OrangeHoops Blog: What to Expect

Welcome to the OrangeHoops blog. I'm an avid follower of Syracuse University basketball (let's go Orange!), which of course means I have suffered more than savored. But those big wins are ever so sweet, and it keeps me coming back year after year.

I'll get some of the formalities out of the way. I don't think the Syracuse basketball program is the greatest program ever, I don't think Jim Boeheim is the greatest coach ever, I don't think Syracuse has the greatest fans ever, and I don't think Syracuse, New York is the greatest city ever (maybe the snowiest, though!). However, that is what endears them most to me, and makes me their fan. All have their flaws, as we all do, and that's fine with me. And I do think they all are some of the best out there, even if they are not the greatest.

I hope to give me comments on the upcoming Syracuse basketball season, and also reflections on seasons past. I do like to learn about the past, for I'm a big believer on how do you know where you are and where you are going, if you don't know where you've been? I am amazed by SU basketball fans who think Syracuse basketball started with Carmelo Anthony, or that Gerry McNamara is the first great perimeter shooter the university has had, or even that Jim Boeheim is the first legendary coach they've had (he's not). There were great players before, and there will be great players later.

Melo may have been the greatest basketball player in Syracuse history, but how can you make that statement if you don't know who played before? How about Derrick Coleman or Billy Owens? Dwayne 'The Pearl' Washington? Dave Bing? Vinnie Cohen? Vic Hanson? Many others. If you don't know who these guys are and what they did, how do you know Melo was better? Hanson won a National Championship too, in 1926.

So you have to know your past. What is going on today is important and is the future. I don't like to speculate on recruits (in fact it has very little interest for me), so you won't find much in my blog about the recruits. There are plenty of good sources to keep you informed there. I personally enjoy the Syracuse Post Standard blog with Mike Waters & Kim Baxter; just enough enough to keep me interested.

I'll often wander into other areas of interest, so indulge me when that occurs. You can always ignore it. I'm a huge fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and would put some comments here on them, but a friend of mine does a very good job with his own Steeler's blog Schwinzernet, which I would recommend to fans of the Steeler nation.

So, please enjoy. Feel free to leave comments, whether you agree or disagree with me, that is fine. Try to keep it clean... I won't try to insult you (at least not with vulgarity!), so please pay me the same courtesy.

RY