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.

"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!

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!

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.

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.

Dion Waiters

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

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

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.

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.

Analyzing '11-12

Finally after a few weeks of reflecting I am ready to analyze Syracuse’s 2011-12 basketball season.  It was a season full of many highs.  In fact other than Fab Melo being suspended from the NCAA Tournament and Syracuse losing in the Elite 8 that weren’t many things to complain about.

I am going to analyze each of the ten players who had, what I consider, roles on the team.  I will look at their performance this year, their development and their future.

#1 Michael Carter-Williams

MCW could have been an impact freshman if it wasn’t for the fact that Syracuse already had three proven and experienced guards on the roster.  Had any of these players had significant slumps and/or gotten injured I think MCW could have filled in nicely.  In his limited time MCW showed that he can make very good passes, drive to the hoop and dish, play adequate defense and knock down a jump shot.

Many fans think MCW will end up exploding next season and will leave Syracuse early for the NBA.  I agree that MCW does have a lot of potential.  He very well could explode next year; however I do worry about his ball handling skills.  For some reason when he dribbled this year it always seemed slower than the other three guards.  I was never panicked when he was handling the ball, but I also wasn’t as confident as I was with the other guards.  I also am not sure he is as quick as some of our guards in the past.  He did show that he could get to the hoop, but I never felt it was because he was quicker than the defenders.

#3 Dion Waiters

Dion grew as much as a person as he did as a player from his freshman to sophomore year.  As a freshman he seemed like he wanted to be the show.  He would force shots, was reluctant to pass, and didn’t appear to be very coachable as a freshman.  As a sophomore, he seemed to buy into the idea of a team.  There were times when he did try to take over a game, for better or worse, but overall Dion seemed to relish his role as the sixth man and thrive. 

Dion had an excellent sophomore season and, while I believe he could benefit from another year of college ball, I don’t blame him for leaving.  NBA scouts and media experts are very high on Dion and if he took even a small step back last year it could hurt his draft stock.

#5 C.J. Fair
C.J. Fair is another player, like Dion, who made a great deal of progress from last season.  C.J. never had the attitude of Dion, instead his development was on the court.  As a freshman C.J. reminded me of Josh Pace; a very athletic player, a constant hustler, a guy who would do a lot of the little things, but someone who didn't have a very good jump shot from any range  This season C.J. developed a fairly consistent mid-range jumper.  I still cringed a little bit when he took a three point shot, but it wasn't like he was Allen Griffin, James Thue, or Scoop as a freshman.

I expect C.J. to contribute big minutes next year.  With the way Coach Boeheim exaggerates depth by playing a starter or two (at least in ability) off the bench I am not sure it is a guarantee that C.J. will start, but I think he will have a big role as a starter or be a kick starter from the bench.  I can see his jump shot continuing to develop and him becoming a decent three point threat as a tweener forward.  While he did rebound (stat-wise fairly) well this year I am hoping he becomes more of a physical rebounder next season.

#11 Scoop Jardine

As a Syracuse fan I can't think of a player who developed more from his freshman to senior season.  For those of you who don't remember Scoop's jump shot technique as a freshman, awful is not even close to a strong enough word to describe it.  He had a serious hitch in his shot that made Jeremy McNeil and Billy Celuck's free throw form look spectacular.  As a freshman I had visions of him being the new James Thues who was a decent ball handler, but also someone who you didn't want taking a shot other than a fast break layup.  I wouldn't have thought in a million years that Scoop would develop into a 39% three point shooter as a senior.  Heck, I wasn't even sure if he would score 39 points as a senior!

Scoop did have some moments this year that had most fans scratching their heads and yelling at their televisions.  With that being said those moments were much less frequent this season and the majority of the time Scoop was a very good point guard.  At times he was able to calm the team when he was in the game and their were times when the team was better suited with him on the bench.  One thing is sure, Scoop was a true team player while at SU.  He knew his role and other than trying to take over games at times with ill-advised three pointers he had an excellent senior season.  We will miss Scoop's personality, but as a player I don't think he is irreplaceable. 

