Watching Lydon interviews

[stuckinbig11]

on the ESPN page and other places, makes me wonder how he will reflect on this next week. A year ago, as an unassuming, unsung kid from a small town, he would never have imagined that, in April 2016, everyone in the college basketball world would know his name, his photo would be plastered everywhere, and he would be interviewed by the national press. I suspect he will pinch himself at least once to see if he wakes up from a dream (but still remain unassuming). Makes me smile.

 

[perdurabo]

http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/...on-remind-gorman-of-anthony-mcnamara-20160402

Watertown native Matt Gorman, one of three freshmen on SU’s 2003 national championship team, said that the duo’s approach seems much like his two classmates that season, Carmelo Anthony and Gerry McNamara, who collectively led SU to its only national title that year.

“From our experience, it’s like you don’t know any better. It’s your first year, so you don’t understand how rare it is and how difficult it is to get that far,” said Gorman, a 6-foot-9 center/forward who appeared in nine games that season. “So they’re probably just riding it like: ‘This is how it’s supposed to be.’ That’s how we were, all coming off of good high school teams that went far in tournaments. They’re probably the same way, they don’t know anything different.”

 

[jdubs30]

http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/...on-remind-gorman-of-anthony-mcnamara-20160402

Watertown native Matt Gorman, one of three freshmen on SU’s 2003 national championship team, said that the duo’s approach seems much like his two classmates that season, Carmelo Anthony and Gerry McNamara, who collectively led SU to its only national title that year.

“From our experience, it’s like you don’t know any better. It’s your first year, so you don’t understand how rare it is and how difficult it is to get that far,” said Gorman, a 6-foot-9 center/forward who appeared in nine games that season. “So they’re probably just riding it like: ‘This is how it’s supposed to be.’ That’s how we were, all coming off of good high school teams that went far in tournaments. They’re probably the same way, they don’t know anything different.”

Great point -- I mean look at everyone on this team right now. Cooney, G, DC have been around the longest:
2013 - Final 4 (DC, Cooney, G)
2014 - Lost in the 2nd round -- sucks but it happens (Roberson)
2015 - Ban
2016 - Final 4 (Mali, Lydon, Howard)

This team isn't full of players who have been in a tournament all 4 years and had tough exits or unexpected losses. UNC and Nova have players who have continuously faced the heartbreak and they can really see how hard it is to get this far. Last year sucked but knowing we couldn't get in the tourney anyway, I think it was easy to forget about last year.

3 of our players have been to 2 FF in 3 eligible NCAAT years
1 of them has been to a FF in 2 eligible years
3 of them have gone their first year

THen you look at guys like Brogdon, Brice Johnson, Paige, Archidiano, etc. who have been highly lauded for 4 years and been high seeds and never got to experience it until this year (sorry Brogdon). Just a different and unique experience for our group -- just hop0e we win on Monday night

 

[Cuse House]

Great point -- I mean look at everyone on this team right now. Cooney, G, DC have been around the longest:
2013 - Final 4 (DC, Cooney, G)
2014 - Lost in the 2nd round -- sucks but it happens (Roberson)
2015 - Ban
2016 - Final 4 (Mali, Lydon, Howard)

This team isn't full of players who have been in a tournament all 4 years and had tough exits or unexpected losses. UNC and Nova have players who have continuously faced the heartbreak and they can really see how hard it is to get this far. Last year sucked but knowing we couldn't get in the tourney anyway, I think it was easy to forget about last year.

3 of our players have been to 2 FF in 3 eligible NCAAT years
1 of them has been to a FF in 2 eligible years
3 of them have gone their first yera

Let's not forget, we won at Atlantis so they have won their only tourney in college to this point. They think they belong and that is all that matters. As GMac said in an interview about that '03 team, their team confidence was "borderline arrogance."

