It has been well documented on various message boards and blogs that one of the major reasons Syracuse was more successful this season was because of improved line play. I am taking this a step further and saying it is THE reason for the success. All the changes we made offensively starting with the faster pace was made possible because of the offensive line. You can have quarterback who can throw the ball into a garbage can from sixty yards away, running backs and wide receivers who can run 4.3, but without someone blocking the defenders none of it matters.
The biggest improvement can be seen in one individual, Macky MacPherson. From the day he was offered a scholarship people said it was only because of his last name. Many big time colleges give special consideration to so-called "Legacy" recruits. I saw Macky play in high school on several occasions and I thought he was a decent lineman with pretty good size. Football skills can be taught, strength and quickness can be gained. Size is something you either have or don't have. His pretty good size and, I am not going to kid anyone, probably to a certain extent his last name led to his scholarship at SU. I have no problem with SU honoring their past by offering a borderline Division I player a scholarship, because of what his family have done for the program.
Anyone who has ever looked for a job can tell you that "who you know" is a big part of landing an interview and sometimes a big part of getting hired. I have personal experience with this, my father and grandfather have a combined 450 plus wins as head football coaches at the high school level. I interviewed for several head coaching jobs right out of college with an okay resume, high school assistant coach and a year as a Division III defensive line coach, but nothing spectacular. I have no doubt that the success of my father and grandfather played a large role in me getting interviewed. However, people are not going to put their own jobs and futures at risk just because of who you are, who you know or who you are related to. If it was deemed that I was not a good fit and couldn't handle the job I would not have been hired. If it later it was deemed that I was not doing an adequate job I wouldn't be appointed the following year.
I like the saying, "Who you know may get your foot in the door, but it is up to you to open the door and stay inside." This holds true with many people in the world. I believe this holds true for Macky MacPherson. He may have gotten a chance because of his grandfather. However, he worked hard to get stronger, quicker and turn himself into a legitimate Division I starting offensive lineman. He made the most of his opportunity and was a major reason why Ryan Nassib went from having happy feet and major o-line trust issues last year to a possible early round draft pick this year.
I hope all of the players on the SU team take advantage of their opportunities. It doesn't matter how or why you got there, it only matters what you do when you arrive.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Sayonara, Big East Football
Let's not kid ourselves and claim leaving the Big East had anything to do with something other than money. As much as the NCAA tries to claim college athletics is about STUDENT-athletes, we all know money drives college athletics. The program that brings in the most money is football. Be it from television deals, bowl games, concession sales, or the simple fact that in most cases four or five times the number of fans attend football games than other sports, football brings money into the universities.
When Syracuse had the opportunity to leave the Big East for the ACC it really was not a tough decision. The Big East is and will always be a basketball conference and for most of the last five to ten years, arguably, the best basketball conference. The power that football holds over the conferences is illustrated by the simple fact that even in non-football sports the major conferences are referred to as "BCS Conferences" which only really applies to football. Of the major football conferences the Big East, fairly or not, has been viewed as the weak link.
If you have read any of my previous blog postings, you know that I am not convinced the ACC is that much of an upgrade over the Big East in terms of football competition. Granted, this is a dangerous thing to say since tomorrow we could find out that next year's expected Big East never comes to fruition. San Diego State, Houston, and Boise State certainly don't fit the geography of the Big East and they could very well find a way out of joining the conference much like TCU.
The ACC does offer a high level of competition in all major sports (even with the loss of Maryland) and should bring more money into the university than the Big East. Moving to the ACC was and still is a great decision. However, with the ever changing landscape of college conferences, things could certainly change quickly. After all Rutgers and their decade of "success" have been invited to join the Big Ten!
As a lifelong Syracuse fan and 2002 graduate, I will always have a love of the Big East. As I type this Pittsburgh is leading Rutgers at the half and UConn is leading Louisville at the half. These are two of the three things that would have to happen in order for the Orange to earn a share of the Big East Championship. I can think of nothing more fitting that leaving the Big East as Champion.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
"Too Early to Really Tell" 2012-13 Basketball Preview
March 14, is known as Pi Day to mathematicians. As a Syracuse basketball fan I can no longer celebrate Pi Day with the same fervor I had in the past. This is because on March 14, 2012 it was officially announced that Fab Melo was ineligible for the NCAA Tournament. To me March 14 is the day that my alma mater and main source of athletic entertainment during the winter months moved from Final Four favorite to just a member of the pack. The rumors flew rampant about why Melo was ineligible, but the reason really didn't/doesn't matter. The fact was that Syracuse had been bitten by the "starting center out for the NCAA tournament" bug again!
