Who honestly has confidence in Mike Hopkins as the next HC

[two3zone]

Fair enough but Coach K does it all the time.

At the end of the day, Gmac played high school ball, college ball at SU and a handful of games as a pro.

I have no problem when he became a grad assistant and it may have been unfair to him to throw him in Bernie's spot so fast, but his position now as lead recruiter is kind of crazy considering 5 years ago his career was being a pitchman for car commercials with no prior coaching history.

 

[two3zone]

Duke gets top 10 players each year. Syracuse hasn't gotten a top 10 recruit since Donte Green.

We get top 30 guys. Duke gets multiple top 10 guys each year.

Even Dante was ranked 17 by ESPN.

 

[Ish88888]

Like 10% right now.

Two final fours, in a tournament that rewards flukey play, masks a whole lot of warts.

Very true. i have always thought that the hoops champ was the winner of a 3 week tournament while on the gridiron , consistent excellence is required for the entire 3 months of play.

 

[Eric15]

Very true. i have always thought that the hoops champ was the winner of a 3 week tournament

It's the ultimate Catch 22 of the NCAA Tournament. Its ridiculously entertaining, but it's also a ridiculously awful way to determine a champion.

 

[SU94]

What I've learned in this thread:

No understudy in the history of sport has ever succeeded, and since our own Scott Shafer did not, we are silly to even entertain the notion.

Prophetic words of wisdom, especially if one blatantly disregards the stellar coaching careers of Bill Parcells/NYG, Tom Izzo/MSU, Jim Boeheim/SU, Steve Fisher/Michigan, Bruce Bochy/Padres, Dusty Baker/SF Giants, Felipe Alou/Expos, Tommy Lasorda/Dodgers, Jerry Sloan/Bulls, Tom Kelly/Twins, all of whom received their first head coaching/managerial jobs after serving as understudies. I mean, I thought about this for all of 12 minutes and came up with that list. I could triple the size of it if I had an hour to waste.

Point is, understudies can and do succeed and win big IF they are the right choice. Hop is the perfect guy for this gig. He won't be a Jedi coaching master right out of the chute, but he is going to get the job done.

 

[OttoMets]

Pearl, DC, Billy, Melo [who wasn't in that top grouping when he commited] are the only ones I can think of who were rated that high.

Maybe Stephen Thompson was top 10. Wallace possibly? I don't think Greene was top 10, but could be wrong about that.

Edut--maybe Paul Harris, too?

Regardless, pretty short list.

Anyone remember where Autry was ranked? I know he was a McDonald's player but it sticks in my head that he was ranked pretty far up there.

 

[Melancer46]

I personally have no problem with the idea of Hopkins being the next head coach. I don't think we really have any reason to say he will or won't be a good coach. We simply know he's been a good recruiter.

I find it kind of funny that people are criticizing both Syracuse's recruiting and player development while Syracuse has been one of the most successful programs in the country for awhile now. Either Syracuse has done a good job in recruiting, or they've done a good job of player development. One way or another, we've had a lot of good teams.

 

[pearl31]

One way or another, we've had a lot of good teams.

yeah but that doesn't count because we lost 3 games already this year and Quade Green

 

[Oráiste]

yeah but that doesn't count because we lost 3 games already this year and Quade Green

it's not the 3 losses this season . . . it is that it looks like we're working on our 3rd consecutive double-digit loss season that ends with us on the bubble. Take the 4 March 2016 wins out of the equation and this is clearly a program at a low point. Add to that the big time recruiting misses of two guys we thought we were near locks for (Green and Bryant). You've got to chug a lot of orange kool aid to not think there is reason for real concern.

 

[Cowtown]

It's the ultimate Catch 22 of the NCAA Tournament. Its ridiculously entertaining, but it's also a ridiculously awful way to determine a champion.

And, "entertaining" is the operative word. Determining a national champion is an illusion, a chimera. Job One is to keep people believing that's what's happening while the NCAA makes scads of money. There will be no talk of a "better way" until the current form begins hemorrhaging.

The business of March Madness from hotel revenue in Las Vegas to increases in alcohol purchases, travel to games and advertising has increased every year for the last 10 years,” says Jon Price of Sports Information Traders. According to Price, the increase in advertising has been at an average rate of 8.21% every year for each of the past 10 years.

