Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, November 17, 2008
One in the books!
Alright guys, it may have only been LeMoyne, but at the present, we're 1-0 and looked pretty damn good out there. Flynn finished with 17pts, 6 assists (3:1 Assist To TO Ratio), 4 steals... big deal right, that's what we've come to expect from our resident Wooden Award Candidate. What surprised the hell out of me was the play of everyone's formerly skinny white kid.
Knee #1 - Rautins looked great out there last night. His court vision has definitively improved, his stroke still looks good and his man D didn't look too shabby. He finished with a line of 12pt, 3reb, 9 Assists (career high) and 4 steals. Numbers that I didn't think we'd see out of him. I'd say all questions regarding his knee are shored up, he was playing tight man, running well with the break and looked solid all around.
Knee #2 - Devo apparently missed the memo that he was supposed to be tenative coming off of a major knee surgery. He was back to slashing at will, and in general looked solid. His passing has improved as well. I distinctly remember him threading the needle to Paul on a break and he looked confident with the ball. That said he did have 5 TO in 22 minutes of work. Two of these from travels, 1 from a double dribble.
Harris - Back to form, Harris still flails wildly over stupid fouls, though its slightly more civil than in the past. He was running solid with the break, scrapping over boards and got his points as well. He's most likely starting another double-double streak, going for 12 and 10 last night. Definitely a different Paul than we saw in the preseason games.
Joseph looked good, and in all honestly could be a real solid contributor of minutes by years' end. Mookie still looks a little raw, but you can tell he's close.
More to come...
Knee #1 - Rautins looked great out there last night. His court vision has definitively improved, his stroke still looks good and his man D didn't look too shabby. He finished with a line of 12pt, 3reb, 9 Assists (career high) and 4 steals. Numbers that I didn't think we'd see out of him. I'd say all questions regarding his knee are shored up, he was playing tight man, running well with the break and looked solid all around.
Knee #2 - Devo apparently missed the memo that he was supposed to be tenative coming off of a major knee surgery. He was back to slashing at will, and in general looked solid. His passing has improved as well. I distinctly remember him threading the needle to Paul on a break and he looked confident with the ball. That said he did have 5 TO in 22 minutes of work. Two of these from travels, 1 from a double dribble.
Harris - Back to form, Harris still flails wildly over stupid fouls, though its slightly more civil than in the past. He was running solid with the break, scrapping over boards and got his points as well. He's most likely starting another double-double streak, going for 12 and 10 last night. Definitely a different Paul than we saw in the preseason games.
Joseph looked good, and in all honestly could be a real solid contributor of minutes by years' end. Mookie still looks a little raw, but you can tell he's close.
More to come...
Sunday, November 9, 2008
So here I sit...
So that (--->) is the view I had at 10am today... Normally promising, right? Well Here it is at 11:30 and I'm looking out the window of Baker Lab at the box office... Odds are I won't be able to make the game unless I can call a hiatus on a meeting I've got at 2. If I can push it back, I'll have live feedback of how we look. If not, I'll have to rely on boxscores and the great guys over at CuseOrange to let me piece it back together.Also, separate rant, why did I pay $200 for a Standart parking pass I can only use when things AREN'T going on at the Dome?
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Exhibition #2
Disclaimer: There will be plenty of acronyms today so watch out.
Well, we've officially seen the boys in action once this year. An exhibition against Stevie Thompson's CSLA (Cal State Los Angeles) proved that Johnny is still Johnny, Devo and Andy can use their respective ACL's and AO is a monster. Hell, AO went 6-6 on Monday. Granted his largest competition was a few inches under him, and a hell of a lot lighter.
Basically what you can take from the first scrimmage is that this year our offense will work inside out. We need to establish Arinze on the inside and feed him. Once that is established, any of our shooters looked good, Devo looked to be fearless after his injury and Andy's shot looks as smooth as ever. Paul even was converting from deep, going 2-4.
On Sunday comes the IUP Crimson Hawks (Indiana University of Pennsylania, not to be confused with IUPUI - Indiana University, Purdue University of Indianapolis or the real Indiana University in Indiana). Again, this will be more of a game to get the guys legs under them, rather than a "real" evaluation.
On the blocks, the tallest, IUP has to offer is 6'8" 220lb. Senior Chris Seaborn who didn't see much action last year. Odds are at down two inches and 55lb. from Arinze, this should not be much of a matchup issue.
What to look for on Sunday is Devo and Andy playing their game. What I mean by this is Devo fearlessly slashing the hole and making things drop, which was an issue on Monday. Andy needs to be moving well without the ball and playing solid D. AO will dominate, Flynn will be faster and pass better than their team and Harris and KO will play thier game. Those aren't issues. Its a matter of the two returnees staying healthy and looking to Rick, Mookie, Sean and Kris to see signs of improvement.
Well, we've officially seen the boys in action once this year. An exhibition against Stevie Thompson's CSLA (Cal State Los Angeles) proved that Johnny is still Johnny, Devo and Andy can use their respective ACL's and AO is a monster. Hell, AO went 6-6 on Monday. Granted his largest competition was a few inches under him, and a hell of a lot lighter.
Basically what you can take from the first scrimmage is that this year our offense will work inside out. We need to establish Arinze on the inside and feed him. Once that is established, any of our shooters looked good, Devo looked to be fearless after his injury and Andy's shot looks as smooth as ever. Paul even was converting from deep, going 2-4.