#12 Baye Moussa Keita

My biggest critique of Keita during his two years at Syracuse has been his seemingly inability to catch the basketball.  He was battling a wrist injury the second half of last season, but his catching ability was questionable at best before the injury.  However, his wrist injury did seem to impact other aspects of his game.  Keita hustles on the court and shows flashes of being a very good athlete.

Keita really stepped up his play at the end of this season.  It wasn't until the last two games that I felt he was playing at the level he was last season pre-injury.  I still don't think he is ever going to be an offensive force or a guy who can give us 30 minutes, but for 15-20 minutes a game he can be intense, make it difficult for opposing players, grab some rebounds and maybe make a few baskets.  We don't need Keita to become a star, but we do need him to begin next season at or above the level of play he was giving us against Wisconsin and Ohio St.

#20 Brandon Triche

Brandon Triche reminds me of a combination of Scoop and Joseph.  From one game to the next you are never sure what you are going to get, just like Scoop.  Is he going to be making shots or is he going to be gunning three pointers with 32 seconds left on the shot clock?  Or is he going to completely disappear either on the bench or on the court like Joseph did throughout his career at SU? 

When Triche is "on" he can be one of our best players.  When he is "off" it makes it seem like we are playing four on five basketball.  I think as a senior Triche can finally show the confidence that has been so inconsistent throughout his time at SU.  I do hope he develops a better sense of when he should try to take over a game.  I can't count the number of times where he has come out of the gate hot and then turned into a passer.  I also can't count the number of times he has come out cold and then tried to shoot his way out of it.  If he can be a better judge on when we need him to shoot, I believe he can have an excellent senior season.

#25 Rakeem Christmas

Christmas's season was a rollercoaster ride.  Some games he was awful and played 18 seconds.  Other games he showed flashes of being a pretty good basketball player.  He seemed to be more comfortable playing the 5, but with DC2 coming in and Keita already on the team, I still think he needs to develop his game so he can give us good minutes at the 4. 

I watched both Christmas and Keita quite a few times in high school.  They were very similar to one another on defense, but I thought Christmas had a much better offensive game, although neither was a go to guy on their teams.  I am hoping Christmas can develop his offensive game and give us at least 6-8 points and 6-8 rebounds on a consistent basis.  I think if he was playing the 5 all the time he could give us those numbers fairly easily.  As a 4/5 I have my doubts.

#32 Kris Joseph

Kris Joseph had an excellent career at SU.  He developed from year to year and improved different areas of his game.  There is one thing that never seemed to change, with the exception of the final shot against Georgetown, Kris Joseph did not play well in big games.  He seemed to mirror the way his teammates were playing.  When they were playing well he would score 18-20 points and shoot well.  When they weren't playing well he would score 4-6 points, shoot terribly, not rebound, and turn the ball over.  When we needed him to step up he rarely did it and never seemed to do it consistently.

To me his career was summed up against Ohio State, because his play mirrored the play of the rest of the team.  He looked intimidated and out of place.  On defense he seemed disinterested in rebounding and on offense he was more concerned with trying to draw a foul then with making sure he scored.  Had his teammates (and the officiating) been better I believe he would have had a very good game against Ohio St., but they didn't play better and like normal he mirrored their play.  To me, it is unfortunate that my last memories of Joseph in an SU rebound will be of him dribbling the ball out of bounds, making a steal the next possession and then throwing the ball away before fans had stopped cheering the steal.

#43 James Southerland

James Southerland can shoot the basketball AND not.  When Southerland was making shots this season he was a huge threat for us coming off the bench.  Unfortunately, he wasn't always making shots this season.  Fortunately, he added more to his game than simply being a shooter.  He became a decent defender, a hustler, a rebounder and a guy who could slam the ball home given the opportunity.

I am very hopeful that next season he will prove to be a more consistent shooter.  With a consistent shot I really believe he can be an all-conference type player for us.  It is tough to argue that he is not one of or the most athletic player on the team.