 

[cliftonparksufan]

on the ESPN page and other places, makes me wonder how he will reflect on this next week. A year ago, as an unassuming, unsung kid from a small town, he would never have imagined that, in April 2016, everyone in the college basketball world would know his name, his photo would be plastered everywhere, and he would be interviewed by the national press. I suspect he will pinch himself at least once to see if he wakes up from a dream (but still remain unassuming). Makes me smile.

You mean the Tyler Lydon who led the U18 team in rebounds despite playing a lot less minutes than his teammates, some of whom are on NBA rosters now. He's not as big a hick as we might think he is.
http://www.syracuse.com/orangebaske...canada_finishes_as_top_american_rebounde.html

 

[OrangeSky]

Players come to SU with an expectation of being in a big time winning program. They expect this and want to keep the train going.
They got this...

 

[NECuse]

Let's not forget, we won at Atlantis so they have won their only tourney in college to this point. They think they belong and that is all that matters. As GMac said in an interview about that '03 team, their team confidence was "borderline arrogance."

Well, when you ride with (1) one of the most talented players in program history, (2) one of the most athletic players in program history, and (3) the ballsiest player in program history, you can afford to be a little arrogant. And yes, (2) is Craig Forth for those of you wondering.

 

[stuckinbig11]

You mean the Tyler Lydon who led the U18 team in rebounds despite playing a lot less minutes than his teammates, some of whom are on NBA rosters now. He's not as big a hick as we might think he is.
http://www.syracuse.com/orangebaske...canada_finishes_as_top_american_rebounde.html

I never suggested "hick," just unassuming and not expecting personal national exposure.

 

[Cheriehoop]

You mean the Tyler Lydon who led the U18 team in rebounds despite playing a lot less minutes than his teammates, some of whom are on NBA rosters now. He's not as big a hick as we might think he is.
http://www.syracuse.com/orangebaske...canada_finishes_as_top_american_rebounde.html

I don't think he said nor meant that Tyler was a hick. I don't think anyone can confuse talent, skill with being young and dealing with sudden celebrity status. Carmelo still says winning his freshman year was surreal particularly being such a young team.

http://www.nola.com/ncaa/index.ssf/2012/03/freshman_carmelo_anthony_led_s.html

Hakim said this in 2012 reflecting back on 2003:
“It was something that you don’t see from a freshman,” said Warrick. “I know we were young, pretty much all young. I was a sophomore; we were all pretty much sophomores (three) and freshmen (four). The lone senior was Keith (Duany). Other than that, I think that us being so young, it kind of helped us. We were naïve and didn’t know how big an opportunity it was. We were just out there having fun, just everyone not expecting much from us because we were so young. We kind of just continued to just go and play."

I may be wrong but I think this was what was meant by the OP. Even Melo, who no one can say was ever a hick, can now more fully understand and appreciate the special accomplishment he had as a young freshman. Gorman's statement was a message about their youth not about where anyone was born nor their individual experiences.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

I never suggested "hick," just unassuming and not expecting personal national exposure.

Hey, trust me, this kid grew up in a very small town an hour from me that I had never heard of before (Elizaville). I had heard of Pine Plains before but only because of the Tom Carvel golf course that was there and at one point hosted LPGA events. And actually Elizaville is not even a town, and not even a village. It is considered a hamlet with a population of less than 2000 people. He really is a small town hick who went to a small town high school that has 1000 students in grades K-12. Shen, on the other hand where I live, has an enrollment of 9800 in K-12. The odds of someone who grew up in that small of a town to become as good as he has is very small. It's phenomenal. And to be as unassuming but also as personable as he is, is downright incredible.
http://www.pineplainsschools.org/about.cfm

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Let's not forget, we won at Atlantis so they have won their only tourney in college to this point. They think they belong and that is all that matters. As GMac said in an interview about that '03 team, their team confidence was "borderline arrogance."

Pitt says ?

 

[Cuse House]

Pitt says ?

Point taken. Don't know how I forgot about the ACC tourney. Maybe because we were hardly there