On Sunday comes the IUP Crimson Hawks (Indiana University of Pennsylania, not to be confused with IUPUI - Indiana University, Purdue University of Indianapolis or the real Indiana University in Indiana). Again, this will be more of a game to get the guys legs under them, rather than a "real" evaluation.
On the blocks, the tallest, IUP has to offer is 6'8" 220lb. Senior Chris Seaborn who didn't see much action last year. Odds are at down two inches and 55lb. from Arinze, this should not be much of a matchup issue.
What to look for on Sunday is Devo and Andy playing their game. What I mean by this is Devo fearlessly slashing the hole and making things drop, which was an issue on Monday. Andy needs to be moving well without the ball and playing solid D. AO will dominate, Flynn will be faster and pass better than their team and Harris and KO will play thier game. Those aren't issues. Its a matter of the two returnees staying healthy and looking to Rick, Mookie, Sean and Kris to see signs of improvement.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Hell hath frozen over...
Alright all, sorry for the mass 10 month hiatus. It was a blast in Alaska, a great spring with a Cuse Lax Championship, and so far a dismal fall football season...
But alas! Its hoops time again. I'll be back at it this year, as I have a little extra time on my hands. The last half of last year I couldn't spare the time to think about blogging at all. Anyway I'll be back at it, most likely in conjunction with CuseOrange.com (great set of forums if I do say so myself), and will keep updated with the usual pregame breakdowns and post game analysis. Might even fit some liveblogging in.
Anyway, I did blog a bit during my trip to the northern regions, and it can be found here: Preab San Ol! I'll be back later in the week with a full preseason breakdown and what not.
~Steve
But alas! Its hoops time again. I'll be back at it this year, as I have a little extra time on my hands. The last half of last year I couldn't spare the time to think about blogging at all. Anyway I'll be back at it, most likely in conjunction with CuseOrange.com (great set of forums if I do say so myself), and will keep updated with the usual pregame breakdowns and post game analysis. Might even fit some liveblogging in.
Anyway, I did blog a bit during my trip to the northern regions, and it can be found here: Preab San Ol! I'll be back later in the week with a full preseason breakdown and what not.
~Steve
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
John Wallace vs. Marcus Camby?
Sorry I've been slacking, but I'm back again.
Well, UMass started out 4-5 from three and haven't been able to score since. Devo and Greene both have their touch, Jonny is seeing the court well, and go figure... Harris is crashing the boards as always.
Luke Bonner for UMass, brother of former Gator and current Spur Matt Bonner, is 7'1" and can stroke like Greene.
UMass is on another run, we need to get back on D better. I think any team that makes or lets us run this year will be in for a rough time. Transition ball has been huge this game.
10:30 in the half. We need to limit turnovers from sloppy passes still. It's amazing how one pass will look like a highlight reel worthy play, and the next will be out of bound by 20 feet. I don't know what we're doing about that. Defense is still in my opinion the main liability on this team. We just fell asleep on an inbounds and let their point run the floor for an easy layup.
Devo seems to have all facets of his game working. He's been solid driving, good in transition and hitting his threes. He's also not been looking bad on D. Of course he misses a good look three as I'm typing this.
Flynn is making things happen. He's dishing well and driving well, while still looking inside out to pass. Overall our D is still looking sloppy, we need to get back and get out on shooters. On a good note, the rebounding is definitely there.
GREENE THROWS IT HOME!!! Of course its off a dish from Flynn.
Harris hit a three... I think Hell hath frozen over!
Flynn with 6 dishes so far, Harris with 12 pts, Greene with 12, this is a fun team to watch.
Come out at the half with some solid D, and were up by 12.
Flynn is seeing everything tonight. The D is looking solid as hell. We have only seen minimal minutes from the bench with Scoop, KO and Ricky getting about 3 minutes each.
AO just gets tackled, UMass is still hitting threes. Scoop's floater reminds me of Josh Pace, that little floater around the rim, so pretty. D definitely looks a lot better this half, has allowed us to open up a bit of a cushion
So it's 76-71 Cuse right now. We're on pace for over 100, problem is they almost are too. We need to get out on shooters, stop playing so loose and buckle down on defense. If you can't tell, its a recurring theme here tonight.
Scratch what I said about defense, we're getting tired out there. You can tell...
So it's a one point game out there. Mass has the ball. These last few posessions our O has settled down. Onuaku is a beast. I'll have more about him tomorrow. I don't know what the deal is, the D has looked better, and now Mass is hitting everything even with the world in their face. This Brower kid can shoot.
Well, UMass started out 4-5 from three and haven't been able to score since. Devo and Greene both have their touch, Jonny is seeing the court well, and go figure... Harris is crashing the boards as always.
Luke Bonner for UMass, brother of former Gator and current Spur Matt Bonner, is 7'1" and can stroke like Greene.
UMass is on another run, we need to get back on D better. I think any team that makes or lets us run this year will be in for a rough time. Transition ball has been huge this game.
10:30 in the half. We need to limit turnovers from sloppy passes still. It's amazing how one pass will look like a highlight reel worthy play, and the next will be out of bound by 20 feet. I don't know what we're doing about that. Defense is still in my opinion the main liability on this team. We just fell asleep on an inbounds and let their point run the floor for an easy layup.
