Cardio can consist of any type of training that focuses on raising the heart rate and breathing for an extended period of time. The most obvious advantage is the increase in stamina. Have you ever practiced your shot for so long that your ball doesn’t even reach the basketball hoops anymore? That means your arms are worn out and need to be trained to perform for longer amounts of time. Your entire body is that way. Even if you only want to bulk up and look like Conan, extending you stamina will allow you to do muscle building training for longer without risking a drop.

It may not be the most obvious, but the most important benefit from including cardio in your training routine is the maintenance of the health of both your heart and lungs. If you are a smoker, stop. That advice aside, cardio is even more important for the smoker, because they are doing so much damage to their cardiovascular system. Doing vigorous cardio work for at least 30 minutes will help to clear out that junk that builds up in your lungs. It is not going to completely fix the problem, but every little bit helps.

The long and the short of all of this is, if you want to play with your grandkids and teach them the perfect shot to put the, proverbial, biscuit in the basket then work some cardio into your life. It’s hard to just explain how to put a clean shot through regulation basketball hoops. Make sure you have the stamina to show them how to do it at 70.

Lastly, of course, you should bear in mind that playing college sports can be a great way to stay fit and healthy during your college years. You’ll no doubt be spending plenty of time studying, so it can be a great idea to schedule time for physical activity too. If you find it hard to be motivated enough to go to the gym, then playing college sports can be the perfect solution.

“Hey guys – I would be all for expanding the Big East conference for football if a) there was a way to keep the hoops part at the top of the NCAA, and b) there were quality teams to add. TCU is coming, which I think is pretty silly… If you want to completely redefine the Big East as part of the Midwest, sure, you can add others. The best option, which has no chance at occurring, always included BC and Penn State. That way you at least had all of the big D1 programs in the northeast in a single conference. I don’t know where expansion is headed, but there just aren’t more quality teams to add. -KevMonstah”

This is why SU’s best option may be to be absorbed into the Big 10 or another bigger conference. It drives traditionalists and hoop heads insane because of the preeminence of Big East basketball, but football pays the bills and thus makes the rules. The Big East isn’t going to pluck a team from another major conference like the SEC with Texas A&M. It would have to be an FCS team like Villanova or a mid-major from Conference USA like Louisville a few years ago.

“I agree with you Hoffman, as a Syracuse alum who majored in geography (and ETS) it really saddens me that geography is given little or no consideration when it comes to conference expansion and alignment, and I think we can blame Boston College for starting that trend. They are no where close to any other ACC school. -brian”

Blame Chestnut Hill CC? Sounds good to me. All three schools that left in 2004 did so (as we said in last week’s Fizz Feedback) to collect the coin from the ACC conference championship game. Apparently this check is big enough to off set the costs of sending every other sport on the road for games all over the eastern seaboard, thus making geography irelevent.

Meanwhile, on the field there SU is looking for the next group of guys who come out of nowhere to be key cogs. As for this year’s potential X-Factors?

“Deon Goggins equals X. he will be tops in nation at DT. -johnandrew”

Proof that you can’t trust a guy with two first names. I like Goggins and the stable of DT’s that Scott Schafer has to play with, but tops in the country? Pump. The. Breaks. Deon Goggins is no Jared Crick (Nebraska) or any of the other top DT’s. Warning. Negative ninny sighting ahead.

“can’t be graham….because he can’t catch. goggins, west/flemming, stevens are the three xfactors. wilkes/graham won’t pley enough to be xfactors. graham will play the first 3/4 games but once he gets over that 10th dropped pass (which may come by game two) they’ll have trouble justifying him playing. -mdb80″

Woah. That was… not… actually… horrifically negative. Doug Marrone says Graham has improved his hands but his job is to build up his players. Graham didn’t play in the Ernie Davis scrimmage, but since his speedy compadre Jermiah Kobena has hands allergic to footballs, the job of “burner” is still open. A guy like Graham (in addition to the fully capable Van Chew) who can take the top off of a secondary is clearly a potential X-Factor. For my money (all $5 of it), I’ll take Flemming to break out.