One thing that Fab Melo helped prove is that our coaches know how to evaluate high school talent, know how to recruit, and know how to quickly develop players. In a single off season Melo went from a token starter, who logged about twenty seconds in one game, to the difference between a Final Four appearance and possibly even a National Championship and a team that squeaked by into the Elite Eight. I was very disappointed in the ending of 2011-12 season. However, because of the knowledge and skill set of our coaching staff I knew the future would be very bright.
I chose now to post my preview because we are finally done with our exhibition schedule. I know that the San Diego State game counted, but the whole idea of playing outside in the sun and wind and on a court with obvious dead and live spots forces me to view it as an exhibition game. Am I glad we got to play in one of these games on an aircraft carrier? Absolutely! (But once is enough.) Do I think we could really tell what type of team we have based on that game? Absolutely not!
From watching our first three contests I was able to make some "too early to really tell" observations about our players and overall team. It should be noted that these are based on three exhibition type games and my observations and ideas of the team could drastically change throughout the season.
STARTERS
Michael Carter Williams showed signs of why many Syracuse fans are so psyched about him. On several occasions when he took it to the hoop he looked nearly unstoppable. There were also other times when he tried to force shots. His shot looked pretty good the first two games, but in the outdoor conditions he seemed to change his technique and didn't look nearly as good. Hopefully, that adjustment doesn't mess with his shot for the rest of the year. Based simply on watching him dribble, especially when pressured, he doesn't look like that great of a ball handler. However, the only times he really lost control of the ball was more of a result of him forcing the action than because of the defenders. I look for him to have an up and down season, similar to Scoop Jardine. With that being said, I don't believe his down games will be anywhere near Scoop's down games and I believe his up games will be much higher than Scoop's up games.
Brandon Triche does everything very well, but nothing great. Despite his shortcomings, I have always thought the Syracuse fan base has been too harsh when criticizing Triche. Admittedly, he does "disappear" during games, but that is no different than what Kris Joseph did throughout his career and even last year as a senior (most notably against Ohio State). I really think Triche makes the team go at times. He does a lot of little things that go unnoticed. On several occasions already this season he has stopped mini runs on his own by taking the ball to the hoop. I think when he is having a good day he can be our most important player. The thing I look for him this year is to continue to make a positive impact on the game when he is having an off day by doing the little things that go unnoticed by many.
C.J. Fair is often compared to Josh Pace, probably because they are both left handed. I also think their games are very similar. Both are above average rebounders and both do an excellent job taking the ball to the hoop and finishing with a basket. The main difference and the thing that I believe makes Fair better than Pace is shooting. Fair developed a mid range jump shot last season and seems to have developed an above average three point shot this season. Now, I wouldn't want Coach B to draw up a last second play with Fair shooting a three for the win, but I have no problem with him shooting 3-4 three pointers in any given game. The development of his shot will also make it easier for him to drive to the hoop since defenders can no longer sit back and wait when Fair has the ball on the perimeter.
Rakeem Christmas had freshman season much like Fab Melo's. He started most games, but in most games he only played a few minutes. Right now he looks to be the most improved player on the team. He seems more confident and looks to have a better understanding of what is expected of him on both offense and defense. I am not sure he will have the same impact Melo has as a sophomore, but I do expect him to showcase his athleticism on a regular basis this season.
Dajuan Coleman reminds me of a young Etan Thomas or Arinze Onuaku. If memory serves me early in his career Etan had a lot of talent, but also got into a lot of foul trouble. I think Coleman can make big contributions in many games throughout the season if he is able to stay out of foul trouble. He seems to have a decent offensive game, isn't afraid to crash the boards and moves fairly well on defense. However, all of these perceived skills won't matter if Coleman picks up two quick fouls in the first four minutes of games.