Devo seems to have all facets of his game working. He's been solid driving, good in transition and hitting his threes. He's also not been looking bad on D. Of course he misses a good look three as I'm typing this.
Flynn is making things happen. He's dishing well and driving well, while still looking inside out to pass. Overall our D is still looking sloppy, we need to get back and get out on shooters. On a good note, the rebounding is definitely there.
GREENE THROWS IT HOME!!! Of course its off a dish from Flynn.
Harris hit a three... I think Hell hath frozen over!
Flynn with 6 dishes so far, Harris with 12 pts, Greene with 12, this is a fun team to watch.
Come out at the half with some solid D, and were up by 12.
Flynn is seeing everything tonight. The D is looking solid as hell. We have only seen minimal minutes from the bench with Scoop, KO and Ricky getting about 3 minutes each.
AO just gets tackled, UMass is still hitting threes. Scoop's floater reminds me of Josh Pace, that little floater around the rim, so pretty. D definitely looks a lot better this half, has allowed us to open up a bit of a cushion
So it's 76-71 Cuse right now. We're on pace for over 100, problem is they almost are too. We need to get out on shooters, stop playing so loose and buckle down on defense. If you can't tell, its a recurring theme here tonight.
Scratch what I said about defense, we're getting tired out there. You can tell...
So it's a one point game out there. Mass has the ball. These last few posessions our O has settled down. Onuaku is a beast. I'll have more about him tomorrow. I don't know what the deal is, the D has looked better, and now Mass is hitting everything even with the world in their face. This Brower kid can shoot.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Gametime at the Garden
Sorry I've been slacking off lately, but a few other things have required my time. Now to the issue at hand. Tonight, Weds. November 21st, the 'Cuse heads to NYC to take on Ohio State at Madison Square Garden.
The Syracuse Orangemen vs. The Ohio State University Buckeyes
It looks to be another rumble, and a good test for our young kids. Seeing some top competition this early in the season can only be a good thing and I'm sure we'll learn from it win or lose.
First off a recap of our season stats:
Overall, we distribute points fairly evenly over the five starters. All five are in double figures. Its also good to have some low post guys who can score in Onuaku and Jackson. If we can maintain the scoring diversity we should be able to go a ways this year. Also, the A:T ratio shows that Flynn after his one bad 5TO game seems to alleviating that issue and is now at a 4:1 clip almost. People wonder why I have so much confidence with the ball in his hand (Sorry Josh)...
Now OSU's Season Stats. I'm going 3 deep on the bench based on playing time for comparison's sake.
As you can see, Koufos, this years version of Greg Oden for them, is their leading scorer. Contrary to the Cuse though, they rely primarily on Koufos, Butler and Lighty to make their buckets. Butler is their shooter, at 9-18 from behind the arc. Hopefully the zone stretches to him, and AO, Rick and Greene don't get out of position down low on Koufos.
Lighty is the slasher/scorer/midrange guy (Think Devo, but more apt to pull up).
Koufos is my major concern though. Rick and Arinze give up 3 inches to this guy, though both weigh as much as he does. If one of them can stay bodied up on him at all times, and use the physical game on both ends of the court that I have seen out of them so far, I think we may be able to get him in foul trouble early. Jackson and Onuaku have not shyed away from the physical game yet, and if they bang hard down low on Offense, they will both be getting to the stripe, as Koufos will have to go over them to defend anything.
Overall the post will be the key to this game, along with the obvious limiting of turnovers. If we can handle Koufos down low, while getting production out of our two big men, we come away victorious.
The Syracuse Orangemen vs. The Ohio State University Buckeyes
It looks to be another rumble, and a good test for our young kids. Seeing some top competition this early in the season can only be a good thing and I'm sure we'll learn from it win or lose.
First off a recap of our season stats:
Player | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | TO | FG % | 3PT % | A:TO Ratio |
Donte Greene | 19.0 | 8.3 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 3.3 | 0.553 | 0.421 | 0.4 |
Eric Devendorf | 16.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 1.7 | 3.3 | 0.500 | 0.385 | 1.2 |
Arinze Onuaku | 13.7 | 5.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 0.667 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
Jonny Flynn | 13.0 | 3.3 | 7.7 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 0.538 | 0.700 | 3.8 |
Paul Harris | 12.7 | 11.7 | 4.3 | 1.7 | 4.3 | 0.444 | 1.000 | 1.0 |
Rick Jackson | 6.3 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.750 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
Scoop Jardine | 1.7 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 0.250 | 0.000 | 0.8 |
Kristof Ongenaet | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 0.250 | 0.000 | 0.3 |
Now OSU's Season Stats. I'm going 3 deep on the bench based on playing time for comparison's sake.
Player | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | TO | FG % | 3PT % | A:TO Ratio |
Kosta Koufos | 18.5 | 7.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.619 | 0.667 | 1.0 |
Jamar Butler | 17.5 | 5.0 | 6.5 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 0.550 | 0.500 | 6.5 |
David Lighty | 17.0 | 6.0 | 4.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0.625 | 0.333 | 2.7 |
Othello Hunter | 12.0 | 8.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.579 | 0.000 | 1.0 |
Evan Turner | 3.5 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.250 | 0.333 | 3.0 |
Kon Diebler | 3.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 0.100 | 0.111 | 1.0 |
PJ Hill | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.250 | 0.500 | 0.0 |
Matt Terwillinger | 2.5 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.500 | 0.500 | 0.0 |
As you can see, Koufos, this years version of Greg Oden for them, is their leading scorer. Contrary to the Cuse though, they rely primarily on Koufos, Butler and Lighty to make their buckets. Butler is their shooter, at 9-18 from behind the arc. Hopefully the zone stretches to him, and AO, Rick and Greene don't get out of position down low on Koufos.