Recruiting news also caused some extra bubbles in The Fizz this week as we looked at two potential Orange. We like what HCDM has done with the class of 2012, but CBS wasn’t so impressed.

“Yeah but I still think we are at the bottom half of the BE in recruiting. If this keeps up( low rankings if you believe or disbelief in the Stars system)then this team will be that team that wins 6/7 games a year. Not good enough. There is no chance of improvement without top talented players. NO WAY!! -Terry”

Insert Ron, DOF: Defender of Fizz (and all things Orange for that matter):

“Terry, I honestly believe that if Syracuse had an undefeated season and played for and WON the National Championship, your message would always be the same. Give it up bro, give it up. You gotta grow up and let it go. Syracuse has approximately 10-11 players who got drafted and are going the free agent route from last years squad trying out for spots on NFL teams this year. Your point is that none of these players were or are worth a damn. -Ron”

The truth lies somewhere in the middle. Marrone has added guys with speed and size, will coach them up and watch them develop into possible NFL-caliber players (see Jones, Chandler and Thomas, Phillip). If you want to see an instant jump to national prominence then yes, SU needs to sign elite players who can make an instant impact and become studs by their junior years. However you probably also have goals like being Minka Kelly’s next man. Be patient. SU’s time will come. A potential guy who could help with that is Dalton Crossan (RB, Lake Ronkonkama, NY).

“Wow…….. The competition is in question, but what is not in question is the fact that this kid is fast. There is a need for speed on this team, and a kid like this could be a great compliment to our offense. He is a playmaker/touchdown maker….. I hope he signs with the Cuse. -Dr. Bill”

How hard and quick Crossan hits holes is staggering. Lee Corso’s pencil would be worn out from moving side to side and there would be lots of whistling involved. While he almost gets caught on a lot of his long runs (meaning he probably would get caught with a Big East DB chasing him), his burst is so good that he has room to spare and creates seperation into the secondary. A key when evaluating RB’s is how quickly they get to the 2nd (LB’s) and 3rd (DB’s) levels of a defense. Crossan gets there instantly.

Remember to leave your comments under all of our stories and reply to us on Twitter, to make sure your voice gets heard in next week’s edition of the Fizz Feedback.

“The BE needs to just go out an grab the last big chip out there and bring in boise. Who cares about travel! – Carlton”

The problem with that logic that while football is almost always the money maker, one of the few exceptions might actually be Syracuse. The Orange brings in nearly as many people for a basketball game as for football, and the Big East’s football television contract is the weakest in the BCS. It’s more likely the league will get raided and not doing the raiding.

“I think everyone should just cool it. Leaving the Big East may not be in Syracuse’s or any other team best interest for that matter. The lesson from BC, Miami and Va tech should serve as a lesson for us all. Everything isn’t everything you know. Miami and Va tech haven’t done squat since they left the conference. -BIG M”

“Whoa folks, lets put the brakes on here about Syracuse going to the ACC or the Big 10 conferences. D. A. shouldn’t the shoe be on the other foot? If the SEC raids the ACC, then I feel the Big East should go after and bring Boston College back to the conference where they belong and then go after Maryland. -Ron”

What has the Big East done since those teams left? Rutgers, West Virginia and USF have made runs in the top 10 nationally, but overall the conference has turned into a joke. While Miami has fallen off, B.C. had some nice seasons under Matt Ryan and Virginia Tech has hovered around the top 10 pretty consistently. It’s a game of money. It’s about collecting the big check from the championship game that the Big East doesn’t have, and we all know that Miami is all about collecting the checks.

“Miami and SU have nothing to do with eachother. City of syracuse don’t have anywhere near the issues that athletes that miami has. so having ‘patience’ for marrone has nothing to do with him doing it the right way compared to miami. the shortcuts marrone would consider also don’t compare to the shortcuts that bigtime programs have access to. -mdb80″

For once I halfway agree with our resident node of negativity. This scandal makes headlines pop because it was enormous NCAA scandal meets South Beach. There’s a history with the program and the splash of yacht parties and prostitutes. That being said, you can’t discount what Doug Marrone is doing. I spoke to a player this week about the culture at SU. He told me the guys behave out of a respect for Marrone. Are they being offered what the U players were? Of course not, but every football program has a chance to cheat and as far as we know, Syracuse and Marrone are choosing not to.

