Today was it for me. Syracuse basketball needs to move on.

[rrlbees]

17k is generous. It was maybe half that for many games.

It’s not just us. All schools go by tix sold and not fannies in the seats. I’ve seen plenty of games on TV where arenas look 1/2 empty. So it’s all relative. If you’re gonna discount our attendance the same can be done for most others.

 

[FrancoPizza]

Yes started in the slow footed guard era

Great so now we're throwing Lazarus Sims under the bus.

 

[Col. Bleep]

People are nuts if they don't think the Dome is a draw. Is EVERY game like Saturday? Obviously not.

Perhaps Adam Weitsman should stop bringing in celebrities who don't add much and instead start busing in people to fill the dome.

 

[Bayside44]

That’s not the point. We played zone for years because we didn’t have guys that could play man. Now we don’t have the guys that can play zone either. Instead of blaming the players blame the coach putting this together. You mean to tell me that the Bryant or Colgate kids are better and more capable players?

Guys can play man, guys can play zone. And the zone isn't some solitary one set, never has been.

Our system when successful has been built on the backs of upperclassmen who know what they're doing and the occasional total stud player mixed in.

To a post I said earlier, the GM part of the job has been lacking.

 

[AZOrange]

Ehhh. Pretty sure our teams from 09-14 could have played any defense. We were just so good in the zone for sooo long it didn’t matter.

The extension of the 3 point line has not helped the zone. We were getting shredded Battle’s last season here at the 3 point line. Every season since he talks about playing man, but then completely abandons it. It’s been so long since we have played man now that I’m not even sure with the requisite athletes JB could coach it up.

Doesn’t matter what players we had. That’s what JB said and did. We never have guys that can play any defense. I mean he said they played pretty well on Saturday aside from 1 stretch. He seems to have lost it

 

[AZOrange]

Guys can play man, guys can play zone. And the zone isn't some solitary one set, never has been.

Our system when successful has been built on the backs of upperclassmen who know what they're doing and the occasional total stud player mixed in.

To a post I said earlier, the GM part of the job has been lacking.

Not so sure I agree. There have been upperclassmen plugging holes (important ones) but our best teams have always been led by younger cats. Fab, Dion, KJO, Tyler, Jerami, MCW

 

[Cusefan0307]

Doesn’t matter what players we had. That’s what JB said and did. We never have guys that can play any defense. I mean he said they played pretty well on Saturday aside from 1 stretch. He seems to have lost it

I’m not a huge fan of the zone myself, but offense was the bigger problem Saturday. I said this at the beginning of the season, but this is the weakest crop of forwards we have ever had. None of them are any threat. If one of Mintz, Girard, or Edwards don’t score at least 15 points we are automatically toast. It’s criminal we didn’t try harder to get someone else in the offseason. Everything that’s happening with this team was predicted in July.

 

[Scooch]

I randomly went to the Fairfield-Manhattan game yesterday. Each team played man D. Manhattan often threw a full court press on.

So I’m to believe that MAAC teams can play 40 minutes of, at times, high intensity man D… but Syracuse does not have players capable of playing anything but zone? I mean, come on.

 

[FreakTalksAboutSU]

I was disappointed that they lost to Duke as well. It was not a good performance. What I don’t get is the concept that this was some paradigm shifting performance. I would ask those fans. What the heck have you been watching the last few years ?

We all get there in our own way.

 

[UpstateSM]

Hire Rick Pitino five minutes after Iona’s season ends and we will be a tournament team the next season

 

[Ozone!]

The zone, if played in concert with dynamic pressing D can work. However we need to switch easily between the two without missing a beat. The more pressing need is to be able to recruit at a level that makes us competitive will all other ACC teams! Right now, that is not the situation.

 

[Orangefizz]

That’s not the point. We played zone for years because we didn’t have guys that could play man. Now we don’t have the guys that can play zone either. Instead of blaming the players blame the coach putting this together. You mean to tell me that the Bryant or Colgate kids are better and more capable players?

Since 2020 the Bryant and Colgate head coach is more capable than JB

 

[phil77]

The zone is a good defense when you have the athletes to play it. The zone works best when we have been aggressive it in and we dictate when and where the teams will get their shots. We are trapping in the corners and wings. We are rotating fast with great athletes.

