What we took for granted about JB.

[dasher]

One championship. 40 years

A lot of schools would kill for that. And we also had two other national championship appearances. And the two teams I thought were our best teams had two devastating blows right before the tournament. 2010 and 2012. We lost one game all year with Fab Melo playing. Would have been hard to beat that Kentucky team but we would have been able to give it a go and the 2010 team were a #1 seed as well and with Arinze would have been very tough for anyone to beat.

 

[orangecuse]

Look at the box score. Navy shot 52 FTs. Robinson, who was consistently 63% over all 4 of his years, was 21-27 that game. And he blocked 7 shots (how many he affected is much greater). And the fact the Orange was a only a 10 point favorite after winning by 22 in December hints that the odds makers thought something might be up.

So, are you now insinuating that you agree it was a considerable upset vs. your initial "wasn't much" sentiment? Seemingly, that's what your 52 free throws, 21-27 and 63% lifetime FT shooter is now implying as that's what it took.

Unless, of course, the odds makers knew the game was 'rigged' and that the refs were not only going to blow so many whistles against the Orangemen, but that Robinson was going to have the game of his life, especially from the charity stripe.

 

[Lame-0]

JAB is a top 15 college hoops coach ever

We can lament the end and the multiple probations but I never felt like he was going to be out coached during a game

I'm guessing you weren't around for his first ten years.

 

[Lame-0]

A lot of schools would kill for that. And we also had two other national championship appearances. And the two teams I thought were our best teams had two devastating blows right before the tournament. 2010 and 2012. We lost one game all year with Fab Melo playing. Would have been hard to beat that Kentucky team but we would have been able to give it a go and the 2010 team were a #1 seed as well and with Arinze would have been very tough for anyone to beat.

I've always thought the 2010 team was the best team we ever had.

 

[wiCuse]

One championship. 40 years

We're one of 18 programs to win a Natty in the past 40 years. I'll take it.

 

[wiCuse]

So if the Indiana meltdown doesn't happen, he's in rare territory. Still has the most conference wins in Big East history.

 

[tbonezone]

So if the Indiana meltdown doesn't happen, he's in rare territory. Still has the most conference wins in Big East history.

well he also coached many more BE games 1146 (1 natty) . next closest is jim calhoun at 874 ( 3 nattys) , jay wright at 717 ( 2 nattys) and john thompson 2 639 games and 1 natty. just for reference dan hurley won 2 after coaching only 191 games. he and jamie dixon also hold a higher BE winning % . and rick pitino has proved he can win everywhere he's gone. so while good, likely not the greatest BE coach ever. except in terms of tenure. and he's not even a blip on the all-time acc coaches board. did nothing there.

 

[wiCuse]

well he also coached many more BE games 1146 (1 natty) . next closest is jim calhoun at 874 ( 3 nattys) , jay wright at 717 ( 2 nattys) and john thompson 2 639 games and 1 natty. just for reference dan hurley won 2 after coaching only 191 games. he and jamie dixon also hold a higher BE winning % . and rick pitino has proved he can win everywhere he's gone. so while good, likely not the greatest BE coach ever. except in terms of tenure. and he's not even a blip on the all-time acc coaches board. did nothing there.

Okay, JB is #4 in win percentage and I believe that includes the garbage games taken away from him. I think he's pretty good no matter how you slice it. Yeah, the ending wasn't solid...

 

[swish7]

I gotta disagree here. History shows that the guy who takes over after the “guy” usually fails in s big way. If we had kept JB we would have probably have had slightly better results, but I doubt we would have been dancing. I also don’t think we would have Alex Kline to pound the portal or build the NIL infra because, remember, JB basically stopped trying in recruiting.

So if we had kept JB we would be in year three of continued frustration, limited NIL investment and looking forward to three years of Autry.

Firing JB accomplished one big thing. It started the three years clock on his successor. We had to do it.

When I look at the Mt Rushmore of Syracuse basketball, I see JAB. I don't see Alex Kline.

We've accomplished nothing.

 

[tbonezone]

When I look at the Mt Rushmore of Syracuse basketball, I see JAB. I don't see Alex Kline.

alex kline's seat has to be about as hot as autrys. we pay him for one thing. to be a superstar in the portal.
WE AIN'T !

 

[baggerbob]

No, that is how you are choosing to judge JB since it is by far the category that makes him look the worst. You are salty about how his time here ended and its role in the current situation. You are a fan in the first place because we were one of the elite teams in the country for a very long time.

From 1980-2012 JB had TEN big east regular season titles. The hardest conference in the sport and we were the best regular season team in that conference almost a third of the time! His big east regular season record is by far the best of any team during that time. So the argument people make that we just got our wins against cupcakes is BS.

And for the people who argue that we coasted on talent and didn't do it with coaching, Jerami Grant just became like only the third (edit-4th) guy from cuse EVER to hit 10,000 points in the league. Oshae Brissett is a top 20 cuse NBA player!! His teams were not packed with future NBA studs, and we still had an insane run in the toughest conference in the sport. You are blinded by the last 10-12 years. I understand why given how bad it had been, but still, acting like JB was not an elite coach is weak sauce.