“the article you should be posting about is the article about the amount of money Rutgers is pouring into athletics at the expense of Academics. According to the article, Rutgers leads all BCS schools in the amount of money it uses to subsidize athletics. To me, that is the story of the day. The rise of Rutgers is related to the amount of $$$$$$$$$ it has chosen to put into sports. Where is the Cash $$$$$$$$ that SU needs to upgrade it’s football program going to come from? We need a cash upgrade before we can get a talent upgrade. -Dr. Bill”

I can’t respond any better than D.A. did:

“The story about Rutgers is stupefying. RU poured more money into its athletic dept than anyone in BCS and it got a crappy basketball team and a football team picked last in the Big East? Nice use of resources. I just think as much as we all want SU to rise to the top immediately it’s important to remember the process to do it the right way is vital. -DA”

There’s something to be said for putting in your time and paying your dues. If you take the bumps and bruises along the way it makes you tougher when you reach your goal. But we all know it’s time for facility upgrades at SU to make the next leap For all the good The Dougie is doing, imagine what he could accomplish with elite facilities. Improved training facilities might even help cut down injuries too, something the Orange would appreciate right now.

“I think SU is getting to the point where their depth can withstand these injuries. You can see that certain positions can and some that cannot. It’s a matter of which ones were most easily rebuilt. They have talented guys and numbers, just not entirely proven ones at positions, and at others they have proven guys -Kev Monstah”

The return of the Monstah! The Fizz spoke at length on Signing Day about SU being able to fill out the roster, we just didn’t expect that depth to be needed in mid-August. The good news is all the young guys are getting reps, which can’t hurt. Plus vets like Phillip Thomas will not miss any games and will return in time to get a full practice in before Wake.

Before we close the mailbag for this week, reaction to the news that SU and Maryland are likely the final two for freakish tight end Ron Thompson.

“PLEASE get this guy. I LOVE a fast receiving TE! GO CUSE! ORANGE AND BLUE BABY! -Shank”

Get rowdy.

“If he commits, what do you think would happen with Joshua Parris? Parris is s a 3 star on rivals, scout, and espn, so a kid with his talent couldn’t be too happy not even being the best TE in a recruiting class. -Chad”

Parris is fine. In Marrone’s pro-style offense there is plenty of room for two tight ends. Kids who worry about being the class’ highest-rated guy at his position probably isn’t competitive enough to survive Marrone anyway.

As always, send us all your feedback via our comments section below every post and on Twitter with @orangefizz replies.

Posted: Craig Hoffman

“I think you’re way off here. The only QB after Nassib I see as having a real shot at being the kind of QB Cuse needs to win a BCS game is Kinder. That’s working with the assumption that Nassib is a QB Cuse can win a BCS game with, which if we were talking about this this past winter, not many people truly believed. So Steve, I believe the antithesis of your argument here is true. Instead of ‘the quarterback depth chart is a claustrophobic one’ as you state in your article, I believe the quarterback depth chart is scary thin. What if Nassib gets injured? Who steps in? The way I understand it, Loeb isn’t a BCS QB so it would be on Kinder based on his future potential. But I don’t believe Kinder is ready to play at the BCS level right now. -CuseCT1″

This was an excerpt of a longer comment from CuseCT1 which was well done and respectful in disagreement. We like that here at The Fizz. Despite the difference in opinion, writer Steve Neikam and CuseCT1 are both right. The QB situation is claustrophobic, but it’s not filled with quality. Kinder was terrible in the Spring Game. If Nassib goes down, SU is without a paddle.

How does this relate to Broyld? Clearly he’s not a better option as Nassib’s backup right now and by having to go to Milford for a year he’s putting himself behind schedule. Ashton’s in a tough spot, but he’s solely responsible for it. His poor grades are keeping him from SU. He could’ve gone to a smaller school and been guaranteed to play QB. He should’ve kept his pants on.