Todays zone is the exact opposite of that. We are a lazy shell defense and the offense dictates how we play and where they will shoot from. No aggression. No trapping. Nothing. We are lazy and boring. Forwards are asked to do to much because the center was doing to much because our guards aren't doing enough. Nobody seems to be on the same page with their movements within the zone.

When you are slow and lazy on defense it doesn't matter what defense you play. But in a man to man defense there would be no hiding and blaming other people. If you get beat it would be very easy to tell. Now when people get beat there is always questions. A man 2 man defense would bring much needed accountability to our defense.

Due to the one and done and transfer portal I don't think the zone can be your base defense anymore. There is no time for kids to learn the zone and learn when and where their teammates will be. You need time and leadership to make it effective and currently we have neither. The times have changed and our defense needs to change with it. We can't be a 99% zone team anymore in this day and age.

 

[Consigliere]

The zone is a good defense when you have the athletes to play it. The zone works best when we have been aggressive it in and we dictate when and where the teams will get their shots. We are trapping in the corners and wings. We are rotating fast with great athletes.

Todays zone is the exact opposite of that. We are a lazy shell defense and the offense dictates how we play and where they will shoot from. No aggression. No trapping. Nothing. We are lazy and boring. Forwards are asked to do to much because the center was doing to much because our guards aren't doing enough. Nobody seems to be on the same page with their movements within the zone.

When you are slow and lazy on defense it doesn't matter what defense you play. But in a man to man defense there would be no hiding and blaming other people. If you get beat it would be very easy to tell. Now when people get beat there is always questions. A man 2 man defense would bring much needed accountability to our defense.

Due to the one and done and transfer portal I don't think the zone can be your base defense anymore. There is no time for kids to learn the zone and learn when and where their teammates will be. You need time and leadership to make it effective and currently we have neither. The times have changed and our defense needs to change with it. We can't be a 99% zone team anymore in this day and age.

Don't agree with the lazy assertion. But in my opinion you hit it on the head with your last paragraph. You need some degree of roster continuity for the zone to morph into something more than a stagnant set. It's easy to teach simple responsibilities and rotations, but the defense becomes a weapon when it adjusts on the fly to the way the opponent attacks it and those adjustments become intuitive. That's one of the reasons we have had so much post season success after not so stellar seasons. Unfortunately in today's game, where due to early exits and transfers, you turnover 75% of your rotation every year that continuity becomes almost impossible to achieve.

 

[Col. Bleep]

Some interesting possible coaching openings and available coaches coming soon in this interesting column.
One of the possible openings is NOT projected for the team we hold near and dear.

Chris Beard is college hoops’ coaching wild card with assault charge dropped

Felony third-degree felony assault charges against Chris Beard — the charges that led to his dismissal at Texas — were dropped.

nypost.com

 

[orangecuse]

I randomly went to the Fairfield-Manhattan game yesterday. Each team played man D. Manhattan often threw a full court press on.

So I’m to believe that MAAC teams can play 40 minutes of, at times, high intensity man D… but Syracuse does not have players capable of playing anything but zone? I mean, come on.

Yeah, it's a bunch of malarkey and has been for years. JB has been able to get away saying such BS for years because of his winning ways. And, as we all know, winning trumps just about everything.

As a high level program for decades, we've had the benefit of getting numerous superb athletes to the Hill. The vast majority of these high level athletes have played MTM their entire lives, in structured high competition/organized events. Yet, when they come to Syracuse they can't play a wink...at least according to JB.

Well, if that truly is/has been the case, that is by a landslide, more a reflection on JB than it is anything else.

 

[Orangefizz]

Some interesting possible coaching openings and available coaches coming soon in this interesting column.
One of the possible openings is NOT projected for the team we hold near and dear.

Chris Beard is college hoops’ coaching wild card with assault charge dropped

Felony third-degree felony assault charges against Chris Beard — the charges that led to his dismissal at Texas — were dropped.

nypost.com

A team like Auburn will take a chance on Chris Beard because they care about winning at all costs.