#51 Fab Melo 
Fab Melo cast a huge shadow on the defensive end of the court.  Fab Melo also cast a huge psychological shadow on opponents.  Fab Melo (from the sounds of it) rarely cast a shadow over his coursework.  I am not going to address the last issue again, because it is rumor based and even though I did graduate from Syracuse I wasn't exactly a Dean's List student (and that was without hours of basketball practice a week).

From the final horn against Seton Hall until the announcement that Fab was unable to participate in the NCAA Tournament we had a huge advantage over opposing post players.  Many people talked about how much Fab improved from last year to this year.  He did improve, but I think his biggest improvement was in his conditioning.  I truly believe had Fab been in shape as a freshman he would have put up similar numbers to what he did this year.  He would have had his "Seton Hall game" early last season and opponents would have been fearing him most of last season.  Fab had one great game as a Syracuse Orange(men) and that game was against Seton Hall.  He scored some points grabbed some rebounds and blocked A LOT of shots.  Players across the country saw the highlights and from that point forward when he was in the game those highlights flashed through their minds when they were taking the ball into the paint.

OVERALL
If anyone had told me before this season that we would go 34-3, be a number one seed, be ranked in the Top 5 the entire season, go 17-1 in the Big East, but lose in the Elite 8 I would have taken it without a second though.  Once the season started all of our expectations rose to the point where nothing less than a Final 4 (and to some a championship) was a disappointment.  Expectations are a funny thing.  If you don't take a step back from those expectations and really look at our season you may be disappointed. 

I was disappointment, not from the fact that we lost in the Elite 8, but because I felt given better officiating we would have won and gone to the Final Four.  I was disappointed because after seeing a defender from Kansas who was half as good as Melo shut down Sullinger I knew that with Melo we would have been playing Kentucky for the National Championship.  I was also disappointing because I know how hard it is to even make it to the Elite 8 and there is no guarantee, regardless of our talent and recruiting, that we will make it again any time soon.  As I have always said the NCAA Tournament is about luck and good matchups, even without Melo we had some of both in this year. 


Even with being disappointed by those things, I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED IN OUR SEASON OR IN THE EFFORT AND PASSION OUR PLAYERS PLAYED WITH!

East Regional Recap

As some of you may know I, along with my wife, sister, brother-in-law, niece, and what appeared to be a good portion of Syracuse, went to Boston for the NCAA East Regional games.  For those of you who have never visited Boston, it is a great city especially if you like history.  Unfortunately, when in Boston you can expect to do a lot of walking, which did put a damper on the trip for my pregnant wife.  Despite the fact that my wife couldn’t walk very far we had a great time.

Syracuse vs. Wisconsin (from Section 307)

Thursday we arrived at the hotel just in time to take the “T” to the TD Garden area for some pre-game appetizers and a few drinks.  The entire area around the Garden was packed and Syracuse fans outnumbered other fans by at least 5 to 1.  Apparently Syracuse fans like their pre-gaming more than most, since in the arena it wasn’t quite the same disparity, but Syracuse fans were definitely the dominant fan base.  In fact sitting a row in front of us was a Syracuse fan who was dressed as Otto, but with his costume his head popped out the top.  He also used his Otto suit to sneak in several flasks of rum, which was very good usage of the outfit.

Thursday night the Orange played a tough Wisconsin team.  To this day I am amazed at the lack of zone sets teams employ against our 2-3 zone.  If I was a coach I would put a guy at the foul line all game to make our center “pick his poison.”  With our length, quickness and athleticism this may be successful against the zone either, but one thing is for sure I would not use Wisconsin’s offense.  Wisconsin’s offense was almost completed relegated to passing the ball around the perimeter to either find an open three point shot or force one.  Fortunately, for the Badgers they found enough open threes and made enough forced ones to stay in the game up until the final horn sounded.  There were several times in the first half when Wisconsin drove toward the hoop passed the ball off and had open mid-range jumpers, but they only did this a few times for the entire game.   Even though we only won by a point, Wisconsin played exactly the way we want teams to play against our zone: 23 feet away from the basket.