Lighty is the slasher/scorer/midrange guy (Think Devo, but more apt to pull up).
Koufos is my major concern though. Rick and Arinze give up 3 inches to this guy, though both weigh as much as he does. If one of them can stay bodied up on him at all times, and use the physical game on both ends of the court that I have seen out of them so far, I think we may be able to get him in foul trouble early. Jackson and Onuaku have not shyed away from the physical game yet, and if they bang hard down low on Offense, they will both be getting to the stripe, as Koufos will have to go over them to defend anything.
Overall the post will be the key to this game, along with the obvious limiting of turnovers. If we can handle Koufos down low, while getting production out of our two big men, we come away victorious.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
1-0, Best way to start the Season...
It's gonna be brief tonight folks, as I have some non-SU things needing my attention. We beat Siena last night. Not a big surprise, but watching it, there were a few moments I thought it would roll downhill. The sharpshooting and general poise of Jonny Flynn, who dropped a Syracuse Rookie First Game Record of 28 points, kept us in it.
Overall on O we need to settle into the offense more, some things looked forced or rushed.
On D we need to get that back line in the zone to learn how to stay home. Also, the trap out of the zone looked lackadaisical at best.
Be back with more tomorrow hopefully.
SU is on ESPN2 at 7pm. against St. Joseph's tonight.
It won't be an easy game, as this is a veteran club with talented athletes, and we all know they can shoot year in and year out.
Overall on O we need to settle into the offense more, some things looked forced or rushed.
On D we need to get that back line in the zone to learn how to stay home. Also, the trap out of the zone looked lackadaisical at best.
Be back with more tomorrow hopefully.
SU is on ESPN2 at 7pm. against St. Joseph's tonight.
It won't be an easy game, as this is a veteran club with talented athletes, and we all know they can shoot year in and year out.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Let the Games Begin!!!
Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Children of all ages...
Syracuse University
proudly presents, the 2007 'Cuse Hoops season!!
Overdone? Yes. Corny? Yes. Am I still pumped about tonight? Hell Yes. Jordoo on the RealCuseFans forum summed it up best. Today was like Christmas Eve, and tonight we get to open the presents and see what we've got...
Tonight we take on the Siena Saints, another young team, well coached, and are preseason favorites to win the MAAC. Granted they lost on Friday to James Madison, 100-88.
Starting Line-ups:
Syracuse Orange vs. Siena Saints
J. Wright/J. Flynn - PG - Ronald Moore 6'0" 149
Eric Devendorf 6'4" 178 - SG - Kenny Hasbrouck 6'3" 192
Paul Harris 6'5" 228 - SF - Edwin Ubiles 6'6" 197
Donte Greene 6'11" 226 - PF - Cory Magee 6'7" 223
Arinze Onuaku 6'9" 258 - C - Josh Duell 6'7" 259
Syracuse Orange vs. Siena Saints
J. Wright/J. Flynn - PG - Ronald Moore 6'0" 149
Eric Devendorf 6'4" 178 - SG - Kenny Hasbrouck 6'3" 192
Paul Harris 6'5" 228 - SF - Edwin Ubiles 6'6" 197
Donte Greene 6'11" 226 - PF - Cory Magee 6'7" 223
Arinze Onuaku 6'9" 258 - C - Josh Duell 6'7" 259
Except I'm more excited about tonight than I am during the Yuletide season.
Some questions I'm looking to answer tonight:
- Will Wright be back in the starting lineup after his ankle injury, or did Flynn secure his spot?
- Will the young guns get the jitters in their first actual game?
- Is Devo going to show the poise and knowledge of the flow of the game that he did in the preseason?
- Does Arinze not foul out after the first 3 minutes?
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Syracuse vs. LeMoyne: Round 2
Obligatory Halftime Rant:
Well, its a whole different team than we saw on Sunday in a lot of ways. AO has shown some offensive prowess, Greene can be legitimized as being damn good, Harris is back to playing his game (erratic at times, but hits the boards hard and hustles). One thing that concerns me is Flynn's A:T ratio tonight. 2:3 right now. He's definitely bringing an aspect of hustle and playing some tenacious D (Yes, I had to say it).
All in all, the zone looked fine, we weren't collapsing as well as you would expect, but that will come with time. The trap out of the zone is something they will need to get accustomed to. We have big men that can score. I would like to see Donte in the post more, but he is showing a Warrick like game tonight, with some mid-range post moves and also made the masses realize his 3 point shooting is not a fluke.
On to the action:
Looking good after the half. Came out with a great deal of hustle, everyone running. One thing I'm noticing this half is that it's been a while since we've had this much chemistry this early. Everyone seems to be willing to dish. No one is afraid to take the shot. They're playing with a poise I wouldn't expect out of a squad this young, and you can tell they're having a great time doing it.
Also, Greene has 21...