We care more about being PC which is why Red will be our next coach. And the likelihood of Red succeeding with a continuation of what we’ve seen is low, and when SU loses money on attendance, they will realize that we also need to hire a coach that will win at all costs. Unfortunately, that will probably be around 2030.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

A team like Auburn will take a chance on Chris Beard because they care about winning at all costs.

We care more about being PC which is why Red will be our next coach. And the likelihood of Red succeeding with a continuation of what we’ve seen is low, and when SU loses money on attendance, they will realize that we also need to hire a coach that will win at all costs. Unfortunately, that will probably be around 2030.

Wow. Pretty interesting take.

 

[Fly Rodder]

I don't hate the zone, I think the biggest place JB has slipped has been in the GM role of the job.

I dislike it, but respect and recognize the beauty of it when it's clicking. When it's off, it doesn't take much swing in the percentage of success at the rate that opponents shoot threes to get down double digit very quickly.

I just don't see the benefits from playing it anymore. It's tough to turn it into an elite defense (e.g., need time in the system, limited transfer opportunities, etc.). It's not like it allows the team to play without elite athletes, they still need them as we've seen. It doesn't allow them to play with shorter, smaller players, we've seen that. It occasionally completely befuddles other teams, but that's been limited to mostly poor teams with an occasional elite team (usually when the defense has the elite athletes needed and they could probably play a good M2M anyway).

If it allows them to dedicate other parts of practice to other things, well, I'm not sure what that it as the offense is a glorified pickup offense, the press only comes out when they're down double digits. I don't know. If an opponent is missing threes, then yeah, it works. I guess.

 

[Fly Rodder]

It’s obviously not the one and only factor taken into consideration for a recruit, but it’s clearly always a major plus for us

Duke's young players were looking around the dome during introductions, a little bit in awe. And that's Duke.

 

[FrancoPizza]

A team like Auburn will take a chance on Chris Beard because they care about winning at all costs.

We care more about being PC which is why Red will be our next coach. And the likelihood of Red succeeding with a continuation of what we’ve seen is low, and when SU loses money on attendance, they will realize that we also need to hire a coach that will win at all costs. Unfortunately, that will probably be around 2030.

So Red is getting a 5 year deal - woof

 

[djcon57]

I dislike it, but respect and recognize the beauty of it when it's clicking. When it's off, it doesn't take much swing in the percentage of success at the rate that opponents shoot threes to get down double digit very quickly.

I just don't see the benefits from playing it anymore. It's tough to turn it into an elite defense (e.g., need time in the system, limited transfer opportunities, etc.). It's not like it allows the team to play without elite athletes, they still need them as we've seen. It doesn't allow them to play with shorter, smaller players, we've seen that. It occasionally completely befuddles other teams, but that's been limited to mostly poor teams with an occasional elite team (usually when the defense has the elite athletes needed and they could probably play a good M2M anyway).

If it allows them to dedicate other parts of practice to other things, well, I'm not sure what that it as the offense is a glorified pickup offense, the press only comes out when they're down double digits. I don't know. If an opponent is missing threes, then yeah, it works. I guess.

I see the benefit is using it as a change of pace D

 

[Ozone!]

 

[texascpa]

A team like Auburn will take a chance on Chris Beard because they care about winning at all costs.

We care more about being PC which is why Red will be our next coach. And the likelihood of Red succeeding with a continuation of what we’ve seen is low, and when SU loses money on attendance, they will realize that we also need to hire a coach that will win at all costs. Unfortunately, that will probably be around 2030.

I get what you're trying to say, but Beard had the charges dropped, indicating there was nothing there. In my eyes, the guy is innocent. I don't see that as "winning at all costs" if Auburn hires him. I would have no issues hiring him, PC or not.

 

[Deleted member 8116]

I get what you're trying to say, but Beard had the charges dropped, indicating there was nothing there. In my eyes, the guy is innocent. I don't see that as "winning at all costs" if Auburn hires him. I would have no issues hiring him, PC or not.

Unfortunately, some people think because an individual is charged or there is an allegation, then they are automatically guilty of whatever it is.