C.J. Fair (who after the game graciously posed for a picture with my sister) had a great game.  He finally played like he had been playing when coming off the bench for most of the year.  Brandon Triche hit quite a few big shots early in the game when our offense was struggling.  Baye Keita gave us a ton of quality minutes and to his credit caught the ball almost every time he had the opportunity.  To win a game when the opponent makes 14 three pointers is a credit to the Orange.  Of course, Wisconsin’s inability to do ANYTHING inside and in most cases refusal to try anything inside coupled with shooting 7 for 22 inside the three point line offset their hot outside shooting.

Syracuse fans left the TD Garden feeling pretty good.  We had gone from a team that was “lucky” to beat UNCA to a team that would be playing for a trip the Final Four.  All while playing without our most consistent inside presence on both offense and defense.  (Although, I would strongly argue that both Christmas and Keita stepped up big time in the Tournament while filling in for Melo.)

Friday and Saturday morning we did some sightseeing in Boston.  Some of the highlights were going to the New England Museum, the Faneuil Hall area, Paul Revere’s House, the Sam Adams Brewery, Harvard Square and Boston Children’s Museum (for my niece).  It was by no means a comprehensive tour of the city, but with a pregnant wife and ten month old niece we did see quite a lot.

Hurricane O'Relly's looked like Marshall Street with all the Orange.

Saturday the bars around the TD Garden were even more Orange than Saturday and I would venture to say it was 15 to 1 in favor of Syracuse fans.  The arena was also nearly as lopsided.  It wasn’t Albany from 2003, but it was definitely a “home court” advantage for Syracuse and they were all pumped and primed to watch a great game.

Let me preface the next part of my post by saying I have had a lot of faith in the Orange through everything.  As some may recall I appointed myself on the Board of Directors of Marsh’s bandwagon on syracusefan.com, so despite the various weaknesses of the team and the unreliability of Fab Melo I believed this team had enough talent to make a deep run and with a few breaks win it all.

Unfortunately, many of the areas even the most Orange-jaded fans couldn’t overlook as weaknesses popped up against Ohio State.  Kris Joseph has been one of the best ambassadors for Syracuse basketball in a long time, but on the court he has frequently “disappeared” during big games.  While he didn’t disappear Saturday night, he didn’t have a very good game.  Too many times he seemed to be more concerned with drawing a foul than scoring a basket.  On at least four occasions he drove baseline and either lost his balance or forced a shot while trying to force contact with a defender.  During one stretch he dribbled the ball out of bounds, made up for it with a steal and then sailed the ball into the second row all within a ten second span.

Joseph has had bad games during this season and his teammates always seemed to pick him up.  That was the good part about not having a “go-to guy,” there always seemed to be someone else to pick the team up.  Saturday night we didn’t have that, we had a bunch of guys play to their ability, but no one played great (possibly for only the second time all year, the other being against Notre Dame).  This coupled with several of our players playing poorly, some because they were in foul trouble, turned out to be deadly for our Final Four chances.  Dion Waiters came off the bench very good and scored six quick points, but he would finish with only nine and the last three coming on an “and one” at the end of the game.  Of course he did sit with foul trouble for quite a while.  Fair, Scoop and Triche played okay, but neither put together a great game.  Southerland and Christmas really didn’t get a chance to get going because of foul trouble.  Keita was closest to having a great game, but he isn’t the type of player who is going to carry a team. 

Syracuse vs. Ohio State (from Section 323)

Make no mistake about it, our play would have been good enough to beat many teams out there, however Ohio State is a very good basketball team.  They have a point guard who plays very good defense and made good decisions.  They have three tough inside players who aren’t afraid to bang and get those tough offensive rebounds and have decent mid-range games.  They also have a few G/F who can shoot pretty well and drive.  I think two of the biggest shots of the game were baseline floaters when we were making a run and the shot clock was running down.

Given how we started the NCAA Tournament against UNCA and that we were playing without our starting center I can’t be too upset with the results.  We made it to the Elite 8 and lost to a legitimate Top 10 team and a team that many picked to win it all before the season.   That is not to say I am not disappointed.  We missed at least five layups.  We had quite a few bad and unforced turnovers.  We had opportunities to win the game despite everything that happened and several of our key players not having good games.  That is why I am disappointed, because we had a Final Four trip within our grasp and just missed grabbing it.

