Reply to thread

Message

[QUOTE="pfister1, post: 310038, member: 285"]
From the CBS article linked by OE:
 
He was a marginal pro but a pretty good piece while playing for Jim Boeheim. He's also a pretty smart guy. [B]He is aware that without the NCAA and Syracuse, he likely doesn't earn millions playing a game.[/B]
 
This is the part that I don't agree with. Without the NBA he doesn't earn millions. Without the athlete the NBA isn't the NBA, but colleges are not a necessary intermediary, they are just the one that has been chosen at the moment. Tomorrow the NBA could decide to spend some money on a minor league system and never allow another NBA prospect to play an NCAA game again and the NBA would still function pretty much as is. Did Syracuse make Etan the player he became. It certainly had a hand in training him and giving him exposure, but I'm not a big believer that JB did anything that wouldn't have happened elsewhere. JB isn't exactly known for producing NBA talents. I don't mean to take anything away from JB, he is obviously known for winning college basketball games, but his track record in sending guys to the next level over the years doesn't really separate him from others. I guess my point is that maybe SU needed Etan more than Etan needed SU... now discuss.
[/QUOTE]

Verification

What is a Syracuse fan's favorite color?