“Nassib has a lock on the position because he has the experience and at this time is far better than Kinder or Loeb. Neither are ready to seriously challenge him.

If Broyld really is uncoachable and incorrigible, the QB depth chart won’t be an issue, he won’t make it past year one at SU if he gets that far. Hopefully Milford can put him on the right path. – Propper”

We all hope Broyld’s path becomes straight after his year at Milford. He’s an incredible talent and seemingly a decent young man. He just needs some direction and maturity.

“After QB, the natural position for Ashton is TE. It is also a position of need after this year since we graduate 3 on the depth chart. – OttodaOrange”

Impossible to know what Marrone and co. have as a long-term plan for Ashton. But a position switch does make sense for a few reasons. Interestingly, a recruit’s position came up elsewhere for SU this week. Parson is both a RB and LB right now and was recruited by BC to play offense. But it looks like the Orange want him to settle into the defensive side of the ball.

“The tape on Darius looks good, his running the ball is impressive, his linebacker statistics are even more impressive. Here’s another under the radar (6′3″ 230lb) player that will have an impact at Syracuse.
With 18 players already committed that has size,speed and athleticism, the class of 2012 looks,to me, to be a good one. Good job to Coach Marrone and his staff. Kudo’s for a job well done.”

The Orange throws a response punch toward the Eagles, who grabbed Akeel Lynch from Buffalo earlier this summer. Plus, Marrone is stockpiling athletes with speed on both sides of the ball. From our Twitter @replies:

“@Nicks2Cents @OrangeFizz That’s smart when you play your games on a fast track.”

No question. The Carrier Dome may not be the sparkling jewel it once was, so utilize it’s strength. The fastest track in the Big East. Back to Broyld.

“After reading this article, he’s completly lost all of my support. I believe that Ashton is a troubled young man and needs help. I think Ashton has a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality We definitely don’t need any athlete here that will beat on women. Syracuse University shouldn’t compromise it’s integrity, tradition, and it’s soul to bring a talented player her to play. I hope that he gets things straightened out before he comes to Syracuse, if he doesn’t, then we don’t need him here. – Ron”

Hot damn Ron! The phrase “knock a bitch out” has nothing to do with beating women. It has to do with taking a WR’s head off as he comes across the middle. That being said, your larger point is spot on. If Marrone wants the positives of his program to shine as he told The Fizz at Big East Media Day, he’s got to get rid of the negative first. Speaking of negative… (drum roll), Terry, you’re thoughts!

“Forget about it!! He’s history!!! -Terry”

The Fizz’s resident negative ninny never lets me down. I love it.

Stay tuned to The Fizz this week as we have the latest on the injury bug at Fall Camp, some news on how the continual expansion could effect SU and a report on 4-Star TE Ron Thompson who has SU in his final three.

Posted: Craig Hoffman

“Marcus Sales probably will get kicked out of school, let alone the football team -Brian”

“Why in the world would he drive a car while drinking without having a license and having drugs in the damn car? Why? The only thing for the coach to do is kick him off of the team and the university to expell from school. -ron”

“@rwrate: @OrangeFizz He’ll be summoned to a meeting when Marrone gets back from RI. I’m sure he’ll bring his playbook with him. Stupid & Selfish.”

“As much as we as football fans would like to find a loophole in this situation and see Marcus play for the Cuse this year, no way. Even if his brother takes the rap for the drugs. There is no way Marcus did not know the situation he put himself in. Sad. -cansrgreat”

“As much as we need a good WR, we need the team to know this does not happen at SU. He has got to go! -Bill”

It’s always imperative to let the legal system play itself out, but the facts are Sales was driving the car with drugs and alcohol in it, while also admitting to drinking that night. It’s hard to believe he was unaware of all the drugs and paraphernalia in the vehicle. If convicted on the drug charges, he should be gone. No question. Problem is, Sales’ trial has been delayed until February, so for now Marrone has suspended him from the team along with Boneheaded Dope #2 of the Week, Jonny Miller.