BENCH PLAYERS
Baye Keita is going to give everything he has every time he steps on the court. He hustles on defense and while rebounding. He works hard to set screens and get position in the post. He is very athletic. He also picks up some bad fouls from time to time and his catching ability has been questionable. Granted it is only three games, but he seems to be catching the ball better both rebounding and from passes so far this season. If he can improve on the way he played as a freshman and the way he ended last season he will be able to help the Orange win games this season.
James Southerland seems to have accepted his role as a career role player. When he comes into the game he plays with a lot of energy and excitement. A lot of times this leads to made three pointers, thunderous dunks and crazy blocks. Sometimes it also leads to playing out of control, firing threes when he is off and silly fouls. If James can harness his energy and funnel it through the plethora of positives in his game he can be much like Scoop, Joseph and maybe even Waiters were when they came off the bench.
Trevor Cooney had high expectations put on him before ever taking a shot this season. Many fans feel he can be a deadly three point shooter. To be honest, I haven't seen enough of him yet to make a judgement. His shooting technique seems very nice, but a few shots against Bloomsburgh in the Dome and a few minutes against SDSU in the sun and wind really didn't give me a lot to go on.
Jerami Grant seems to be going down the same road James Southerland and Preston Shumpert did their freshmen seasons. Both were talented as freshman and later in their careers very good players, but both also went stretches in the season without ever leaving the bench. I think Grant will get 5 minutes here and 8 minutes there, but unless he develops in the non-Big East games, I can see him never leaving the bench for long stretches of the season once Conference games begin.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I think we have a nice mix of shooters (Southerland, Triche, MCW, Cooney) and bangers (Christmas, Keita, Coleman, Fair). We have guys who can slash to the hoop at any time (MCW, Triche, Fair). We have some experienced players (Triche, Keita, Southerland, Fair, Christmas) and some inexperienced players (Grant, Cooney, MCW, Coleman). We have all the pieces championship teams look for. If we can avoid major letdowns against lesser opponents and continue to improve from game to game, I believe we can be as good or better than last season. After the 2009-10 and 2011-12 seasons I guess my main hope should be that our starting center is playing in the NCAA Tournament!
One thing that Fab Melo helped prove is that our coaches know how to evaluate high school talent, know how to recruit, and know how to quickly develop players. In a single off season Melo went from a token starter, who logged about twenty seconds in one game, to the difference between a Final Four appearance and possibly even a National Championship and a team that squeaked by into the Elite Eight. I was very disappointed in the ending of 2011-12 season. However, because of the knowledge and skill set of our coaching staff I knew the future would be very bright.
I chose now to post my preview because we are finally done with our exhibition schedule. I know that the San Diego State game counted, but the whole idea of playing outside in the sun and wind and on a court with obvious dead and live spots forces me to view it as an exhibition game. Am I glad we got to play in one of these games on an aircraft carrier? Absolutely! (But once is enough.) Do I think we could really tell what type of team we have based on that game? Absolutely not!
From watching our first three contests I was able to make some "too early to really tell" observations about our players and overall team. It should be noted that these are based on three exhibition type games and my observations and ideas of the team could drastically change throughout the season.
STARTERS
Michael Carter Williams showed signs of why many Syracuse fans are so psyched about him. On several occasions when he took it to the hoop he looked nearly unstoppable. There were also other times when he tried to force shots. His shot looked pretty good the first two games, but in the outdoor conditions he seemed to change his technique and didn't look nearly as good. Hopefully, that adjustment doesn't mess with his shot for the rest of the year. Based simply on watching him dribble, especially when pressured, he doesn't look like that great of a ball handler. However, the only times he really lost control of the ball was more of a result of him forcing the action than because of the defenders. I look for him to have an up and down season, similar to Scoop Jardine. With that being said, I don't believe his down games will be anywhere near Scoop's down games and I believe his up games will be much higher than Scoop's up games.
Brandon Triche does everything very well, but nothing great. Despite his shortcomings, I have always thought the Syracuse fan base has been too harsh when criticizing Triche. Admittedly, he does "disappear" during games, but that is no different than what Kris Joseph did throughout his career and even last year as a senior (most notably against Ohio State). I really think Triche makes the team go at times. He does a lot of little things that go unnoticed. On several occasions already this season he has stopped mini runs on his own by taking the ball to the hoop. I think when he is having a good day he can be our most important player. The thing I look for him this year is to continue to make a positive impact on the game when he is having an off day by doing the little things that go unnoticed by many.
