This was buried at at the end of yesterday's "daily articles"...

[cto]

... but I thought it deserved a thread of its own.

It looks back 40 years and describes Jim Boeheim's first game as SU's head coach.

Throwback Thursday: The Jim Boeheim era begins at Syracuse in 1976

 

[NYCorange]

... but I thought it deserved a thread of its own.

It looks back 40 years and describes Jim Boeheim's first game as SU's head coach.

Throwback Thursday: The Jim Boeheim era begins at Syracuse in 1976

Great article CTO! Thanks for bringing to light!

I thought that the most interesting part of the article was how he talked about maintaining his close relationships with his players as he moved from assistant to head coach. I think it's safe to say that his perspective has changed. Something to remember as Hop transitions. I kept waiting for Hop to lay into his players after they made a mistake last year when he was leading the team. I think that needed shift might take some time to come.

Of course not all coaches approach their players the same, but I think most super successful college coaches learn how get in their players' faces. The lone exceptions I can think of are Brad Stevens and Tony Bennet, and in Stevens' case, I'm pretty sure his steely gaze would have scared me more than anything else.

 

[bballbeadle]

I really liked the part where the writer said that the players felt more "relaxed" with Boeheim, and that he brought a more "personal touch" than Danforth did. I wonder if that personal touch is still there? For instance, does anyone know what the players do for Thanksgiving? (I am assuming the basketball program gives them a nice turkey dinner.) Are they ever allowed to be entertained by Jim and Juli in their home, or elsewhere? With Juli's arrival on the scene, are there more of those "personal touches?"

I know that in the past Boeheim has wanted to do some kindnesses for some of the players. A "memory" I have (HA HA HA HA!) is that a player (Jeremy McNeil?) needed to fly home because his mother was sick, and Coach either payed for his ticket and then got dinged, or Coach said he wanted to pay for his ticket but rules wouldn't allow it.

Anyway, it was a fun read, and thanks!

 

[dasher]

I was at both of those games.

 

[br801]

Where did those 40 years go?

 

[NKR1978]

I love the idea of Danforth chain-smoking at practices.

 

[Toga]

It's odd that he has the same amount of hair as he did 40 years ago.

 

[llandz]

I was at Springfield also. Also Doug Shirk, who was the team manager is a friend of mine who I got to know when he recently was on the national SU alumni board. One of my best friends at SU, Walter Hauck was the team manager the two years before,while JB was an assistant. Anyways I had graduated from SU in spring '76, went to Springfield to the games and some job interviews in Hartford, and had season tickets in Manley Filed house. Being in Springfield is such a faint memory at this point in my life.

 

[MSOrange]

It's odd that he has the same amount of hair as he did 40 years ago.

And somehow he still got Juli. Go figure

 

[dasher]

And somehow he still got Juli. Go figure

It's his sunny personality.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

And somehow he still got Juli. Go figure

Well they always said he did a great job on tbe couch at a recruits house. Maybe that's how he recruited Juli (rimshot please).

 

[realorange]

Well, specific hormones can affect hair growth or sexual drive. Seems obvious what JB's system chose.

 

[TexanMark]

I asked SU to schedule Harvard on the 40 year anniversary last spring. They thought it was a great idea but the schedule was filled with SC.