“@SkeeterJeter02: @OrangeFizz quick somebody lock antwon bailey and ryan nassib in a cage and throw away the key”

Throw Van Chew, Chan Jones, Marinovich, Phillip Thomas and Spruill in there too.

“I think marrone should let all these guys off the hook. They are kids being kids. Innocent until proven guilty. miller only took the kids phone its not like he stole his car. -mdb80″

Seriously? He “only took his phone?” True, but that was after punching the victim in the face at 3:30a and also stealing his cash. It’s not just kids being kids. Get a grip.

• Follow The Fizz on Twitter for live updates on SU football

Miller was getting a scholarship to essentially hold a clipboard. At best, he’s the 4th string QB (if he could hold off freshman Terrell Hunt). He’s not even sniffing the field to run the scout team. After shoulder surgery his throwing motion has been so messed up he can barely throw a football.

For a campus of 10,000 students planning on being in debt for the forseeable future thanks to paying their way through one of the nation’s most expensive schools, this is infuriating. Anyone could do his job. Stand there, play catch on the sideline, show up to meetings and have schooling paid for (officially $50,921 for the ’11/’12 school year). How are you idiotic enough to screw that up?

Deep breath. And on to happier tales from Big East media day. Kinda.

“HCDM says SOMEONE(4/5 star) must commit from NYS, before we can get the top talent year in and year out from NYS and beyond. But U. of Minnesota just got a verbal (4 star) from a WR from Minnesota. WHAT!!! Is U. of MINN better than us. NOT!!! Why can’t we get this top talent from NYS. Its all about what is going on in the CUSE community. HCDM thinks UTR, NR and 2/3 star talent will get us there. What if this does not work??? -Terry”

“Its all about facilities, facilities, facilities. period. -Chris”

“Def agree with Chris. Minnesota just had a brand new outdoor stadium built, which got them out of the metrodome. And playing in the Big Ten doesn’t hurt either. -OrangeCrush22″

You guys are spot on. Guys want to go to a program that feels fresh and new, and while clearly the culture and results are changing under Marrone, the Carrier Dome and current football facilities are dated and stale. Minnesota’s new stadium is awesome, the Gophers go on the road to play in some of the best atmostpheres in college football and play in a supremely better conference.

Marrone is right. It’s going to take a leader who wants to play for SU to make that leap and open the floodgates. But it may also have to be a kid who has dreamed of wearing Orange his whole life. Considering the four basement-dwelling years of Groobers, chances are this kid just doesn’t exist right now.

Remember to continue conversing with The Fizz through the comments section under all our posts and via our Twitter page. Thanks for everyone that sounded off this week. This week’s FizzCast features Ivan Maisel from ESPN.com previewing the Big East conference and much more.

Posted: Craig Hoffman

The comments section nearly exploded thanks to DVM’s post on why SU should play a little man-to-man this year. Picking a few comments doesn’t do the conversation that ensued justice, so read it here, then (spoiler alert) I’ll continue with my two cents.

At the end of the day, being versatile is a good thing. Tons of teams who play man will also throw in a little 2-3 to mix it up every once in a while. Basketball, probably more than any other sport, is about rhythm. Playing against a zone completely screws up that offensive rhythm. But when a team does get in a rhythm with success against the zone offense, the results can be catastrophic for the defense (see Seton Hall against SU in the Dome).

• Follow the Fizz on Twitter for continual SU recruiting updates

If the zone is played right, which under Boeheim it usually is, it’s really hard to beat. In games where the zone is not making life difficult for the offense, a little man-to-man could save a game, maybe even during March Madness.

A big help to that SU zone would be the much discussed Dajuan Coleman. DC 2.0 has a strong bond with Brandon Triche, yet the SU guard says he won’t actively recruit Coleman to the Hill.