C.J. Fair is often compared to Josh Pace, probably because they are both left handed. I also think their games are very similar. Both are above average rebounders and both do an excellent job taking the ball to the hoop and finishing with a basket. The main difference and the thing that I believe makes Fair better than Pace is shooting. Fair developed a mid range jump shot last season and seems to have developed an above average three point shot this season. Now, I wouldn't want Coach B to draw up a last second play with Fair shooting a three for the win, but I have no problem with him shooting 3-4 three pointers in any given game. The development of his shot will also make it easier for him to drive to the hoop since defenders can no longer sit back and wait when Fair has the ball on the perimeter.
Rakeem Christmas had freshman season much like Fab Melo's. He started most games, but in most games he only played a few minutes. Right now he looks to be the most improved player on the team. He seems more confident and looks to have a better understanding of what is expected of him on both offense and defense. I am not sure he will have the same impact Melo has as a sophomore, but I do expect him to showcase his athleticism on a regular basis this season.
Dajuan Coleman reminds me of a young Etan Thomas or Arinze Onuaku. If memory serves me early in his career Etan had a lot of talent, but also got into a lot of foul trouble. I think Coleman can make big contributions in many games throughout the season if he is able to stay out of foul trouble. He seems to have a decent offensive game, isn't afraid to crash the boards and moves fairly well on defense. However, all of these perceived skills won't matter if Coleman picks up two quick fouls in the first four minutes of games.
BENCH PLAYERS
Baye Keita is going to give everything he has every time he steps on the court. He hustles on defense and while rebounding. He works hard to set screens and get position in the post. He is very athletic. He also picks up some bad fouls from time to time and his catching ability has been questionable. Granted it is only three games, but he seems to be catching the ball better both rebounding and from passes so far this season. If he can improve on the way he played as a freshman and the way he ended last season he will be able to help the Orange win games this season.
James Southerland seems to have accepted his role as a career role player. When he comes into the game he plays with a lot of energy and excitement. A lot of times this leads to made three pointers, thunderous dunks and crazy blocks. Sometimes it also leads to playing out of control, firing threes when he is off and silly fouls. If James can harness his energy and funnel it through the plethora of positives in his game he can be much like Scoop, Joseph and maybe even Waiters were when they came off the bench.
Trevor Cooney had high expectations put on him before ever taking a shot this season. Many fans feel he can be a deadly three point shooter. To be honest, I haven't seen enough of him yet to make a judgement. His shooting technique seems very nice, but a few shots against Bloomsburgh in the Dome and a few minutes against SDSU in the sun and wind really didn't give me a lot to go on.
Jerami Grant seems to be going down the same road James Southerland and Preston Shumpert did their freshmen seasons. Both were talented as freshman and later in their careers very good players, but both also went stretches in the season without ever leaving the bench. I think Grant will get 5 minutes here and 8 minutes there, but unless he develops in the non-Big East games, I can see him never leaving the bench for long stretches of the season once Conference games begin.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I think we have a nice mix of shooters (Southerland, Triche, MCW, Cooney) and bangers (Christmas, Keita, Coleman, Fair). We have guys who can slash to the hoop at any time (MCW, Triche, Fair). We have some experienced players (Triche, Keita, Southerland, Fair, Christmas) and some inexperienced players (Grant, Cooney, MCW, Coleman). We have all the pieces championship teams look for. If we can avoid major letdowns against lesser opponents and continue to improve from game to game, I believe we can be as good or better than last season. After the 2009-10 and 2011-12 seasons I guess my main hope should be that our starting center is playing in the NCAA Tournament!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Reduction of Mistakes
With two games remaining in the 2012 football season the Orange find themselves with five wins and five losses. We are no different than any other team in the country; mistakes have kept us from being 7-3 or maybe even 9-1.
As a coach, I preach to my players about the two types of mistakes; physical and mental. Physical mistakes are mistakes that are made because the opposition is simply too big, too fast or too strong. The recruitment and signing of bigger, faster and stronger recruits is one way to reduce physical mistakes. Another way physical mistakes can be reduced is by off-season strength and conditioning programs. Physical mistakes cannot be fixed overnight and in most cases cannot be fixed during a season.
