Things happen at Syracuse.People other than me write about those things.
I, consequently, feel compelled to share these things with other people who may or may not have a vested interest in their impact on the university.
Therefore, I submit the following with supplemental critical commentary.
Here now, the news.
[Attracting Flies With Honey]
Jim Boeheim is the man.
Having already assembled a pretty remarkable Class of 2007, Coach Boeheim has all but put the finishing touches on what will be number one recruting class for that year with the recent commitment of superstud combo-forward Donte Greene. Amongst the schools Syracuse crushed on their way to securing Greene's commitment were high-powered programs Maryland, Georgetown, Connecticut, North Carolina and Texas.
Scout.com's dossier on Greene appears to depict the skyrocketing forward as a perfect Boeheim frontcourt presence - long and athletic, lots of upside, a shot blocker who can run the floor, and a face up game that can be developed.
What may be of concern is Greene's characterization as a guy that needs to learn to finish. Even though Carmelo Anthony was a great face-up, mid-range type player, Anthony had a great knack for getting to the rim and finishing. Having a similar build as Anthony, Greene will need to develop this side of his game if he expects to have any kind of success in the brutal Big East Conference.
In other related recruiting news, it appears as if the basketball staff is determined to land a center in the Class of 2007 and will probably roll over the extra Class of 2006 scholarship to meet this desire. Mike Waters talks about this possibility and more in a recent blog entry. As he notes, Coach Boeheim is focusing on Taylor King (even though King is a small forward), Dallas Lauderdale, and Sean Williams.
Personally, I think Taylor King has a lot of Larry Bird in him and would look great in Orange. Unfortunately, there might not be enough room for him on the floor, assuming Paul Harris sticks around for more than one season.
[Andy Katz]
Katz has an interesting story about the Big East Conference that's worth a quick read.
Katz seems to have it in his head that the Big East is poised for some sort of resurgence. Maybe it's just me, but I never thought the Big East went anywhere. Since its inception in 1979, the Big East has been, and probably always will be, one of the two best conferences year in and year out.
What more could you ask for? It's not a resurgence if you've always been at the top.
[Under Pressure]
Ken Pomeroy continues to be the greatest thing to happen to the internet since... since... well, ever.
His most recent essay outlines how the last few moments in a game effect a player's ability to knock down free throws. He walks through the analysis flawlessly, providing data on how free-throw percentage reacts to the tightness of a game as the play clock approaches 0:00.
It'd be interesting to chart how Gerry McNamara fits into the fold, considering it seems that he can never hit a free throw when in matters.
[I Have No Idea What This Means]
Someone actually charts this crappy blog?
[Other Odds 'n Ends]
Single-game basketball tickets "officially" went on sale today.
Make sure you buy lots and lots of them so that you can watch in person as Syracuse walks through a sub-20 win season. As an added bonus, the more tickets you buy, the more times you can bitch and moan to your seatmates about why you were a moron and bought a bunch of tickets to watch a frustrating basketball team.
In other "basketball" news, the women's team is actually going to play some of their games in the Dome this year. Only three things need to be said:
Worst.
Idea.
Ever.
I wish I could bring myself to write 500 words about why this might be the dumbest idea since those Orange Wave towels, but I neither have the time nor the patience.
In case you haven't pulled yourself out of that whiskey bottle you fell in following the loss to Connecticut on Friday night, Coach Robinson held a press conference to lay out what changes were going to go into effect beginning Saturday against Rutgers. You can read the transcript here. I'm no offensive genius, but when you replace one crappy player with another, things aren't likely to change.
That's what we in the business call 'zero-sum.'
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