Mr. Lee, say hello to Mr. Warrick |
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Get Psyched for 2016-2017
To put all Orange fans into the proper frame of mind, please flash back to Mr. Warrick in 2003.
Tuesday, November 01, 2016
Relevance of Preseason Rankings
Syracuse basketball fans tend to feel it is better to be 'off the radar' and unranked when a season starts, rather than highly ranked. The consensus seems to be that Boeheim's underrated teams over perform, while his highlly rated teams under perform. How relevant is that feeling?
In Boeheim’s career, the Orangemen have started the season ranked 26 times, not including this year.
18 times in his career the team underachieved per the rankings; seven times by 10 or more ranking positions. This gets a little distorted because if you start in the top 5 it is tough to move up; the Orange have started in the top 5 four times (and in once case overacheived, 2011-2012 where they started at 5 and ended at 3).
17 times in his career the team has overachieved per the rankings. Again, seven times by 10 or more ranking positions
9 times a team started the season unranked, and finished the year ranked in the top 25. In 2009-2010 they started unranked and finished at #3. In his first season, 1976-1977, they started unranked and finished at #6.
8 times a team started the season ranked, and finished the year unranked in the top 25. The worst drop was in 1977-1978 where they started at #11 and finished unranked.
Really, it seems as if the number of over performing teams is equal to the under performing.
Boeheim’s Final Four teams:
1986-1987 started at #15
1995-1996 started unranked
2002-2003 started unranked
2012-2013 started at #9
2015-2016 started unranked
The Final Four trend is the most interesting to me. Three of those five teams started the year unranked. Only the 2012-2013 team had a reasonable expectation to make it.
The Orange start 2016-2017 as the #19 team in the country. Not highly ranked, nor totally off the radar.
Saturday, October 29, 2016
Seven Big Questions for 2016-2017
Orange fans hopes are very high for the upcoming men’s
basketball season. There indeed is a lot
of potential on this squad, and the team may go ten players deep, something that
has not happened often in coach Jim Boeheim’s career.
It is with almost certainty that the Orange will be a better
team this year than the squad from last year.
But fans must keep in mind that last year’s team, before the NCAA
tournament, may have been one of the worst squads that Boeheim has ever
had. The team was 19-13 in the regular
season, and was 5-6 versus AP Top 25 teams.
That record was deservedly good enough to get into the NCAA tournament,
particularly with the strength of some of the Orange’s wins. But by Syracuse and Jim Boeheim standards, it
was a mediocre season. That is, until
the NCAA tournament, where the team jelled, and made an improbably run to the
Final Four.
It is also unlikely that no matter how good this year’s team
is, that they will not get to the Final Four.
Several of Syracuse’s top teams have never made the Final Four. Teams need to be playing very well as a unit,
and get the right match ups, plus have players step up when they need to.
This year’s team will be very hard to predict. There are a lot of questions about what the
squad really is comprised of. It does have a ton of potential.
Question 1: How good
will Tylor Lydon be this year? Last year
he was the #4 option on the offense,
and he was a terrible mismatch for
opposing teams. This year he will likely be the #1 option. He is still a
mismatch, but defenses will focus more on him.
Lydon has a terrific motor with a lot of hustle, and plays defense well.
He should be better this year than last.
Question 2: How good
are the centers? DaJuan Coleman is a
fifth year senior, beset by injuries throughout this career. He started to play
his best basketball in the NCAA tournament at the end of last year. While there is no expectation for him to be a
star, can he put up good numbers in 20-25 minutes of play? Similarly, what do the Orange have in Paschal
Chukwu? He is a 7’2” player with a great
wingspan and the ability to run the court.
He came as a raw talent and spent a year as a redshirt. Can he be the shot blocking force that fans
envision? Does he have the ability to
play defense other than blocking shots, and does he bring anything to the
offensive end of the court?
Question 3: Who will
play the point, and how solid will that play be? John Gillon and Frank Howard are the two
point guards for this season. Gillon is
reportedly very quick with an average perimeter shot, a great ability to push
the ball, and to press on defense. He is small, so he is not the prototypical
guard for the top of the zone, though his speed may compensate for that. Howard has the length to play the top of the
zone, and has played in Boeheim’s zone for a year. He showed last year that he is a terrific
passer, with a good ability to get to the hoop, but very limited shooting
range. Has his shooting improved?