Mental mistakes are mistakes that are made because of lack of concentration. Things like jumping offside, forgetting assignments are lining up out of position are mental mistakes. Through good coaching and hard work mental mistakes can be reduced quickly.
I believe we are on our way to reducing physical mistakes through good prospect identification and recruiting. The area where we continue to struggle season after season and game after game is in regards to mental mistakes. We consistently get false start penalties on third and short. We consistently leave our lanes on punt and kick coverage. It seems that at least once a game we get a fifteen yard penalty for a late hit or unsportsmanlike conduct.
When examining the differences between when Coach Marrone was hired and now, I believe Coach Marrone is doing a very good job. I believe he is effectively managing the Syracuse football program. He has a plan that he has been able to, at least partially, implement. The recruiting and identification of "under the radar" type recruits has improved on a yearly basis. The major area where I think Coach Marrone needs improve is getting his players to eliminate the mental mistakes.
Demanding discipline in practice and in games is something that can lead to less mental mistakes. However, even demanding discipline will not magically make all mental mistakes disappear. Both the supporters of Coach Marrone and the critics have to realize that he isn't the one kicking the ball, tackling the ball carrier or jumping off side when it is third and inches. As a coach I can tell you that just because something is taught and practiced repeatedly, doesn't necessarily mean it will show up on the field on game day!
As a coach, I preach to my players about the two types of mistakes; physical and mental. Physical mistakes are mistakes that are made because the opposition is simply too big, too fast or too strong. The recruitment and signing of bigger, faster and stronger recruits is one way to reduce physical mistakes. Another way physical mistakes can be reduced is by off-season strength and conditioning programs. Physical mistakes cannot be fixed overnight and in most cases cannot be fixed during a season.
Mental mistakes are mistakes that are made because of lack of concentration. Things like jumping offside, forgetting assignments are lining up out of position are mental mistakes. Through good coaching and hard work mental mistakes can be reduced quickly.
I believe we are on our way to reducing physical mistakes through good prospect identification and recruiting. The area where we continue to struggle season after season and game after game is in regards to mental mistakes. We consistently get false start penalties on third and short. We consistently leave our lanes on punt and kick coverage. It seems that at least once a game we get a fifteen yard penalty for a late hit or unsportsmanlike conduct.
When examining the differences between when Coach Marrone was hired and now, I believe Coach Marrone is doing a very good job. I believe he is effectively managing the Syracuse football program. He has a plan that he has been able to, at least partially, implement. The recruiting and identification of "under the radar" type recruits has improved on a yearly basis. The major area where I think Coach Marrone needs improve is getting his players to eliminate the mental mistakes.
Demanding discipline in practice and in games is something that can lead to less mental mistakes. However, even demanding discipline will not magically make all mental mistakes disappear. Both the supporters of Coach Marrone and the critics have to realize that he isn't the one kicking the ball, tackling the ball carrier or jumping off side when it is third and inches. As a coach I can tell you that just because something is taught and practiced repeatedly, doesn't necessarily mean it will show up on the field on game day!
Friday, June 29, 2012
The Dark Ages of Syracuse Football
Syracuse football fans haven't had much to cheer about recently, aside from a Pinstripe Bowl victory, over a middle of the pack Big 12 team in December 2010. There really has been nothing to cheer about since the days of Dwight Freeney and the master game manager, R.J. Anderson. Many Syracuse fans, myself included, had grown tired of the P and D show of the late '90's and early '00's. Those teams had a lot of talent, but seemed to under-perform on an annual basis. In 1998 Syracuse had enough talent to be a top 10 team yet lost four games, despite winning the Big East.
When Dr. Daryl Gross was hired as the new Athletic Director at Syracuse University he immediately told fans to "get a life," oh wait that wasn't him... Dr. Gross instead was very noncommittal about the future of Coach Paul Pasqualoni. After a few weeks Dr. Gross fired Coach P and made a "splash" and hired the highly sought after Greg Robinson (this is sarcasm). Despite the relatively lukewarm feeling about Robinson, Syracuse fans became excited because the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence and Robinson looked like Kentucky Bluegrass.