Greene is up to 26, Williams is now in. Granted I can't really give any feedback on him other than he needs to work on some offensive positioning. He hasn't been involved in any sort of plays at all. Devo with 4 fouls, so it looks like we'll be going young for a while. Also, its now 78-44...
Williams with his first statistic as an Orangeman! An assist to Jackson!
Team assist to turnover right now is 19:11.
The Hyphen is now noted as being the worst dancer on the team according to the TW26 announcers... Harris throws down a hard oop from Devo in transition. From what I see the zone could use a touch of work, but thats what the non-conference schedule is for right?
Double double now for Devo, showing his distribution ability. Presutti is checking in, good to see him get some court time. Flynn's ability to hit the three will really open up some possibilities for us this year. Jackson also has a double double.
Presutti finishes the game off with a 3, a fitting ending.
Final: Syracuse, 109 - LeMoyne, 59
Well, its a whole different team than we saw on Sunday in a lot of ways. AO has shown some offensive prowess, Greene can be legitimized as being damn good, Harris is back to playing his game (erratic at times, but hits the boards hard and hustles). One thing that concerns me is Flynn's A:T ratio tonight. 2:3 right now. He's definitely bringing an aspect of hustle and playing some tenacious D (Yes, I had to say it).
All in all, the zone looked fine, we weren't collapsing as well as you would expect, but that will come with time. The trap out of the zone is something they will need to get accustomed to. We have big men that can score. I would like to see Donte in the post more, but he is showing a Warrick like game tonight, with some mid-range post moves and also made the masses realize his 3 point shooting is not a fluke.
On to the action:
Looking good after the half. Came out with a great deal of hustle, everyone running. One thing I'm noticing this half is that it's been a while since we've had this much chemistry this early. Everyone seems to be willing to dish. No one is afraid to take the shot. They're playing with a poise I wouldn't expect out of a squad this young, and you can tell they're having a great time doing it.
Also, Greene has 21...
Greene is up to 26, Williams is now in. Granted I can't really give any feedback on him other than he needs to work on some offensive positioning. He hasn't been involved in any sort of plays at all. Devo with 4 fouls, so it looks like we'll be going young for a while. Also, its now 78-44...
Williams with his first statistic as an Orangeman! An assist to Jackson!
Team assist to turnover right now is 19:11.
The Hyphen is now noted as being the worst dancer on the team according to the TW26 announcers... Harris throws down a hard oop from Devo in transition. From what I see the zone could use a touch of work, but thats what the non-conference schedule is for right?
Double double now for Devo, showing his distribution ability. Presutti is checking in, good to see him get some court time. Flynn's ability to hit the three will really open up some possibilities for us this year. Jackson also has a double double.
Presutti finishes the game off with a 3, a fitting ending.
Final: Syracuse, 109 - LeMoyne, 59
Syracuse vs. LeMoyne
Alas, I will not be able to live blog this, as my laptop has decided to be a satan-spawned pile of trash and not work anymore. I will be back at the half with highlights and updates though...
Flynn's hustle will be what wins games for us this year. I just had to put that in writing. 2 steals on back to back plays, hustling for boards. The kid is a trooper.
Post D is sloppy. We're slacking off our man. It's mostly Jackson who is at fault, saw AO do the same thing. And Paul hasn't learned not to shoot a 3 yet...
2nd Timeout: So far it seems like were showing more affinity for the mid-range game, something I like. Solely man so far, but that's expected in the exhibitions. Ongenaut is showing some serious potential, seems to be a very fundamental player, though he needs to finish harder. I like to see people making the right cuts though.
Greene with 13 points so far. We're moving in transition, court vision and speed are greatly improved from last year. Devo is still a liability in the man sets. Overall this team will be a blast to watch.
All five frosh on the court, someone needs to take some leadership role on the court. You can tell theyre all young when they're on the court together.
Saw the zone for the first time, looked ok, forced a 3. Moved to a press, Pressure D looks solid, Post feeds look phenomenal. AO with 7 straight points.
Williams got in just before the half. That wingspan is as gangly as it sounds. His arms touch his knees when he walks.
Flynn's hustle will be what wins games for us this year. I just had to put that in writing. 2 steals on back to back plays, hustling for boards. The kid is a trooper.
Post D is sloppy. We're slacking off our man. It's mostly Jackson who is at fault, saw AO do the same thing. And Paul hasn't learned not to shoot a 3 yet...
2nd Timeout: So far it seems like were showing more affinity for the mid-range game, something I like. Solely man so far, but that's expected in the exhibitions. Ongenaut is showing some serious potential, seems to be a very fundamental player, though he needs to finish harder. I like to see people making the right cuts though.
Greene with 13 points so far. We're moving in transition, court vision and speed are greatly improved from last year. Devo is still a liability in the man sets. Overall this team will be a blast to watch.
All five frosh on the court, someone needs to take some leadership role on the court. You can tell theyre all young when they're on the court together.
Saw the zone for the first time, looked ok, forced a 3. Moved to a press, Pressure D looks solid, Post feeds look phenomenal. AO with 7 straight points.
Williams got in just before the half. That wingspan is as gangly as it sounds. His arms touch his knees when he walks.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Exhibition Live-Blog Half #2
Halftime Rant:
Well the first half was all ups and downs. It seems for every high point (Greene's scoring, Flynn's control of the game), we have Jackson and AO with stone hands, Devo not finishing, basic defenses giving us trouble.