This was a very good Syracuse team and the 34-3 record proves it.  We had no “go to” player, we had what seemed like constant off the court distractions, we had rebounding issues, we endured long spells without scoring and we had a pretty good center who couldn’t manage to stay eligible, but we still made the Elite 8 and we still won 34 games.  Given our past history in the NCAA Tournament and tendency to have slumps mid-season, I would have taken this result at the beginning of the season in a heartbeat.  I enjoyed being a Syracuse fan this year and will enjoy being a fan in the future!

FOOTNOTE:  I truly do not believe we lost because of the officiating.  With that being said this was overall the WORST officiated game I have EVER seen.  These three clowns had no clue what was going on.  There were at least three fouls called on each team when there was NO contact.  There was a technical called on our coach from sixty-five feet away.  There was an out of bounds play when one of the officials had no idea who was supposed to be getting the ball.  There was a phantom whistle called when we were dribbling for no apparent reason.  There was OSU’s best player on the bench for the first half after being called for one foul when he didn’t touch Dion Waiters and another that was borderline at best.  The same OSU player was allowed to bull rush to the hoop one possession and the next Keita got called for a foul when slightly leaning against him.  There was another occasions when a reaching foul was called after the OSU point guard was past the defenders and to half court on the way to a fast break.  Neither team could get a flow to the game and the inconsistency on the calls did not allow either team to “adapt” to the officiating as analysts love to say is a necessity.  It was truly a shame that a game between two very good teams, that had worked all year to reach that point, was marred by terrible officiating that took both teams out of their rhythm.  I don’t buy that Syracuse was on the bad end of the officiating due to the 42-25 difference in foul shots, since at least 10, if not more, of OSU’s foul shots were at the end of the game when we were fouling on purpose.  Take those away and it is only, at worst, a 32-25 OSU advantage.

Can't Stop the Transition!

To me the measure of a great team is when other teams completely abandon what they are comfortable doing just to have a CHANCE to win.  Another measure of a good team is to win these games when teams force you to play outside of your comfort level.

Syracuse has the most feared transition game in the country.  Anyone who has watched Syracuse play this year knows that Syracuse has an excellent offense when they can push the tempo and run fast breaks.  Whether you love him or hate him Rick Pitino is one of the best coaches in college basketball.  It is because of his strategy against Syracuse (and how it goes against his normal strategy) that I can say with little doubt that Syracuse has the deadliest transition game in all of college basketball.

In the regular season finale Pitino’s Louisville squad scored 19 points in the first half.  Without a doubt, this low scoring output was partially due to Syracuse’s defense, which has been very good all season.  With that being said the low scoring output was primarily due to Louisville’s decision to bring the game’s pace to a crawl.  This was the same strategy Louisville used against Syracuse in Louisville a few weeks back.  This is also a strategy other teams have used against Syracuse this season and while it has slowed Syracuse at times Syracuse still has won 31 of 32 games this season.

In the regular season finale Louisville “raced” to 30 points the second half of the game to finish with 49 points.  Thursday evening against the second best Big East team (at least according to conference record), Marquette, Louisville played at the pace they like to play at and raced to FIFTY first half points!  At halftime, Rick Pitino said, “We knew they would run with us and this is the pace we want to play.”  That’s funny, against a great transition team (arguably the best) Louisville had no interest in getting into a “track meet.”  It makes me wonder what the result would have been like had Louisville pushed the pace in either game against the Orange.

Keep on Winning...Keep on Winning...

One of the hot topics among Syracuse fans lately has been whether or not the current lull being experienced by the team is something to worry about.  Personally, I love being in this position; we are pretty much a lock for an NCAA #1 seed; we are 28-1 and a game away from clinching the Big East championship.  Yet, many fans think we are simply an average team and will be “bounced early” in the NCAA Tournament. 