This was beginning of the Dark Ages of Syracuse football. We went from a 6-6 bowl team (granted we got smoked in the Champs Bowl by Georgia Tech) to a 1-10 team the very next season. ONE AND TEN!!! Are you kidding me? A blind, tailless monkey could have led that team to more than ONE win! We weren't swimming in talent, but we had enough talent to win three or four games if managed correctly. For some reason a lot of Syracuse fans gave Robinson a pass. "It takes a while to get your own type of players on the team." "It takes a while to teach the players a new system." "It takes a while for the incredibly inexperienced assistant coaches he hired to understand their new jobs."
Greg Robinson followed up his stellar 1-10 first season with seasons of 4 wins, 2 wins and 3 wins. Robinson may very well have been able to recruit higher rated high school players (at least according to the "experts" at Rivals and Scout), but he didn't know how to coach these higher rated players. He didn't know how to develop these guys using discipline and teaching. His laissez-faire methods of running a program rarely held players responsible for their actions on or off the field. To call Robinson's time at Syracuse a disaster is being kind to disasters. His time at Syracuse was like the Titanic sinking or the Hindenburg burning. It should be noted that as a high school coach I had the opportunity to meet and chat with Coach Robinson on multiple occasions and he seemed like a really nice guy.
During these Dark Ages our fired Coach Paul Pasqualoni was instrumental in the development of several All Pro players while coaching for the Dallas Cowboys. Coach P may have had trouble recruiting top level talent and may have run a boring offense, but he did know how to use players and take advantage of their individual talents most of the time.
Dr. Gross and Coach Doug Marrone are now trying to rebuild something that was torn down the moment Paul Pasqualoni was fired and Greg Robinson was hired. Would Syracuse have won only ten games from 2005-08 if Coach P was retained? Would Doug Marrone be stuck trying to fight the perception of Syracuse as a lower tier team in the worst BCS conference? Would fans be getting excited about every three star recruit? I tend to believe Ray Rice who was committed to Syracuse at the time of Coach P's firing would have had a big impact on our program.
I have really liked most of Dr. Gross's decisions. He has helped build the athletic facilities and really helped build some of the programs that were ignored. Softball, field hockey and women's basketball have had a great deal of success under Dr. Gross. However, with one rash decision (the firing of Coach Pasqualoni) he knocked the football program down quite a few notches. Considering football is the cash cow and basically runs athletic programs, I bet that Dr. Gross looks back on his first big move at Syracuse and questions what could have been. Coach Pasqualoni may have needed to go, but there should have been a better replacement plan in place.
When Dr. Daryl Gross was hired as the new Athletic Director at Syracuse University he immediately told fans to "get a life," oh wait that wasn't him... Dr. Gross instead was very noncommittal about the future of Coach Paul Pasqualoni. After a few weeks Dr. Gross fired Coach P and made a "splash" and hired the highly sought after Greg Robinson (this is sarcasm). Despite the relatively lukewarm feeling about Robinson, Syracuse fans became excited because the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence and Robinson looked like Kentucky Bluegrass.
This was beginning of the Dark Ages of Syracuse football. We went from a 6-6 bowl team (granted we got smoked in the Champs Bowl by Georgia Tech) to a 1-10 team the very next season. ONE AND TEN!!! Are you kidding me? A blind, tailless monkey could have led that team to more than ONE win! We weren't swimming in talent, but we had enough talent to win three or four games if managed correctly. For some reason a lot of Syracuse fans gave Robinson a pass. "It takes a while to get your own type of players on the team." "It takes a while to teach the players a new system." "It takes a while for the incredibly inexperienced assistant coaches he hired to understand their new jobs."
Greg Robinson followed up his stellar 1-10 first season with seasons of 4 wins, 2 wins and 3 wins. Robinson may very well have been able to recruit higher rated high school players (at least according to the "experts" at Rivals and Scout), but he didn't know how to coach these higher rated players. He didn't know how to develop these guys using discipline and teaching. His laissez-faire methods of running a program rarely held players responsible for their actions on or off the field. To call Robinson's time at Syracuse a disaster is being kind to disasters. His time at Syracuse was like the Titanic sinking or the Hindenburg burning. It should be noted that as a high school coach I had the opportunity to meet and chat with Coach Robinson on multiple occasions and he seemed like a really nice guy.
During these Dark Ages our fired Coach Paul Pasqualoni was instrumental in the development of several All Pro players while coaching for the Dallas Cowboys. Coach P may have had trouble recruiting top level talent and may have run a boring offense, but he did know how to use players and take advantage of their individual talents most of the time.