JB by any measure was a great HOF 1st ballot coach. He just got lazy and old and stayed too long. That's why I retired from my lifetime job at 55, after 28 years. Didn't want to stay and get worse at what I was doing. But worked at a number of other jobs before finally stopping at 76.

 

[OrangeFoo]

When I look at the Mt Rushmore of Syracuse basketball, I see JAB. I don't see Alex Kline.

We've accomplished nothing.

If you look only at the last decade of JAB’s career in isolation what do you see? I see a coach not willing to do what it takes to build a winning, elite program. Alex Kline the individual is not the point and while I think he’s decent at his job he is completely replaceable. The point is his job and role being staffed and a part of the hoops program is one important piece of the puzzle needed to build an elite program in today’s world. If JAB was still here I bet dollars to donuts the Alex Kline position would not be and we would be starting from scratch on the nil front.

From a coaching standpoint you are absolutely correct, we have accomplished nothing and are even more irrelevant than 3 years ago. But now the next coach has something to build on from a nil perspective and now the university can rip the bandaid off on the jab era. Again that would not have happened if jb were still coach.

 

[swish7]

If you look only at the last decade of JAB’s career in isolation what do you see? I see a coach not willing to do what it takes to build a winning, elite program. Alex Kline the individual is not the point and while I think he’s decent at his job he is completely replaceable. The point is his job and role being staffed and a part of the hoops program is one important piece of the puzzle needed to build an elite program in today’s world. If JAB was still here I bet dollars to donuts the Alex Kline position would not be and we would be starting from scratch on the nil front.

From a coaching standpoint you are absolutely correct, we have accomplished nothing and are even more irrelevant than 3 years ago. But now the next coach has something to build on from a nil perspective and now the university can rip the bandaid off on the jab era. Again that would not have happened if jb were still coach.

I'm probably wrong and its a pointless argument, but it just bothers me that our legend was forced out and replaced with a bad coach.

You might be right on the NIL stuff. I don't know the timing of when all that started. I feel like JB would have accepted the new reality, but maybe he didn't. Feels like it all was happening at the same time.

I'm not sure why JB stagnated, but yeah the ACC has been terrible for us. I actually enjoyed watching his son's play. Thought they were high IQ players on offense. But, I'm sure I'm forgetting a lack of athleticism & getting beat on D.

Anyhow, I hope they take this next coaching search more seriously.

 

[longtimefan]

If you look only at the last decade of JAB’s career in isolation what do you see? I see a coach not willing to do what it takes to build a winning, elite program. Alex Kline the individual is not the point and while I think he’s decent at his job he is completely replaceable. The point is his job and role being staffed and a part of the hoops program is one important piece of the puzzle needed to build an elite program in today’s world. If JAB was still here I bet dollars to donuts the Alex Kline position would not be and we would be starting from scratch on the nil front.

From a coaching standpoint you are absolutely correct, we have accomplished nothing and are even more irrelevant than 3 years ago. But now the next coach has something to build on from a nil perspective and now the university can rip the bandaid off on the jab era. Again that would not have happened if jb were still coach.

Pure speculation.

 

[elimunelson]

Love you Swish, but I think this is a bad take.

Both deserved firing.

The replacements were horrific in both cases.

But that’s a completely different issue.

Why was P deserving of a firing? He won the big east in his final season. We had a few down years.

Boeheim exit had a few natural moments . One was when he forced us into another probation. The other was the first probation. Those embarassed rhe school

Once you marry yourself to a legend it’s hard to not work with them on a more proper exit. That was on wildhack as administrator. It was done half witted and then he ran a non process to find the least qualified successor

 

[Dcuse]

alex kline's seat has to be about as hot as autrys. we pay him for one thing. to be a superstar in the portal.
WE AIN'T !

The guy has been here for one season and he GREATLY improved the talent. He’s on the hot seat? Wow dude.

 

[FrancoPizza]

Unfortunately, I think the truth is he did much to build the program and a lot to tear it back down.

Truth. Where you leave things for your successor is just as important as the body of work.

 

[orangecuse]

i wasn't able to watch that navy NCAAT game cuz i was traveling to visit friends . but i can still remember losing my mind listening on I-90 and being pissed as hell when i arrived. no hellos went straight to their fridge.

I wasn't able to either as I was traveling back to school that particular Sunday afternoon. I was so pissed and in such a bad mood myself, and dudes I was traveling back with were rubbing it in as they weren't Syracuse fans. Thought for sure with Pearl and all, and two thought to be cupcake type games in the Dome and as the #2 seed, we were a shoe in Sweet 16 team.

Those were still the JB being a "great recruiter" and just an "okay" type coach, with the so-called, "monkey on his back." After that Navy tournament debacle, many fans and had their pitchforks out.