There is only one thing I look for when determining if a team is a good team, whether or not they win games.  Most teams who have games when they don’t play up to their potential are going to lose a game or two.  I will be the first one to say that Syracuse has not always played up to potential this season, but guess what...they are 28-1! 

As a long time Syracuse fan I have always been frustrated by the way we seem to go through a mid to late season slump just about every year.  In fact, looking back to the 1998-99 season (I chose that year since that is when I was a freshman at SU and I didn’t want to take more time) all but three years we have had a slump that has led to at least four losses and as many as NINE.  The three years this has not happened were our championship year, 2009-10 when we were a top contender and would have won the championship had it not been for Onuaku’s injury, and this season.  In those slumps, there have normally been a few losses against good teams, but always at least one WTF loss.  (For those interested the slumps are listed below.)

My point, if you haven’t figured it out yet, is that this season we are winning games that in most “normal” seasons we would lose.  We are beating Rutgers at Rutgers and South Florida (who is a quality team this year) at home, and to top it off we have some very good wins sprinkled in (UConn, Louisville, Cincinnati, West Virginia, and Georgetown).  With two games remaining, we have beaten EVERY team in the Big East except Notre Dame, who played out of this world against us while we played our first game without our starting center.  In most years at least one or two of these games would have been a WTF loss and one or two others would have been losses against “good” teams.  This season we have won ALL of those games.

In my experience Syracuse teams tend to have up and down seasons.  They will start very good in the pre-conference schedule and into the beginning of the conference schedule and then after a mid to late season slump, they then start to play well again.  In several seasons this resurgence has come too early, at the end of the regular season and into the Big East Tournament.  This season I am hoping our resurgence occurs at the end of the Big East Tournament and into the NCAA Tournament.  And until that resurgence I will gladly keep taking the “ugly wins.”  Since a WIN IS A WIN!

2010-11

(2-6)

@ Pittsburgh

Villanova

Seton Hall

@ Marquette

@ UConn W

@ South Florida W

Georgetown

@ Louisville

2008-09

(3-7)

@ Georgetown

@ Pittsburgh

Notre Dame W

Louisville

@ Providence

West Virginia W

@ Villanova

@ UConn

Georgetown W

Villanova

2007-08

(5-9)

@ Cincinnati

@ West Virginia

Rutgers W

Villanova

@ Georgetown

Providence W

@ DePaul W

@ Villanova W

UConn

@ South Florida

Georgetown W

@ Louisville

@ Notre Dame

Pittsburgh

2006-07

(5-5)

Pittsburgh

@ Marquette W

@ Rutgers W

Villanova W

Cincinnati W

@ St. John’s

@ Louisville

Notre Dame

DePaul W

@ UConn

2005-06

(4-9)

UConn

@ Villanova

@ Pittsburgh

Seton Hall

Rutgers W

@ UConn

@ St. John’s W

Cincinnati

Louisville W

West Virginia W

@ Georgetown

@ DePaul

Villanova

2004-05

(4-5)

@ Pittsburgh

Notre Dame W

UConn

@Villanova W

Pittsburgh

@ BC

St. John’s W

Providence W

@ UConn

2003-04

(3-5)
@ Seton Hall

Pittsburgh

Virginia Tech W

@ UConn

@ Providence

Rutgers W

@ Miami W

Notre Dame

2001-02

(4-8)

@ Tennessee

@ Pittsburgh

Virginia Tech W

@ Georgetown

@ Rutgers

West Virginia W

Pittsburgh

@ Notre Dame W

@ Seton Hall W

Georgetown

@ Villanova

BC

2000-01

(2-4)

@ BC

Seton Hall W

Miami

@ West Virginia

UConn W

@ Georgetown

1999-00

(5-5)

Seton Hall

@ Louisville

UCLA W

Pittsburgh W

@ St. John’s

Villanova W

Georgetown W

Notre Dame W

@ UConn

Georgetown

1998-99

(5-5)

St. John’s

@ Seton Hall W

@ UConn W

Villanova

Miami

@ Pittsburgh W

Notre Dame W

@ UCLA

@ BC W

UConn