Dr. Gross and Coach Doug Marrone are now trying to rebuild something that was torn down the moment Paul Pasqualoni was fired and Greg Robinson was hired. Would Syracuse have won only ten games from 2005-08 if Coach P was retained? Would Doug Marrone be stuck trying to fight the perception of Syracuse as a lower tier team in the worst BCS conference? Would fans be getting excited about every three star recruit? I tend to believe Ray Rice who was committed to Syracuse at the time of Coach P's firing would have had a big impact on our program.
I have really liked most of Dr. Gross's decisions. He has helped build the athletic facilities and really helped build some of the programs that were ignored. Softball, field hockey and women's basketball have had a great deal of success under Dr. Gross. However, with one rash decision (the firing of Coach Pasqualoni) he knocked the football program down quite a few notches. Considering football is the cash cow and basically runs athletic programs, I bet that Dr. Gross looks back on his first big move at Syracuse and questions what could have been. Coach Pasqualoni may have needed to go, but there should have been a better replacement plan in place.
NBA Draft: Looking at the Syracuse Years
In the 2012 NBA Draft three Syracuse basketball players were drafted. Dion Waiters exceeded most expectations of fans and experts and was selected fourth overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Fab Melo and Kris Joseph were selected later in the draft by the Boston Celtics. Had Scoop Jardine not injured his foot last week there was an outside chance that the Orange would have had four players drafted. I still suspect a team will give Scoop a "look," whether or not he can make an NBA team remains to be seen. I think it is a good time to look back on the Syracuse career of the three drafted players.
Both Dion Waiters and Fab Melo made huge gains from their freshman seasons to their sophomore seasons. These were different types of gains, but gains nonetheless. Dion Waiters had all of the talent in the world coming out of high school, but Dion did not always act maturely. As a freshman Dion pouted frequently on the court and on the bench. Dion was also not the best team player, instead looking to make himself look good not the team. To be successful at Syracuse Dion needed to come back for year two with a new attitude. To the excitement, and probably surprise, of most Syracuse fans Dion came back as a sophomore with a completely new attitude. Dion did improve his game on the court, but most importantly for his own and team success he improved his game off the court. Dion accepted and excelled in his role and proved to be one of the most valuable members of the team.
When Dion decided to enter the draft many fans weren't sure it was the best idea. Some saw him falling to the end of the first round like Donte Greene a few years ago or Percy Jones this year. More realistic fans realized that the NBA Draft is a complete crapshoot. Despite promises and back room dealings, no one every really knows who is going to be drafted and when. One thing is sure Dion had the type of season both on and off the court that got teams to notice him. Had he returned for his junior season he may have seen his future start to melt away like Jared Sullinger. Sullinger would have been a Top 5 pick after his freshman season. He decided to stay for his sophomore season and ended up getting picked 21st and suddenly become known as being injury prone. Dion made a great decision and regardless of how his NBA career turns out can be financially set for years to come (if he is smart with his money).
Fab Melo came to Syracuse as a project. As a freshman he started almost every game, but had limited production in most games. In the offseason he got into better shape and worked at many of the fundamental skills an NCAA player needs to be successful. Melo had one of the greatest one year improvements that I can remember in Syracuse history. I believe Melo has just begun to scratch the surface of his true potential. Given the time to develop Melo can be a very good NBA center, if he continues to work hard. Melo is much more athletic than all but a few players his size. If he can harness that athleticism he can have a long and successful NBA career. If only Melo had shown the same dedication and work ethic consistently in the classroom the Syracuse fan base would be still be celebrating their second championship.
Kris Joseph had an excellent career at Syracuse. When he is on his game he has the athleticism, work ethic and skills to be a very good NBA player. Unfortunately, while at Syracuse Kris disappeared for long stretches during games. He did not consistently step up when his team needed him. When and if Kris can add consistency to his game and avoid disappearing he can be an excellent professional. As a Syracuse fan and fan of what Kris meant to the SU program, I hope he uses his skills to have a long career.
I believe all three of these guys have the tools necessary to be NBA players. I don't know the NBA game well enough to predict their success, but they have earned the chance to show their new teams what they can do.