It is clear that not only are the fans ready to rock, so too are TV networks and advertisers. According to Kantar Media, since 2005 the annual NCAA Tournament has generated approximately $7.5 billion in TV advertising. Last year alone that figure was $1.13 billion, a 1.5% increase from the prior year, which is second to only the NFL Playoffs in total national TV ad revenue for post-season sports programming.

As of 1 week ago, advertisement inventory related to March Madness was 95% sold out across TV and online platforms. The business of March Madness is reaching new heights in 2015.​

The NCAA Mens' Basketball Tournament has a larger budget than most third world countries.

The March Madness Advertising Business Is Booming

 

[Cusefan0307]

It's the ultimate Catch 22 of the NCAA Tournament. Its ridiculously entertaining, but it's also a ridiculously awful way to determine a champion.

At least the conference champions get a chance to compete, unlike football.

 

[pearl31]

it's not the 3 losses this season . . . it is that it looks like we're working on our 3rd consecutive double-digit loss season that ends with us on the bubble. Take the 4 March 2016 wins out of the equation and this is clearly a program at a low point. Add to that the big time recruiting misses of two guys we thought we were near locks for (Green and Bryant). You've got to chug a lot of orange kool aid to not think there is reason for real concern.

so then pretty much every program outside of, say, UK, KU, Duke, etc (i.e. the typical bluebloods) has a real reason for concern - of which none of had to deal with the arbitrary ncaa hammer we're still dealing with

 

[Alsacs]

I personally have no problem with the idea of Hopkins being the next head coach. I don't think we really have any reason to say he will or won't be a good coach. We simply know he's been a good recruiter.

I find it kind of funny that people are criticizing both Syracuse's recruiting and player development while Syracuse has been one of the most successful programs in the country for awhile now. Either Syracuse has done a good job in recruiting, or they've done a good job of player development. One way or another, we've had a lot of good teams.

We have done well but we have left a NC on the table.
Francis has been saying we have given up nationally recruiting for just the I-95 corridor. We don't recruit top 10 players.

Our team has been competitive but I can be objective to see the House of Cards we have been on since 2014. I don't think we develop players well SINCE 2012. We have run a lot of players out and since the 25-0 start we are under .600 winning percentage. That isn't elite.

 

[Fly Rodder]

It's the ultimate Catch 22 of the NCAA Tournament. Its ridiculously entertaining, but it's also a ridiculously awful way to determine a champion.

Ideally, I think it should be a tournament of the conference champs in a double elimination or 3-games series over the course of a month. But that would also penalize conference with lots of good teams (e.g. UK and KU would always be in the tourney and the ACC would be a revolving door of Duke, Duke, UNC, SU/Louisville/VA/Miami every four years).

 

[Oráiste]

so then pretty much every program outside of, say, UK, KU, Duke, etc (i.e. the typical bluebloods) has a real reason for concern - of which none of had to deal with the arbitrary ncaa hammer we're still dealing with

do you really believe that every team outside of those three has had 3 consecutive double-digit loss, on-the-bubble seasons?

You can either take a long, cold analytical look at the state of the program, or you can enjoy a long, cool drink of kool aid.

 

[Fly Rodder]

We don't competitively recruit top 10 players.

Important distinction. Throwing out a few offers to guys ranked in the top-10 is very different than actively recruiting them and being favorites for them. Duke just got Wendell Carter ... and I don't think that was ever even a question as to whether he was going there. If we could get one guy like that every class, it would go a long way for the NBA talent component of a highly competitive team.

 

[Cusefan0307]

do you really believe that every team outside of those three has had 3 consecutive double-digit loss, on-the-bubble seasons?

You can either take a long, cold analytical look at the state of the program, or you can enjoy a long, cool drink of kool aid.

I'm not happy about the way things are going this year, but this is very hyperbolic.

Just go ask Seth Greenberg about the bubble. Heck UK was in the NIT themselves the year they had Nerlens.

 

[Cowtown]

I personally have no problem with the idea of Hopkins being the next head coach. I don't think we really have any reason to say he will or won't be a good coach. We simply know he's been a good recruiter.

