Syracuse and the Garden
- Thread starter otis
- Start date
STJClass_2013
Member
Yeah UConn is struggling without Calhoun this year. They probably would be in the big dance if not for the suspension.
Their slogan only has credence when we are not winning....Once we start to win again, beat some top teams and reach the back page -- there will be no discussion re: NY's team...at no point has a Syracuse headline appeared on the backpage of the DN or NYP for a regular season game...When we are good, we do make the headlines...may be below the Knicks but there just the same...we don't need them to necessarily reclaim our rightful position
I do not believe Syracuse University will "crumble" (your term) but I do believe that it's basketball may drop a notch similar to how Memphis dropped after Calaperi left. Memphis still has good teams but nowhere as good as with Calaperi.
Hopkins has been a very effective recruiter (a/k/a "a salesperson") but he has never before served as a head coach and performed the full time duties associated with being the head job.
Class of 72
Active member
Gonzalo, we miss you here in the States and your always on point comments. We at SJ have to step it up big time to catch up even with a Uconn on probation. sad, but true. After watching Gonzaga handle Baylor with their own 7 footers and an "in-control" offense, we have to debate whether we should activate the ONLY big guy we have because he may cut into the minutes of "small players" like the yet to be productive sophs Garrett and Pointer or God forbid, the now glue-to-the-bench Christian Jones.
I think the distinction between Cuse being "New York STATE's team" and "NYC's team" needs to be made. Let's be real...the only area of NYS that really matters is the downstate NYC metro area. If you aren't in it, you aren't real New York. Just the way it is. As I said before, winning games does not change geography. If we see a lot of G'Town fans at MSG on the 12th (we will), do we call G'Town "New York's team"? It's absurd. Someone needs to start printing shirts that say "Syracuse, Canada's College Team". Trust me, I have made the ride up there before and you forget you are in NY. They are like 70 or 80 miles from Canada...that's very close for another country. If we ever start winning, Cuse's perceived NYC power would fall faster than the Philadelphia Eagles. For some reason SJ has been snake-bitten for a decade. It appears this is yet another snake-bitten year 8-4 against a fluffy cupcake schedule. God help us come Georgetown...I will be there and dragged my friends from Manhattan and Yonkers to support SJ!
So, at best, their fans just resell the other tickets on StubHub, at worst those seats remain empty for the other games. And how are you going to feel when they wind up with better and/or cheaper seats than our season ticket package? We're already offering an MSG package that undercuts what season ticket owners are paying.
Interestingly uconn is the only team in the Big East that are worse rebounders than us. Their rebounding margin is twice as bad as ours. I think the Huskies might struggle quite a bit more when they get to conference play. They have maintained composure for one reason IMO and that is Shabazz Napier. Without him, theyd really have trouble. We need Branch to step up and our team to get under control and we'll be fine. People making too many negative judgements of SJU based on a bad loss or two. It's real early, but we need to steal a few. IMO, it makes games like the Nova game a must-steal on the road.
Class of 72
Active member
St. John's will not attract the casual fans that can sell out the Garden without a ranked team......plain and simple. Even season ticket holders stay away from Garden games when we are an average team without a star. Harkless was that star last year but we have not replaced his star power. Jakarr could be a year or two behind Moe at this point.
Even if we had not lost players like Polee and Lindsey, they would not have made this team any better without a big man with talent or a guard who could control the game flow. Both those players have performed worse than when they were at SJ so the level of talent, minus the spin put out by Lavin, is just not living up to press clippings (see the Gift profile----you would think we had another Ron Artest).
I agree this team could still be an upper tier Big East team if Branch shows us something and if Sanchez becomes eligible. Without those two, we have a very small margin of error and a very small team and the close games against the Fordham's, NJIT and losses to the UNCA's of the world will only get magnified by the press and depress our fan base.
This was supposed to be the turning point year and not the year to sit your only big because of recruiting and eligibilty doubts. There have been no "hammer-to-rock" comments in quite a while and the "buzz" in October has lessened in volume. It becomes almost embarrassing when a local NYC writer has us as the 4th best team in the metro area behind a Stony Brook team without one ranked player that lost Seton Hall, a team ranked above us, by one point.
To have 7 nationally ranked players means nothing if they cannot play as well as a Stony Brook.
jrhoops1949
Active member
If it's so easy to get those teams to give us a home game, then where they been? Ohio St. gave us a home and home after we player em in a regional championship. Duke story was the two Mikes were friends so we got a little Duke action. In a decade I think we got NC St and NC once. Maybe the Zags there, and 3 with UCLA.
Good point. That notwithstanding, I still wouldn't re-schedule Syracuse and Pukon right away. First try and schedule games against other big time opponents that are not them. If after a few years we can't schedule those schools, then we can revert back to Syracuse and Pukon if necessary.
I am not the AD so I am not in charge of making our schedule but do you know if we even tried to get any of those other teams?
We have gotten, Duke, UCLA, NC State, Kansas, Kentucky, etc. What major program would not want a game at MSG? None is the answer, everyone would. We have a great home advantage and half of this board is prepared to give it to CONNU and Scuse, the 2 traitors who recruit against us most in our own back yard.
I just don't get it.
And for the record I am not ducking either school , just advocating taking away their great recruiting tool.
DieHard Johnny
Member
Get your facts right St.johns is not conceding anything they did not Quit the BigEast they helped build, Scuse DID!
Make scuse pay for their beytrayal dont play them at the the garden like RMnorth says to hurt their nycity exposure in recruiting our backyard
Boheim is the reason scuse became good w his zone & recruiting skills after him they will drop off the map!!!!!
Hopkins will blow just like Bernie did the towel boys Great Brand their logo sucks & jerseys are ugly lol
NY's team the only scuse logo in nyc is paid for by steiner in yankee std
How many caps,tshirts,etc are worn around ny??
Baldy reached his milestone & they will give him a parade down 5th ave bec. their nys team lol