There was a ton of good ball movement, while at the same time the end of the half we let St. Rose back into it due to an inability to move the ball and sloppy passing.
Things to note:
Second Half:
Came out with a little more fire, especially Harris with a nice baseline drive. Need to work for open shots more though.
Harris 0-2 from 3. We're getting out in transition though.
Note: Harris still looks like a boated fish when he tries to sell something.
AO is attacking the hoop hard.
Harris' D is looking suspect, not the tenacity he had last year. In general we look better on defense this half. Running with Scoop, Devo, Greene, KO and Jackson right now.
Scoop snipes a pass and takes it end to end for 2.
One thing I notice about Jackson is that he doesn't look for options. It seems his only goal is to get to the hoop and not dish it somewhere. Not sure how much I like that. Scoop turns the ball over, stops a 2-1, steals the ball, then finishes 1 on 3. God this is going to be another heart attack season...
Greene needs to hit a free throw, hes 1-4.
And our lack of D has gotten it to a tie game, 58-58 halfway through the 2nd half. This is something that needs to be addressed. TO's are out of control right now.
Hopefully Flynn can be our catalyst. The starting 5 is back on the court. I guess JB figures no more screwing around. Flynn at the line for 2 right now.
We're losing... Dagostino hitting things from god knows where.
Now I'm just getting frustrated. The freshmen are playing like such (stupid mistakes are expected), but Harris and Devo aren't showing anything. Spoke too soon, Devo for 3 and one! Back on top.
Harris no look to Flynn for the finish. These two work real well together. I guess it comes in handy that they played HS ball with each other...
Greene has kind of disappeared this half. 74-68 good guys right now. The transition game still looks good though.
AO with a double-double right now, 10 and 10.
Flynn takes an outlet, drives on an open hoop, tosses it off Harris grabs the oop and throws it down! Beautiful!
Final: Syracuse - 80, St. Rose - 71
Well, we made it out of there. I'll recap later on tonight. But quick sum, AO and PH with double-doubles, Greene and Devo with 16 points, and J. Flynn with 9 Assists. This is going to be a fun year.
Well the first half was all ups and downs. It seems for every high point (Greene's scoring, Flynn's control of the game), we have Jackson and AO with stone hands, Devo not finishing, basic defenses giving us trouble.
There was a ton of good ball movement, while at the same time the end of the half we let St. Rose back into it due to an inability to move the ball and sloppy passing.
Things to note:
- Donte Greene is a stud, plain and simple.
- Flynn can run the offense like a champ and makes the entire team better when he is onthe floor.
- Jackson and Jardine are raw, but have potential.
- The Hyphen is back
- Harris was fairly quiet, but still hustles like crazy (still cant hit a 3 either).
- Devo seems to be content as a cog in this, rather than trying to force everything or demanding the ball.
Second Half:
Came out with a little more fire, especially Harris with a nice baseline drive. Need to work for open shots more though.
Harris 0-2 from 3. We're getting out in transition though.
Note: Harris still looks like a boated fish when he tries to sell something.
AO is attacking the hoop hard.
Harris' D is looking suspect, not the tenacity he had last year. In general we look better on defense this half. Running with Scoop, Devo, Greene, KO and Jackson right now.
Scoop snipes a pass and takes it end to end for 2.
One thing I notice about Jackson is that he doesn't look for options. It seems his only goal is to get to the hoop and not dish it somewhere. Not sure how much I like that. Scoop turns the ball over, stops a 2-1, steals the ball, then finishes 1 on 3. God this is going to be another heart attack season...
Greene needs to hit a free throw, hes 1-4.
And our lack of D has gotten it to a tie game, 58-58 halfway through the 2nd half. This is something that needs to be addressed. TO's are out of control right now.
Hopefully Flynn can be our catalyst. The starting 5 is back on the court. I guess JB figures no more screwing around. Flynn at the line for 2 right now.
We're losing... Dagostino hitting things from god knows where.
Now I'm just getting frustrated. The freshmen are playing like such (stupid mistakes are expected), but Harris and Devo aren't showing anything. Spoke too soon, Devo for 3 and one! Back on top.
Harris no look to Flynn for the finish. These two work real well together. I guess it comes in handy that they played HS ball with each other...
Greene has kind of disappeared this half. 74-68 good guys right now. The transition game still looks good though.
AO with a double-double right now, 10 and 10.
Flynn takes an outlet, drives on an open hoop, tosses it off Harris grabs the oop and throws it down! Beautiful!
Final: Syracuse - 80, St. Rose - 71
Well, we made it out of there. I'll recap later on tonight. But quick sum, AO and PH with double-doubles, Greene and Devo with 16 points, and J. Flynn with 9 Assists. This is going to be a fun year.
Exhibition Live-Blog
Well this is my first attempt at this, so we'll see how it goes.
To start, one of the questions going into this game was answered. Mike Waters over at syracuse.com had speculated with not 100% certainty that J. Flynn would be our starting point guard. It seems that this is confirmed, as the live stats, found here support the claim. Thanks to douglas20 and pacusefan from the RealCuseFans board for the tidbits going into this and the stats link.
Now if TW26 would stop showing this game from yesterday and get on with something that matters I would be happy.
Gametime Cuse Fans!
Starting lineup:
Donte is taking the tip, and wins it.
