotations and know when to challenge the ball and when to protect other areas of the court. Our defensive failings this year are related to all of those concepts and last night, against a team that really challenges perimeter D there were extended periods where the cohesiveness started to show and we effectively shut down VT. I firmly believe this improvement will continue throughout the season and into next year.

2. Despite all the bashing, Sidibe continues to be a very effective rebounder and can shore up a major weakness if he can just eliminate mistakes and stay on the floor. 9 boards in 21 minutes is exceptional against any P5 team. And if you do the math an average of 7.7 rebounds in about 24 minutes per game extrapolates to 13 boards in 40 minutes. He certainly needs to get stronger defensively and to cut down on unforced errors but in a list of problems with this team I don't think he cracks the top 5.

3. Guerrier came through with this second strong performance in a row. It certainly seems he is starting to settle into a role, get more comfortable on the court and in his words "think less and play more." Blooming a little later than many of us expected and I'm really wondering where he would be developmentally had he been able to enroll in January 2019 as was the plan but he is starting to look the part of an impact player.

4. And let's just stop all this fake news about how playing 40 minutes leaves us exhausted at the end of a game. Think about it. An average college basketball game runs two hours. With a 2 1/2 minute break after every four minutes of play, a 15-minute halftime and numerous other timeouts or dead ball situations that means playing 40 minutes has you in motion for roughly a third of the two hours. Do you really think reducing that to 35 minutes would have a major impact? Have you ever watched an intense playground game like the ones most of these guys participate in every day of the off season? No TV timeouts or half time breaks there. JB explained it well in 1996. "I'd rather be playing John Wallace at 75% than anyone else on my roster at 100."

There will certainly be more growing pains and I'm praying we can scratch out the 9 more wins needed to ensure our consecutive winning seasons streak stays alive. And it may not come this year but I've still got a pretty strong level of confidence that brighter days are ahead.

The biggest thing the program lacks right now is talent. Hughes may be an ACC 2nd or 3rd team talent but nobody else on this team scares anybody. Will they in the future, who knows. The backcourt of Buddy and Girard can shoot but is very limited athletically which is exposed in the zone. Neither is a 40 minute a game talent and I don't mean because they get tired, they both have some serious deficiencies on the defensive end . Both are more complimentary level players now and the upside may be limited. Quincy may be an all ACC level payer in years to come and is really the only other ACC level athlete on the team right now. Marek is a nice role player but is being asked to be a high level option. Our center position has been average to horrible since Rak left. Who knows on the 2 freshman centers but I don't see either being all ACC level next year or the following (I hope I am wrong). As far as style of play, our guards don't fit the zone (the announcer mentioned how slow Buddy closed last night on a late game 3 with the shot clock winding down) and may become adequate but I doubt many major level programs will fear them. Kids shoot 25 footers with ease and this stretches the zone with the new line distance (how many 4 point plays did Va Tech have last night, had to be a record). After the first round of sanctions and the down period after Wallace left, JB brought in a major recruiter from outside the program. We need a Melo/high level talent with the current group. Will this happen under JB, who knows. My guess is it will be difficult to recruit a high level guard this year or next. The incoming recruits may be very good in a few years but my guess is neither will be a huge contributor next year (your points above this years class are spot on if you actually bought the hype). We have struggled recruiting over the past few years, some nice catches but no super talents. Hopefully some of the current team sticks for 4 years and we can land a couple high level talents. Otherwise I see the mediocrity continuing.

 

[TinyManInside]

I think it's even simpler - for the most part they did move our defense and the ball just didn't go in in the first half. It was clear as day that they would revert to the mean and SU would need to keep scoring.

But there have been some strong half-court defensive possessions mixed in with the futility. And I think there will be more as Guerrier and Girard get more comfortable and their teammates are better able to rely on them being where they need to be. (I also think there's a ceiling on this because Girard and Boeheim are so powerfully slow...but again, Cipolla and Sims.)

Sims and Cipolla is really a crummy comparison... they played 24 years ago when the game was remarkably different - much less reliance on the 3-point shot philosophically, and most teams only had a few players who even attempted shots from that distance, so defending it wasn't as difficult when you're going up against a team that has 3 or 4 guys on the floor that are capable at all times.

 

[Sherman20]

First of all, if you are of the opinion that Syracuse basketball can't possibly return to relevance until Boeheim is gone, that we are a terrible team and a shell of the program we deserve, that the effects of sanctions have been overblown, and that we will never attract quality recruits because we play zone, that there is no question that Hughes is headed to the NBA draft and that Braswell, Carey, Washington, and anyone else who plays limited minutes is on their way out the door, please stop reading this thread and find your own sandbox to piss in. I have no interest in that kind of drivel here.

