Welcome to Syracuse, BJ Johnson

[Toga]

Cooler than the other side of the pillow on those late free throws.

 

[albanycuse]

I find cases like this extremely interesting. Watching a player look completely lost for the first 3 months of the season, and just suddenly start playing legit D1 basketball is just crazy to me. Is it just a confidence thing? Gets a few extra minutes, makes a couple nice plays, and it just snowballs exponentially? BJ nailed a random 3 a couple games ago, and now we have tonight. Amazing.

Its all confidence and feeling comfortable out there. It happens to players every year.

 

[albanycuse]

As I said last year, he should have red shirted. His whole career would look different to him if he was a freshman this year.

Yes he should have but i dont think he wanted too. Who knows..

 

[kcsu]

Amazing what happens when a kid is allowed to play without looking over his shoulder and actually gets some confidence. He is going to be a monster in two years.

 

[81South]

Happy for the kid. He is going in the right direction for sure.

 

[HOFCeluck]

I don't like ripping kids, especially kids who are younger than your average college sophomore...and the stuff directed at BJ was particularly brutal.

 

[longislandcuse]

I didn't see the game but i'll gladly eat crow when it comes to this dude. Ballin hard lately! Next year becomes REAL interesting if he continues to progress and put work in with the weight room.

If we land Bryant and are looking at:

G-Cooney-BJJ-McCullough-Bryant

Kaleb-Richardson-Roberson-Diagne-DC2

Oh lawdddddd....

 

[JCDATHIRD]

I didn't see the game but i'll gladly eat crow when it comes to this dude. Ballin hard lately! Next year becomes REAL interesting if he continues to progress and put work in with the weight room.

If we land Bryant and are looking at:

G-Cooney-BJJ-McCullough-Bryant

Kaleb-Richardson-Roberson-Diagne-DC2

Oh lawdddddd...

I think this is the ideal outlook for SU. This is a top 5 team, maybe...
For this lineup to exist though, Patterson will have to transfer. Not sure I am rooting for that. He committed to Cuse, lets commit to him and not "push him out."

That said, this roster without Bryant is still a top 20 team all year. DC2 can play 25 mins at center, McC can play 10 and Big O can play 5.
The shooting this team will have will be awesome. Please God make sure Lydon redshirts.

 

[albanycuse]

I didn't see the game but i'll gladly eat crow when it comes to this dude. Ballin hard lately! Next year becomes REAL interesting if he continues to progress and put work in with the weight room. If we land Bryant and are looking at: G-Cooney-BJJ-McCullough-Bryant Kaleb-Richardson-Roberson-Diagne-DC2 Oh lawdddddd...

Get your paper plates ready because youre about to eat a lot of crow next year.

 

[pfister1]

I think this is the ideal outlook for SU. This is a top 5 team, maybe...
For this lineup to exist though, Patterson will have to transfer. Not sure I am rooting for that. He committed to Cuse, lets commit to him and not "push him out."

That said, this roster without Bryant is still a top 20 team all year. DC2 can play 25 mins at center, McC can play 10 and Big O can play 5.
The shooting this team will have will be awesome. Please God make sure Lydon redshirts.

It's funny everyone wanted to push either Patterson, BJ or Obokoh out the door to make room for Bryant. In reality we should be looking at reusing DCII's scholly for Bryant, not other guys. If DC II can truly play and the staff should know that given that he has been working out then we don't necessarily need Bryant next season. We'll have DCII, McCullough, Diagne and Obokoh. IF DC II isn't going to be healthy and isn't going to contribute then we need Bryant and we should look at putting DC II on an academic scholarship somewhere else within the University. Because if he can't play at 100% by next season, he done.

 

[Eric15]

I don't like ripping kids, especially kids who are younger than your average college sophomore...and the stuff directed at BJ was particularly brutal.

I disagree, Doc. I think the treatment that Troy Nunes and Craig Forth received could be appropriately classified as brutal, but I think the board's frustration with BJ was reasonable and proportional to his play on the court, and was often softened out of respect for his Dad.

I couldn't be happier for him. He seems like a wonderful kid and I'm confident he can transition into a D-Nic type player as an upperclassman.

 

[cuseguy]

Get rid of Cooney. I'm sure we can find a basketball-playing Golden Retriever somewhere for his scholly.

Again, where does BJ play next year?

SF over G?

Maybe 2 minutes a game.

 

[HOFCeluck]

I disagree, Doc. I think the treatment that Troy Nunes and Craig Forth received could be appropriately classified as brutal, but I think the board's frustration with BJ was reasonable and proportional to his play on the court, and was often softened out of respect for his Dad.

I couldn't be happier for him. He seems like a wonderful kid and I'm confident he can transition into a D-Nic type player as an upperclassman.

I don't know. Saying he can't "play at this level" and "he should go to Marist." considering his age and the time it was said (January of his Soph year, after getting negligible PT his frosh year) I think exceeded just run of the mill frustration. He doesn't get murdered to the extent that Forth did or Cooney does, but I think it was over the top.

 

[ebucklewis]

As I said last year, he should have red shirted. His whole career would look different to him if he was a freshman this year.

It might have been better for the team/roster if he redshirted - but it may be better for BJ that he didn't redshirt.
He still has that card to play if he needs it.

 

[dasher]

It might have been better for the team/roster if he redshirted - but it may be better for BJ that he didn't redshirt.
He still has that card to play if he needs it.

If he was a frosh, he would be a center piece going forward. He still will be an important player for us but damn, I think it would be best for all if he had red shirted.