You can tell theres some first day jitters, but Greene just amazed me with a nice little dump pass to Harris, and taking it hard back to the rim off of a board. Its good to see that vision. Greene with the first points off a free throw.
Harris still cannot hit a three. I don't know why he tries anymore.
Greene with the nice finish on a pass from Flynn, this is looking like a familiar statement this year.
Onuaku with a huge block, this team is making me excited as hell for the upcoming season. Devo is finishing 1 on 3, we can penetrate at will. Granted this is a Division II team, but its still good to see.
Greene with a 20 footer, has 5 points so far. He looks confident, as does Flynn. Devo's left isn't seeming quite automatic as it has been in the past, hes missed 3 layups. Now Greene for 3, make that 8 points.
Skip and Jackson are now in, and Jackson has missed his first pass in his career. Harris needs to settle back down, he still gets too excited in transition.
KO checks in. Jackson is going up hard, but it seems like he is extending his body a bit too much. We need to get in the gym and hit some free throws.
Harris with the oop to Flynn, some NF boys hooking up. From what I'm seeing our best bet is inherently with Flynn on the court. Jardine with his first points on a baseline J.
Ongenaut can hit a 3 as well apparently, our whole frontcourt is a more talented version of Matt Gorman.
Greene banks in a three. 11 points so far. Overall were moving impressively, but the D is a little weak. Backside, and rotations need to be worked on. Make that another 3 and 14 pts for Greene.
Jackson and Scoop back in. We are definitely showing better ball movement than I have seen in recent years. Greene with his 16th on a putback.
So the two HS combos both look good together, now we just need to integrate that all around. Scoop and Rick hooked up on a nice feed. Jackson with a block. The Hyphen is now in.
We're looking sloppy when double teamed. Trying to force too much down low instead of swinging the perimeter, which is what has been working for us all game.
Halftime: Syracuse 39, Saint Rose, 36
To start, one of the questions going into this game was answered. Mike Waters over at syracuse.com had speculated with not 100% certainty that J. Flynn would be our starting point guard. It seems that this is confirmed, as the live stats, found here support the claim. Thanks to douglas20 and pacusefan from the RealCuseFans board for the tidbits going into this and the stats link.
Now if TW26 would stop showing this game from yesterday and get on with something that matters I would be happy.
Gametime Cuse Fans!
Starting lineup:
- PG - Flynn
- SG - Devendorf
- SF - Harris
- PF - Green
- C - Onuaku
Donte is taking the tip, and wins it.
You can tell theres some first day jitters, but Greene just amazed me with a nice little dump pass to Harris, and taking it hard back to the rim off of a board. Its good to see that vision. Greene with the first points off a free throw.
Harris still cannot hit a three. I don't know why he tries anymore.
Greene with the nice finish on a pass from Flynn, this is looking like a familiar statement this year.
Onuaku with a huge block, this team is making me excited as hell for the upcoming season. Devo is finishing 1 on 3, we can penetrate at will. Granted this is a Division II team, but its still good to see.
Greene with a 20 footer, has 5 points so far. He looks confident, as does Flynn. Devo's left isn't seeming quite automatic as it has been in the past, hes missed 3 layups. Now Greene for 3, make that 8 points.
Skip and Jackson are now in, and Jackson has missed his first pass in his career. Harris needs to settle back down, he still gets too excited in transition.
KO checks in. Jackson is going up hard, but it seems like he is extending his body a bit too much. We need to get in the gym and hit some free throws.
Harris with the oop to Flynn, some NF boys hooking up. From what I'm seeing our best bet is inherently with Flynn on the court. Jardine with his first points on a baseline J.
Ongenaut can hit a 3 as well apparently, our whole frontcourt is a more talented version of Matt Gorman.
Greene banks in a three. 11 points so far. Overall were moving impressively, but the D is a little weak. Backside, and rotations need to be worked on. Make that another 3 and 14 pts for Greene.
Jackson and Scoop back in. We are definitely showing better ball movement than I have seen in recent years. Greene with his 16th on a putback.
So the two HS combos both look good together, now we just need to integrate that all around. Scoop and Rick hooked up on a nice feed. Jackson with a block. The Hyphen is now in.
We're looking sloppy when double teamed. Trying to force too much down low instead of swinging the perimeter, which is what has been working for us all game.
Halftime: Syracuse 39, Saint Rose, 36
Syracuse vs. St. Rose
Alright folks, the time we've been waiting for is almost upon us. The Cuse faithful can see this extremely young and talented team mesh for the first time outside of Manley (granted it's in the Dome, so not too far outside).
To sum up Saint Rose:
To sum up Saint Rose:
- Their PG, DeAugustino is the reigning Conference POY (17ppg, 4.8apg, 2.0spg) and handy defensively. This will give us a good gauge of Flynn and Jardine handling the ball and well, I guess we get to see Josh Wright against him as well...
- Shanty Robinson is their key post man (10 and 6 per game), granted he is only listed at 6'4," so I don't really know what to say about him. their tallest player is only 6'8."
- Will Monica is the shooter, and will be the one to test the zone, letting us see how well we rotate out, and cover.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!
Ok, so I lied about the preview, but I will have a definitive one up before the regular season starts. Things other than blogging have been taking up my time. But to the issue at hand...
