Who are you most angry with?

[UBSU]

At the end of the day, there is one common denominator that governs the success or failure of SU basketball over the same 46 years and that’s JB. Chancellors, ADs, BOT members and assistant coaches have all come and gone, but JB doesn’t seem to take personal responsibility. It’s always someone else’s fault. The buck stops with him, but he doesn’t look at it that way. The game that once was, has long passed him by. And he’s leaving it up to the other people to tell him he needs to go?

He (and some fans) can point fingers at other factors; young players, NIL, etc., but JB is the head coach and it stops with him.

Sad how incoming freshmen really have no knowledge of the powerhouse Syracuse basketball once was.
Instead of handing over the reins of a successful program to the next HC, JB has stayed too long and has let the program sink into irrelevance.

Lots of work ahead (and time), for the next coach to bring the program (and fans) back.

 

[kirbivore]

World of difference, JB is pushing 80, his being gone is a near term certainty. A new coach must be named and at this juncture the sooner the better.
I have seen this story before and it never ends well for the elderly coach or his program. Depaul and Ray Meyer immediately come to mind.

Off the top of my head I can only remember one legend retiring that went well. Dean Smith's final season 1997 was a Final Four team. The team he left behind also was a Final Four team in 1998. Of course it then slipped under the long time assistant Gutheridge then cratered under Dohrety before they hired Roy and fake classed their way back to success.

 

[kirbivore]

I’m not angry at all.

I’m pretty disinterested though.

Mostly because we’re uninteresting but partly because the sport itself has become uninteresting.

I’ll watch March Madness because it’s still a fun tradition. But I haven’t watched one single non SU college hoops game this year. I’ve probably only watched about 75% of ours.

I'll watch non SU college hoops games but that's because of gambling.

 

[Cusecuse44]

Tough question... I'm inclined to say JB, but I also understand how hard it is to walk away from coaching. Combine that with being screwed royally by the NCAA I really do undertand why he wants to stay and try to win to get back at them.

That said, I wish he could have the forsight to see what this stance is doing to the program. The decline isn't even debatable anymore. I wish folks like Wildhack and others could sit him down and remind him he doesn't need to prove anything to ANYBODY. He got guys to come to the snowiest US city in the country and built a program from virtually nothing. He's had more wins than anyone in D1 mens college hoops, and Syracuse isn't even a blue blood. That's remarkable.

At this point I guess I am going to place equal blame on JB and Wildhack. This decline has gone on long enough. Sometimes it's just time to put the ego aside. I want JB to be remembered for his brilliance, loyalty, and resilience not his ego, defensiveness and inability to know when to hang up the cleats.

It all just sucks... it hurts, its sad, and it didn't have to happen. Let's right the ship, somehow.

 

[kirbivore]

Who am I most angry at?

I think it’s that ref who called the tuck rule against the Raiders. Without that call, Tom Brady’s career (hopefully) dies shortly after and over a decade of football wouldn’t have been lost to that butthole.

Or maybe I’m most angry at his parents for creating him? Not sure

All good points but this Raiders fan is mad at Gruden. It never should have gotten to that point. Raiders prior possession had 2nd and 1. One more first down it's game over. Pats were out of timeouts so if the Tuck rule play happens before 2:00 warning they can't challenge. Anyway the meathead runs his fullback into the line twice for no gain, then does a cowardly punt. Hey Chucky your know there's two future HOF receivers on the field. You think Gannon couldn't execute a quick slant to either Rice or Brown with the Pats selling out to stop the run?

 

[IthacaMatt]

I'll watch non SU college hoops games but that's because of gambling.

Gambling on college basketball seems really hard because of all the player turnover and the millions of games that are on TV. Back in the old Big East days, it was easy to see your betting opportunities, because you knew pretty much all the players on all of the teams.

Now, I don't know how you'd feel like you could gain an advantage over the line. It used to be in Big East days, betting on SU as an early season road underdog was a very good bet, because home court advantages used to be overrated a bit, and Boeheim had that uncanny knack for winning close games.

 

[MSOrange]

 

[FRANKIEFAN]

Wildhack.

I don't think the last 2 years play out any other way TBH Buddy was good enough and Jimmy lost a year of college ball that the two of them on the team last year was always going to happen and JB would never say no to that. We've still had some decent tournament runs program isnt' waht it is and I'd rather change coaches every 2 years until we get it right than stick with JB but I'll give him a pass on the last couple of years once hes done. If we hadn't had the 2021 run I'm not even sure I'm mad about the last 2 years as they would have been pretty much exactly as expected.

Objectively we get all of the bad with Wildhack that Gross brought (selling out home games to be played in NYC and making them automatic Ls) but none of the branding. We couldn't play on ESPN less than we do currently and we are still .500 in the ACC. I like Dino but we can't retain assistants if they are any good. Lax looks like the most obvious hire that was never going to work out.

Let him pick a new BB coach and see how he does and give Dino 2 more years we can't move on after this year and who can realistically step into the FB job in 2024 with that schedule. If early returns are bad on basketball get a new AD who will have to hire for both programs.

If he nails the new BB hire everything will look a lot different and better.

 

[Millhouse]

One thing that can't be overlooked is all the fools gold that we received post 2014. Look that 2016 run to the Final Four was a ton of fun but in the big picture you could make an argument it did more harm than good. 2018 or 2021 runs to the Sweet 16. Again fun but these were teams that barely made the tournament. If either or both of those teams don't make it maybe it's Hop that is roaming the sidelines and things are much different.

Trading final for appearances for Mike Hopkins?
No

 

[Millhouse]

OK. But what about attendance, and fans who are not so zen-like about our program's collapse into a laughingstock?

I do consider the fans that think we are a laughingstock for being a 500 team

I consider them to be idiotic babies but I do consider them

 

[M2MPrinciples]

I'm sure they'll ask all the tough questions. ;-)

 

[grepal]

For me it’s simple. I’m not sure I’m angry exactly (well maybe!) but I am very disappointed to see teams game after game shoot 30-40 threes and keep making between 40-50% of them. It’s just unacceptable.

I have come around to what many people have seen the lat few years. The zone is not a bad defense in and of itself, however, with the ability of so many shooters to hit from deep, really deep I don't see how a zone team which gets into the tournament can win
The chances of getting six teams to be cold from deep is pretty slim. Probably 2 or 3 percent. I blame Steph Curry. I coach middle school kids and they hoist threes from so deep they can't hit the rim. Problem is they think they can do it.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I do consider the fans that think we are a laughingstock for being a 500 team

I consider them to be idiotic babies but I do consider them

It's about the money lost to the university.
How many sports programs might they have to cancel if attendance completely collapses?
Lowest attendance in 20 years. Next year, probably we'll lose 1/3 of that.

 

[BigNastyJon]

I'm sure they'll ask all the tough questions. ;-)

Odds Wildhack mentions Boeheims built up equity?