I find it kind of funny that people are criticizing both Syracuse's recruiting and player development while Syracuse has been one of the most successful programs in the country for awhile now. Either Syracuse has done a good job in recruiting, or they've done a good job of player development. One way or another, we've had a lot of good teams.

Hopkins has to compete with,"Syracuse gets 12 feet of snow every year," which is the first thing out of the mouth of every recruiter he's competing against. And it's true. So, considering that, he does fairly well. We've almost always been a force with B-plusses and a few A-minuses.

The whole thing about player development bugs me. The onus if responsibility for development is on the player himself, for he has the greatest opportunity to benefit from it. Every coach knows how to teach shooting technique, footwork, post up skills, etc. Sometimes players buy in, sometimes they don't. For every Hakeem Warrick, there's at least one Terrence Roberts. You never know for sure.

So, recruiting, like player development, is invariably a crap shoot, and there's no such thing as "better recruiting." If a kid doesn't want to come to Syracuse, how are you going to make him do something he doesn't want to do? How can you make a player with no work ethic work at development? You just keep doing the best you can with what you've got.

 

[Alsacs]

I have said I wish the NCAA did like the UEFA Champions League during the season. All previous season champions 34 teams and then 30 other bids from the bigger conferences had tournaments during the season and widdle down to a best of 3.
It would make more money and would deliver compelling games and get the bigboys to travel to the smaller venues.

 

[pearl31]

do you really believe that every team outside of those three has had 3 consecutive double-digit loss, on-the-bubble seasons?

You can either take a long, cold analytical look at the state of the program, or you can enjoy a long, cool drink of kool aid.

lol yep those two options are all any of us have!
weird how you seem to ignore the bit about ncaa sanctions - probably no bearing on things right now though, I suppose...

 

[br801]

We have done well but we have left a NC on the table.
Francis has been saying we have given up nationally recruiting for just the I-95 corridor. We don't recruit top 10 players.

Our team has been competitive but I can be objective to see the House of Cards we have been on since 2014. I don't think we develop players well SINCE 2012. We have run a lot of players out and since the 25-0 start we are under .600 winning percentage. That isn't elite.

Everything's needs to break right to win a national championship. All you can do is put yourself in position to do so enough times and hope for the best. In that regard, SU has done well recently, with a few outstanding teams that were ultimately derailed by injury, suspension or questionable officiating, and others that far exceeded reasonable expectations and made nice runs.

 

[Fly Rodder]

lol yep those two options are all any of us have!
weird how you seem to ignore the bit about ncaa sanctions - probably no bearing on things right now though, I suppose...

What do you think is the biggest impact from the sanctions? Not having the recruiters on the road? The reduction in scholarships? The negative publicity?

 

[pearl31]

What do you think is the biggest impact from the sanctions? Not having the recruiters on the road? The reduction in scholarships? The negative publicity?

yep, all of those things. and I also think the the season it all went down (JB's hearing in front of the board, the self-imposed ban, penalties announcement) was a complete wash of a season, even with Rak's great play - and a shadow was then cast bigtime on recruiting and national perception, which we're still scrambling to recover from now

 

[Vorony]

I have said I wish the NCAA did like the UEFA Champions League during the season. All previous season champions 34 teams and then 30 other bids from the bigger conferences had tournaments during the season and widdle down to a best of 3.
It would make more money and would deliver compelling games and get the bigboys to travel to the smaller venues.

I love the concept in theory, but how would that account for all of the turnover on college teams (graduation, early departures to NBA, etc.)? So if Syracuse wins the ACC this year, they get an automatic bid to the tournament next year... but half the team might not be here. And if they didn't win the league last year and got left out of this year's tournament, that would suck for the players who busted their butts this year to win the league.

 

[Oráiste]

lol yep those two options are all any of us have!
weird how you seem to ignore the bit about ncaa sanctions - probably no bearing on things right now though, I suppose...

of course the sanctions are part of it, but that is no reason to pretend that we haven't fallen off the very high level of 2009-2013. and the sanctions were largely self-inflicted; the NCAA wouldn't have been hunting if we hadn't self-reported. and they wouldn't have been so severe if Daryl Gross hadn't blatantly interfered in Fab Melo's academic situation. Can't blame anyone else for that stupidity.

but by all means, go ahead and "don't worry be happy" if that's what gets you through the day