Sunday kicks off the Syracuse Basketball season in game form... sort of. The first scrimmage of the year, against the College for the Blind, wait, College of Saint Rose, tips of at 2pm on Sunday. We finally get to see what JB feels like doing with this team.
Will Wright start over Flynn?
Has Greene filled out a but since he arrived on campus?
What does Kristof Onganet look like?
Has Harris signed up for a linebacker spot on our glorious gridiron squad yet?
Will Onuaku shatter any backboards?
All of these questions and more, including real ones like how JB will run this squad, and will they get out of the zone and run more given the immense team speed we have this year, will be answered. It's almost upon us. We can forget about the state of our football program (though there have been some solid points), and look to the future of SU hoops.
We shall see. I might even live-blog the scrimmage...
Sunday kicks off the Syracuse Basketball season in game form... sort of. The first scrimmage of the year, against the College for the Blind, wait, College of Saint Rose, tips of at 2pm on Sunday. We finally get to see what JB feels like doing with this team.
Will Wright start over Flynn?
Has Greene filled out a but since he arrived on campus?
What does Kristof Onganet look like?
Has Harris signed up for a linebacker spot on our glorious gridiron squad yet?
Will Onuaku shatter any backboards?
All of these questions and more, including real ones like how JB will run this squad, and will they get out of the zone and run more given the immense team speed we have this year, will be answered. It's almost upon us. We can forget about the state of our football program (though there have been some solid points), and look to the future of SU hoops.
We shall see. I might even live-blog the scrimmage...
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Season Preview
Just kidding... I'm writing one up at the moment and will be running with it by the end of the week.
Oh yeah, and that football team that we all forgot about beat Buffalo 20-12 this weekend. As MJ at Nunes said... International Bowl, here we come!
Oh yeah, and that football team that we all forgot about beat Buffalo 20-12 this weekend. As MJ at Nunes said... International Bowl, here we come!
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Send it in, Arinze!
The backboard shattered.
Cuse basketball is officially back, with a bang. In the middle of last night's "Midnight" Madness scrimmage/dunk contest, our boy AO brought down the basket in Manley. After an entry pass from Harris, Onuaku took it hard to the hoop, and brought the glass down on him.
A night that featured messages from legends (Leo, 'Melo, and Wallace), the presence of legends (Pearl) and recruits that could become legends (Kris Joseph, Assane Sene), the backboard shattering dunk took
the cake.Apparently Harris can still jump, as he cleared two of the teams managers on route to winning the dunk contest.
To the recruits...
Joseph I already did a piece about, and he only seems to be getting better. 6'7", long wingspan, perfect Boeheim swingman.
Sene is a seven footer out of South Kent (CT), who we're actively recruiting. He has some serious potential and could be a force in the middle if he chooses the Cuse. Having him attend the festivities, and seeing the absurdity that is SU Fandom, the support by the former players and being able to talk to Joseph, who has already committed, was a great move by JB.
All in all this seems to be a hell of a way to kick off the new year. It could be like Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez hitting the cover off the baseball in "The Sandlot," an omen of good things to come.
And the video:
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Another Mookie?
It's official folks, were only 1 year away from another Mookie around the hill. Mr. Watkins has left us, and Mr. Jones is on his way. Donnie doesn't go into too much detail in the linked post, but Mookie will be a solid asset to this team.
From Peekskill, NY, the 6'6"(6'7"?) averaged 22.6ppg, 11 boards and 6 blocks his junior season. He'll be a solid swingman, that should be able to both help scoring and at the bottom of the zone. Lets keep the recruits coming.
Also this probably means that James Southerland will reclassify for the '09 class, as was previously anticipated, freeing his scholly up.
As always, JB and his sidekick Hoppy come through...
From Peekskill, NY, the 6'6"(6'7"?) averaged 22.6ppg, 11 boards and 6 blocks his junior season. He'll be a solid swingman, that should be able to both help scoring and at the bottom of the zone. Lets keep the recruits coming.
Also this probably means that James Southerland will reclassify for the '09 class, as was previously anticipated, freeing his scholly up.
As always, JB and his sidekick Hoppy come through...
Thursday, September 27, 2007
A tidbit from the Emerald Isle...
Everyone's favorite big doofy white Orangeman is going to be playing professional ball. No I'm not talking about Craig Forth... or Billy Celuck... or Elvir, or Reafsnyder... Christ we've had some guys that have fit that description.
No, Matty G is headed to Ireland to play professionally. He will play for the Cork County Neptune of the Irish Super League, the top league in the country. His professional salary, $425 a week. May the luck of the Irish be with ya Matty. He was one of those guys I wish could have seen more court time, but he gave us some solid minutes during his 5 years around town. If only he could have had more of a low presence and not desired to be a shooting guard...
In other news, the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center has had its groundbreaking ceremony. More on this later...
No, Matty G is headed to Ireland to play professionally. He will play for the Cork County Neptune of the Irish Super League, the top league in the country. His professional salary, $425 a week. May the luck of the Irish be with ya Matty. He was one of those guys I wish could have seen more court time, but he gave us some solid minutes during his 5 years around town. If only he could have had more of a low presence and not desired to be a shooting guard...
In other news, the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center has had its groundbreaking ceremony. More on this later...
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
We won something else!
A-Ro as MJ over at Nunes is a Magician seems to take to calling him has officially won the USAToday Player of the Week Poll after his performance last week.
It keeps getting better...
It keeps getting better...
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