Question 4: How will
the two fifth year seniors fit in? The
previously mentioned Gillon and Andrew White join Syracuse as graduate
transfers. White is reportedly a
terrific shooter, though NBA scouts did indicate he needed to stay in school
another year to develop more. The two
players have a ton of collegiate experience, and that brings a lot of
value. But both have no experience in
Boeheim’s system, and how well will they play zone defense? Do the personalities of both players allow them
to be ‘team players’, or are they going to be self-focused?
Question 5: How good
are the freshman? It seems that Tyus Battle is a terrific athlete and will see
a lot of time at the shooting guard position. Taureen Thompson will see some
time up front, and Matthew Moyer will try to find some time at the small
forward position. Do these players
adjust well to being secondary players, if necessary? Particularly of concern
would be Battle who may already have an eye on going to the NBA. Can the freshman deliver? For every Carmelo Anthony and Gerry McNamara,
you have a Tyler Roberson and Kaleb Joseph.
Question 6: Speaking
of Roberson, which Roberson will we see this year? Roberson did not make the big jump from his
sophomore to junior season that you often see with players. He still had a
limited shooting range, and most infuriating was that his effort and production
was inconsistent. There were nights of ‘plugged
in’ Roberson where he pulled down 20 rebounds against Duke. And then there were
nights that he barely registered in the stat column, frustrating Boeheim to the
point that he publicly criticized his lack of effort.
Question 7: How does
this team gel? Do the sum of the parts
exceed the components, or do the individual efforts exceed what the team
does? Great teams do the former; poorer
teams do the latter.
We have a Hall of Fame coach who loves his job, and is as
focused as ever. Boeheim is publicly praising
this team, and polls have the team in the top 20 preseason. I’d love for the parts to come together, for
the Orange to have a great season, one where the offense flowed well, and the
defense continued to shut-it-down.
We will start to find out November 11th.
Wednesday, September 07, 2016
OrangeHoops 2016 Hall of Fame
In 2007, OrangeHoops inducted its charter class into the
OrangeHoops Hall of Fame: Dave Bing, Derrick Coleman, Sherman Douglas, Vic
Hanson, and Pearl Washington. The next eight years saw the addition of Billy
Owens (2008), Billy Gabor (2009), Lawrence Moten (2010), Louis Orr (2011),
Roosevelt Bouie (2011) John Wallace
(2012), Rony Seikaly (2013), Vinnie
Cohen (2014) and Etan Thomas (2015). So
the list now stands at 14. Another year has passed, and now it is time for the
2016 inductee.
I established my rules for the OrangeHoops Hall of Fame back
in 2007 and you can catch up on them here. 2016 does have six new eligible candidates
(using the fifteen year rule): Allen Griffin, Damone Brown, Rob McClanaghan,
Tim Byrnes, Chris Schau, Mike Rosenblum
Allen Griffin was a four year player for the Orangemen with
an unusual career. His freshman year he
was a reserve guard playing in all but one game. His sophomore year he was the starting
shooting guard, rotating playing time with Tony Bland and Preston
Shumpert. He would lose his starting
position his junior season. While he still played over 10 minutes a game, he
was behind Tony Bland, Preston Shumpert, Jason Hart and DeShaun Williams on the
depth chart. When Hart graduated,
Griffin would move back into the starting lineup as the point guard, and would
play more minutes than any other player that year. He would have a triple double against
Pittsburgh with 14 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. The next game he would score 31 points in
leading the Orangemen to an overtime win against St. John’s; Griffin would make
18 of 22 free throw in that game.
Damone Brown was a skinny forward, who developed a good mid
range jump shot, and became a decent rebounder. After playing only 53 minutes
his freshman year, he was a starter his final three years at Syracuse, and was
named Second Team All Big East his senior year.
Brown would have a brief four year career in the NBA.
Rob McClanaghan, Tim Byrnes, Chris Schau and Mike Rosenblum
were all walk-on players for Syracuse.
McClanaghan was a three year player scoring 20 points, Byrnes a one year graduate player who failed
to score, Schau a three year walk-on who failed to score, and Rosenblum a two
year walk-on who failed to score.