Now that THAT is out of the way, to date this has certainly been one of, if not the single, most disappointing season in my almost 50 years of following Syracuse basketball. I think I allowed myself to be deluded into thinking that Guerrier was a 5 star wolf in Canadian sheep's clothing, that Goodine was the next coming of MCW, that a healthy Sidibe would be a double-double machine and that Edwards would be the next unknown European to at the very least be a serviceable part of the rotation. I did not have dreams of a Final Four or ACC upper echelon performance but thought at the very least we would see another 20+ win season and the potential to advance beyond the first weekend of the Big Dance. Well, so much for that.

I do, however, still see a road back to those levels for this program and see signs of positivity in the growth of a young squad lacking any transcendent talent. Last night I saw:

1. Some extended periods of very solid defense - as good as we've seen this year. You don't need all-world athleticism to excel in the zone. You need 5 guys who can anticipate ball movement, who almost instinctively know where their other four teammates will be at all times, understand rotations and know when to challenge the ball and when to protect other areas of the court. Our defensive failings this year are related to all of those concepts and last night, against a team that really challenges perimeter D there were extended periods where the cohesiveness started to show and we effectively shut down VT. I firmly believe this improvement will continue throughout the season and into next year.

2. Despite all the bashing, Sidibe continues to be a very effective rebounder and can shore up a major weakness if he can just eliminate mistakes and stay on the floor. 9 boards in 21 minutes is exceptional against any P5 team. And if you do the math an average of 7.7 rebounds in about 24 minutes per game extrapolates to 13 boards in 40 minutes. He certainly needs to get stronger defensively and to cut down on unforced errors but in a list of problems with this team I don't think he cracks the top 5.

3. Guerrier came through with this second strong performance in a row. It certainly seems he is starting to settle into a role, get more comfortable on the court and in his words "think less and play more." Blooming a little later than many of us expected and I'm really wondering where he would be developmentally had he been able to enroll in January 2019 as was the plan but he is starting to look the part of an impact player.

4. And let's just stop all this fake news about how playing 40 minutes leaves us exhausted at the end of a game. Think about it. An average college basketball game runs two hours. With a 2 1/2 minute break after every four minutes of play, a 15-minute halftime and numerous other timeouts or dead ball situations that means playing 40 minutes has you in motion for roughly a third of the two hours. Do you really think reducing that to 35 minutes would have a major impact? Have you ever watched an intense playground game like the ones most of these guys participate in every day of the off season? No TV timeouts or half time breaks there. JB explained it well in 1996. "I'd rather be playing John Wallace at 75% than anyone else on my roster at 100."

There will certainly be more growing pains and I'm praying we can scratch out the 9 more wins needed to ensure our consecutive winning seasons streak stays alive. And it may not come this year but I've still got a pretty strong level of confidence that brighter days are ahead.

I’ll give you a few things. We had both the Va Tech and ND games in our pockets...until we didn’t. Boneheaded mistakes and lack of hustle and focus led to both losses. 3 stupid fouls on 3-pt shooters led to an extra 5 points and helped spark the Va Tech comeback. Plus, Elijah disappeared and seemed out of sorts for several key stretches. He really needs to seize the reigns when we need a bucket and the guys need to find him and help him create space with multiple screens. Against ND, we made several key defensive mistakes (Girard gambling on that steal for one) and missed rebounds down the stretch that caused our late lead to evaporate. We really should have and could have won both game. If that happens, we all feel a bit better about this team being at least an NIT squad.

As you said, I also think the defense looked better and more active last night against Va Tech...until their second half run. The problem is that the offense looked completely stagnant and didn’t attack the pressure defense and make them pay.

 

[kirbivore]

9 more wins. Baw Gawd, stop the dayum match!

View attachment 175051

If SU finishes over .500 I'll yell out "Oh My God!" like Joey Stylez

 

[grepal]

OK, I graduated from SU with Louie and Bouie and I have seen almost every game since coach became coach. The fact is that collectively this is the best shooting but least athletic team I remember. I am hardly down on this group, like almost every college team they show some good fight. My concern is that the lack of athleticism makes really great shooters easier to guard, makes team rebounds harder to get to, and against quicker, stronger teams we will continue to struggle. We are faced with the reality of negative recruiting, a school in a really poor weather environment but blessed with a great facility, a legendary head coach, a rich tradition (which means more to fans than to most recruits) and large crowds.
So far this does not look like our year, even in a down ACC. I will continue to watch this team every single game that I can, cheer my butt off for them, and be very proud to have graduated from a great university. I am grateful because I know in my heart none of what I have was ever a given. By the way, if you criticize SU, our coach or our team be prepared for me to give it back to you with both barrels. I am SU Forever!