Both Dion Waiters and Fab Melo made huge gains from their freshman seasons to their sophomore seasons. These were different types of gains, but gains nonetheless. Dion Waiters had all of the talent in the world coming out of high school, but Dion did not always act maturely. As a freshman Dion pouted frequently on the court and on the bench. Dion was also not the best team player, instead looking to make himself look good not the team. To be successful at Syracuse Dion needed to come back for year two with a new attitude. To the excitement, and probably surprise, of most Syracuse fans Dion came back as a sophomore with a completely new attitude. Dion did improve his game on the court, but most importantly for his own and team success he improved his game off the court. Dion accepted and excelled in his role and proved to be one of the most valuable members of the team.
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| Dion Waiters |
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| Fab Melo |
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| Kris Joseph |
I believe all three of these guys have the tools necessary to be NBA players. I don't know the NBA game well enough to predict their success, but they have earned the chance to show their new teams what they can do.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Lacking Offensive Gamebreakers
Donovan McNabb! McNabb is the last true offensive gamebreaker I can remember playing for Syracuse. We have had a few guys in the past 13 seasons show glimpses of being a gamebreaker. David Tyree had a great game against Virginia Tech, Walter Reyes had a great game against Notre Dame and Marcus Sales had a great game against Kansas State. However, we have not had a true game after game gamebreaker since Donovan McNabb.
On any given play McNabb could break a game wide open with his feet, arm or a combination of the two. There has been a lot of talk this spring about Ashton Broyld. I saw Broyld play in quite a few high school games. In most of those games, especially during his senior season, he was a gamebreaker. However, when playing against overall higher competition.in the Upstate-Downstate Game I was not impressed with Broyld. I expected him to make plays even though his surrounding cast was not up to par.
In the past I have seen players take over the Governor's Bowl (NY-NJ). Geoff McDermott, Matt Bernstein and Knowshon Moreno took over those games in different years. Those three were also playing against tougher competition than what is currently in the Upstate-Downstate Game. McDermott and Bernstein, like Broyld, were not surrounded by a stellar cast, however they found a way to take over the game.
I have high expectations for Broyld during his time at Syracuse. With that being said, I am comparing him to the teams of the last 7-8 years when we have been lacking gamebreakers. I won't even begin to think about comparing him to the gamebreakers we had in the past. The Donovan McNabbs, Kevin Johnsons, Quinton Spotwoods, Don McPhersons, Rob Moores, Qadry Ismails, and Marvin Harrisons are not coming into the program right now. Many fans are anointing Broyld the savior and I don't know how they can do that when he only has 5-10 spring game plays under his belt. I hope in two or three years I can mention Broyld in the same breath as some of those other gamebreakers. Check that, I hope in two or three years I can mention ANY Syracuse player with those guys, since gamebreakers are what we need in order to get back to the level we all want and expect.
On any given play McNabb could break a game wide open with his feet, arm or a combination of the two. There has been a lot of talk this spring about Ashton Broyld. I saw Broyld play in quite a few high school games. In most of those games, especially during his senior season, he was a gamebreaker. However, when playing against overall higher competition.in the Upstate-Downstate Game I was not impressed with Broyld. I expected him to make plays even though his surrounding cast was not up to par.
In the past I have seen players take over the Governor's Bowl (NY-NJ). Geoff McDermott, Matt Bernstein and Knowshon Moreno took over those games in different years. Those three were also playing against tougher competition than what is currently in the Upstate-Downstate Game. McDermott and Bernstein, like Broyld, were not surrounded by a stellar cast, however they found a way to take over the game.
I have high expectations for Broyld during his time at Syracuse. With that being said, I am comparing him to the teams of the last 7-8 years when we have been lacking gamebreakers. I won't even begin to think about comparing him to the gamebreakers we had in the past. The Donovan McNabbs, Kevin Johnsons, Quinton Spotwoods, Don McPhersons, Rob Moores, Qadry Ismails, and Marvin Harrisons are not coming into the program right now. Many fans are anointing Broyld the savior and I don't know how they can do that when he only has 5-10 spring game plays under his belt. I hope in two or three years I can mention Broyld in the same breath as some of those other gamebreakers. Check that, I hope in two or three years I can mention ANY Syracuse player with those guys, since gamebreakers are what we need in order to get back to the level we all want and expect.
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