None of the candidates from 2000-2001 would make my top 10
candidates.
I think this year’s viable top 10 candidates come down to the
following, listed chronologically: Lew Castle, Joe Schwarzer, Lew Andreas, Jon
Cincebox, Jimmy Lee, Rudy Hackett, Leo Rautins, Rafael Addison, Stephen
Thompson, and Jason Hart.
Castle was a two time All-American at Syracuse, and was
captain and leading scorer of Syracuse’s only undefeated team, the 1913-1914
squad that went 12-0.
Schwarzer was a two time All-American, and was captain and
leading scorer of the 1917-1918 squad that went 16-1 and was retroactively
named the National Champions by the Helms Foundation.
Andreas coached Syracuse basketball for 27 seasons,
including the 19-1 1925-1926 squad that was awarded the Helms Foundation
National Championship. He had a career record of 358-134, and he was the
Syracuse Athletic Director for 28 years (1937-1964).
Cincebox was on the best rebounders in Syracuse history (in
an era when rebounding numbers were admittedly high). He helped Syracuse to the NCAA Elite Eight in
1956-1957, as the dominant big man for the Orangemen.
Lee was a clutch shooter with terrific perimeter range, and
outstanding free throw shooting ability. He was able to use his shooting
ability to set himself up as a solid passer. Lee's 18 foot jumper with five
seconds remaining led the Orangemen to beat heavily favored North Carolina, as
the Orangemen eventually moved on to their first NCAA Final Four. Lee would end
up making the All-Tournament team for his outstanding performances.
Hackett was a powerful forward who could run the court well.
He was a great rebounder and terrific scorer near the hoop. He led the Orangemen in scoring his senior
year and helped lead Syracuse to its first Final Four in 1975.
Rautins was a terrific ball-handling forward with a nice
shooting touch, solid rebounding and scoring skills. He is most well known for
his game winning tip in basket to win the Big East Championship in triple
overtime against Villanova in 1981.
Rautins also recorded two triple-doubles in Big East action.
Addison was a gangly small forward who earned a reputation
for being one of the most underrated players in the country. He possessed an excellent mid range jump
shot, was decent passing the ball, and was a solid free throw shooter. He led
the team in scoring his sophomore and junior seasons. He moved to shooting guard his senior year,
and his 6’7” height helped with the mismatches. Unfortunately a leg injury impacted his effectiveness the second half of
the season.
Thompson was an explosive swingman, with incredible
quickness and vertical leap, and excellent defensive skills. He was extremely
adept at playing above the basket though he was only about 6'2". He teamed
with Sherman Douglas to perfect the alley-oop basket. Thompson was an extremely proficient scorer,
despite the fact he was a terrible perimeter shooter.
Hart was a speedy defensive point guard, and a four year starter. He was a decent ball handler, and finished his career as the number two assist man all time at Syracuse. He was much better on the defensive end, and would finish as SU's all-time leader in steals. Hart would have a 9 year career in the NBA, mostly as a backup guard.
All are worthy players, and tough selections to make. I designed my selection rules to make it tough;
the Hall of Fame should be the 'best of the best', and I would rather have a
line of worthy players outside the Hall of Fame, than cheapen it by having
lessor players included.
This may be the toughest pick for me in all the years so
far. Ten very good candidates, and a
couple of those players are among my all-time personal favorites. My 2016 inductee is Joe Schwarzer.
Joe Schwarzer |
Joe Schwarzer was the star of the Orangemen from 1916 to
1918. He was a two time All American and
an excellent ball handler. In that era, the center position did much of the
ball handling on offense, as the ball moved through that position before being
passed to other players. He was also the
best free throw shooter on the team, earning the distinction of being the
designated free throw shooter his senior year.
He led the team to a 16-1 record his senior year, and the team was
recognized as the best team in the country by the Helms Foundation. He is considered Syracuse's best all-around
basketball player prior to Vic Hanson’s arrival.
Schwarzer was an excellent all-around athlete. He lettered
four times in football as an End (wide receiver), and earned All-American
status his senior year. He also lettered in baseball. Schwarzer was the captain
of the basketball, baseball and football teams.
He would earn a law degree from Syracuse.
Schwarzer passed away in 1989.
