These are the good old days

[bballbeadle]

It has been said that: "It's not what happens to you. It's what you think about what happens to you." And therein lies the essential dilemma of every passionate SU fan. We don't know what to think. The feelings are a piece of cake! We are furious, sad, happy, bewildered, mournful, excited, etc. One thing we are not is indifferent. But how do we cope with something that has turned us inside out and upside down? I don't think it's hyperbole to say that this event has been cataclysmic.

The world is beautiful, but the world is hard. We cope by bonding: with family, friends, countries and teams. By our bonding, we know who we are. It becomes part of our identity, and I would even say it goes to our very soul. We are Orange. We are Big East. The memories we carry of all our teams and all those games go deep, don't they? Those experiences have helped create who we are today. I have family, children, friends, an interesting career, hobbies. It's not like I need to identify with a sports team so I'll have something to talk about! But I am also Orange, and it runs deep, and it runs true.

So, this is probably the last year of being Big East. It's the last of something fantastic, and something that I now know I took for granted. I know that all of us have had the conversation: would you rather die instantly, or be given time before you die? For myself, I have always answered that I would want time. Time to say good-bye, time to appreciate the things in my life, time to take it all in. I plan to savor this last basketball season. I may even feel nostalgic about playing DePaul for the last time!

The only thing constant is change. I don't like change, but somehow I will adjust. I will reconcile my rampaging feelings to the reality of the day. Who knows what the future will bring. But in this present moment, I am Orange, I am Big East, and these are the good old days.

 

[stlorange]

Great synopsis of how I feel as well. Like saying goodbye to an old and trusted friend.

 

[1orange]

Nicely said

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I know what to think - Syracuse University won the lottery.

 

[PeteCalvin]

My friend and I were talking about the very same conflicting feelings. This is exciting and heartbreaking at the same time. I think his biggest concern really sums up that small pit many of us have in our belly about this: Will we become the next Boston College?

I would love to say that we'll never falter, that this move will make us stronger and more appealing in the long run. But the reality is these are uncertain times. Did we make the right move? Will we be the same without the lights of MSG, our quintessential home away from home? All of these questions are rushing around with no simple answers.

I tried to tell my friend that yes, we will remain the same strong bball program we always have been, and become a strong football power again. After all, we used to compete on a high level with Miami and VaTech not all that long ago. And the last I checked, Miami hasn't become world beaters since 2004. And Va Tech is as strong as they were when they left the BE, and we always played them tough. No doubt in my mind we will compete and win in the new ACC.

But, my friend keeps going back to the total collapse of BC's relevance in both major sports, particularly hoops. He worries about SU Basketball being sucked into the southern abyss, never to be heard from again. How do I talk him in off the ledge? How can I convince him that Syracuse Basketball will flourish in it's new confines? I mean, we still have the Dome, Jim Boeheim, a rock solid staff, a tradition many lesser programs would kill for, and some of the best facilities going. The only things we won't have are MSG, the BE tournament, and The Georgetown Hoyas.

If UConn is added, I don't think we will lose much at all. And if another BE team is added on top, we'll have a solid block of teams in the NE corridor for added support, something BC never had the luxury of when they made the leap. We won't be an island like they were, although it may seem like it for awhile if the BE remains in some semblance of it's former self. Sure, we'll find ourselves looking back across the rift, checking out their successes, and failures, always wondering '"what if...?" But

Things will never be the same, and that is a fact. But they could also be AMAZING, much like they were back in 1979. Syracuse has been at the precipice before and made a leap of faith. That turned out to be a success beyond anyone's imagination. And here we are again, all these years later, embarking on another new frontier, taking yet another calculated risk, AND with the very same rugged captain who steered us through what was probably more uncertainty some three decades ago.

I think I will tell my friend that JB weathered these waters before and built something that will not easily founder. If this was going to happen, thank our lucky stars that we still have this man here when it happened, a man who can turn uncertainty into certainty, almost effortlessly.

How do I know Syracuse will succeed? Because we have the right people (Boeheim, Marrone, Desko) in the right places, and have the right tools with which to foster an even better success story than before. Let the naysayers take their shots. Let them say their worst. Syracuse will be better than it ever was.

I hope my friend comes in from the ledge.

 

[44USMC]

I happen to believe the more balanced new ACC will help spark a revival in BC due to the regional rivals of SU and Pitt. There will be even more northeast teams added and with that a secure fan interest from the legions from the U on the hill.

 

[bballbeadle]

PeteCalvin, wow, all these perspectives that swim around in our heads as we try to make sense of this! I liked your thoughtful comparison of BC to SU, and how you have decided that you are going to think that this could be amazing for us! I hope so, my friend. Your friend can hope so, too.

 

[cto]

"These are the Good Old Days" ======= is the chorus to a song by Carly Simon called "Anticipation."

Enough said.

 

[PeteCalvin]

I happen to believe the more balanced new ACC will help spark a revival in BC due to the regional rivals of SU and Pitt. There will be even more northeast teams added and with that a secure fan interest from the legions from the U on the hill.

I think BC is probably the happiest member of the ACC since the news came out. They immediately become relevant again in the NE. Their traditional rivals are coming back.

 

[longislandcuse]

Im really struggling to figure out why so many people think we could possibly become the next Boston College!? We have an amazing basketball history, that BC does not have. We have huge fan support in a college city and the brightest city in the world, something BC does not have. We have the Melo Center, something BC does not have. We have The Dome which has the capacity for 33k and up maybe even 40k if TGD decides to get crazy, again something BC does not have. We are going to be in the best college basketball conference in the country, something BC was not in.

Already were hearing rumblings of holding the ACC tourney in MSG on a rotational schedule. Were going to play an early year tourney at MSG or Barclays every year and I would be shocked if we didnt schedule one or two neutral court games at MSG every year. What is with the freakout...and I live 40 min from NYC. I honestly dont get it and maybe im a homer, but i certainly dont see any similarites between us and Boston College...at all.