Congratulations to Joe Schwarzer, the OrangeHoops 2016 Hall
of Fame inductee.
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Syracuse Scholarship Counts and Redshirts
Matthew Moyer is currently struggling with a foot injury,
and per reports, he will find out in a few weeks the status of that
injury. It is possible a redshirt could
come up for him; hopefully, things work out the best for him.
Redshirting a player has become rather common place for
Syracuse basketball. The past six
seasons have all had a player redshirt, and going back to 2006-2007, ever
season but one has had a redshirt. That covers a full decade. The last time no players redshirted was in
2009-2010. In 2007-2008 there were two
redshirts with Andy Rautins and Devin Brennan-McBride taking the year off; the same was true in 2008-2009 when Scoop Jardine and Wesley Johnson both redshirted. Ironically from 2003 to 2006 there were no
redshirts on the basketball team.
You could make a pretty decent squad from the guys who redshirted the past decade.
Here’s a list of the number of scholarship players each
season since 2002-2003 and the players who redshirted that year. This includes guys who voluntarily redshirted a season and players who medically redshirted the full season.
2015-2016 10 including Pascal Chukwu redshirt
2014-2015 10 including DaJuan Coleman redshirt
2013-2014 12 including Chino Obokoh redshirt
2012-2013 10 including Michael Gbinije redshirt
2011-2012 12 including Trevor Cooney redshirt
2010-2011 11 including DaShonte Riley redshirt
2009-2010 10 no redshirts
2008-2009 11 including Scoop Jardine & Wesley Johnson redshirt
2007-2008 12 including Andy Rautins & Devin
Brennan-McBride redshirt
2006-2007 12 including Arinze Onuaku redshirt
2005-2006 10 no redshirts
2004-2005 11 no redshirts
2003-2004 11 no redshirt
2002-2003 9 no redshirtsSunday, August 21, 2016
Melo Wins Third Gold
Carmelo Anthony won his third Gold medal at the Rio Olympics, representing the United States well. He has participated in four Olympics, winning a Bronze medal in 2004, and a Gold medal in 2008, 2012 and 2016. Following the game, Anthony was interviewed by NBC, with the following response:
"For this one reason right now… it was a special moment for me. Long time.I know this is the end. This is the end for me. I committed to something [long pause]. I committed to this in ’04. I’ve seen the worst, and I’ve seen the best, and I stuck with it, we stuck with it, and I’m here today three gold medals later. I’m excited for me but also for the other guys who never experienced anything like this.Despite everything that is going on right now in our country, we gotta be united and I’m glad I did what I did. I stepped up to the challenge. But this is what it is about, and representing my own country on the biggest stage you can be on… America will be great again I believe that… we’ve got a lot of work to do but it’s one step at a time, man, and I’m glad we represented in the fashion that we did."
Congratulations to the entire Olympic team, and especially to Carmelo Anthony and coach Jim Boeheim, both who have earned their third Gold medals for Olympic basketball.
Monday, May 30, 2016
Memorial Day 2016
Five Syracuse University basketball players have died while in military service for the United States. On this Memorial Day, please take a moment to recognize them, along with all the other veterans who have passed away.
Wilmeth Sidat-Singh was a member of the Tuskegee Airman, and was killed in a training accident when his plane crashed into Lake Michigan in 1943.
Charles Taggart was a member of the US Navy serving aboard the USS Frederick C. Davis, and was killed when his ship was torpedoed by a German U-Boat on April 24, 1945. Taggart and 115 crew members perished.
Joe Minsavage was killed in World War II on June 19, 1943 when his ship was attacked and he was lost at sea.
Gene Berger was killed in 1961 during flight maneuvers. He was a Commander in the U.S. Navy and a Naval aviator, and his plane would crash into the Pacific.
Harry Martin was killed in 1923 when his plane crashed during takeoff at Kelley Field, Texas. He was a Lieutenant and an Army Aviator. Martin had served in the AEF in France in World War I.
Gene Berger was killed in 1961 during flight maneuvers. He was a Commander in the U.S. Navy and a Naval aviator, and his plane would crash into the Pacific.
Harry Martin was killed in 1923 when his plane crashed during takeoff at Kelley Field, Texas. He was a Lieutenant and an Army Aviator. Martin had served in the AEF in France in World War I.
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