“I’m glad Triche is not taking an active role in the Coleman recruitment saga. It’s truly best for everyone if he doesn’t get involved. Triche has his own education, responsibilities and life to focus on and DaJuan has to make the decision that is best for him and his family. I suspect that the possibility has been and will continue to be discussed between the 2 friends. Not as a sales tactic but more of a ‘man, wouldn’t it be awesome if we got another year and a NC together?’ But, in the end I don’t think their friendship with affect or be affected by Coleman’s decision. -cap2nine”

“Let’s not forget that DaJuan also has a good relationship with incoming freshman Rakeem Christmas. Those relationships, whether they are trying to sell him on the school or not, will certainly affect his decision. -Andy”

Every high school student, athlete or not, has to make their own college decision. That person has to both live with the decision, and live in it. I love what Triche is doing. If Coleman asks, Triche will surely speak honestly of his time at SU (which as far as we know, he’s enjoyed) but otherwise just be a friend. Same with Christmas. There are a lot of people around Coleman that are going to change in the way they interact with him as he continues down his path toward being the “next big thing.” Some stability in his life is definitely a good thing and he might gravitate towards that sincerity and hopefully SU.

Recruiting insider Adam Zagoria also told The Fizz that he thinks it’s 50-50 for the big man between SU and UK.

“Hey DC, its the same MO at Kentucky every year. Get a great recruiting class, start mostly freshman, lose in the NCAA tourny since there is no experience on the team, then leave after your fresh year to go to the NBA. Then repeat. -Evan”

Evan, hate him all you want (which everybody does) but Cal has been to the Elite 8 every year since he had Derek Rose at Memphis. That season Rose, who shot 86% from the FT line last year in the NBA, was one stinkin’ free throw from winning the natty, which would give Cal just as many as Boeheim.

“Coleman can go to Kentucky to greaseball Caliprari, who has 12 5-star guys on the bench each year. In that situation, its usually not a happy experience. Too many egos and one mistake by him, and their next guy might just play awesome and unseat him permanently. At the Cuse, he will go down as the best Center in 20 years here, be THE star, and forever embedded as a local HERO! Most guys dont make the NBA, and presuming he doesnt, Syracuse will hate the kid for leaving if he goes to Local and Nationally hated Caliprari. -jonathan”

A talent like Coleman would get treated like Demarcus Cousins by Cal. If he did butt heads with the staff he wouldn’t be benched (and Cousins had another first round pick in Daniel Orton behind him). Also, Coleman is going to the NBA. The only question is how long until he makes the league. SU will have to sell some of the things you talked about.

The Per’fesser has always been flexible on offense and DC 2.0 would be the go-to option. Syracuse’s attack has focused both around the perimeter (Wes, Carmelo, G-Mac, Rautins) and interior (Rick, Derrick Coleman), depending on what’s available. Plus, SU consistently has forwards who put up mammoth rebounding numbers – the one stat more than any other that translates to the NBA.

The football recruiting trail is heating up with another 4-star recruit interested in the Orange. Deaysean Rippy is a freakish OLB  and teammate of recent SU commit Dontez Ford.

“Looks like both of these player’s would be great additions for the Orange. Let’s all hope that Coach Conley can close the deal for Rippy and bring them both home to Syracuse. Good job to the staff of the Orange Fizz for reporting on future recruits for the Orangemen. Getting real excited for the 2011 football season. -Ron”

Thanks Ron! The Fizz offices are juiced up too and we’re getting ready for football with wall-to-wall coverage of Big East and SU Media Days next weeks. As for Rippy, let’s hope the basketball model of getting guys who know each other (see above) works for football as well.

“I try not to get my hopes up, but could you imagine what Shafer could do with Rippy and Jarron Jones stepping into his defense in 2012? I’d have to think that if you’re a LB you’d want to be in a system that emphasizes the pass rush. It could get real scary for BE QBs with these two guys on the field. Hopefully DM and staff can bring them home to the Dome! -Derek”

With Marquis Spruill as an anchor for the front 7 over next three seasons, adding some big impact players like Rippy or Jones would be enormous. Hearing his coach talk about Rippey is enough to give you goosebumps, and Ford could be a great pick up as well. You can’t teach size and you can’t teach speed, and for all the debate on whether SU has been successful with this class, no one can argue that Marrone has grabbed a lot of guys with those two traits. Another guy along those lines is Leroy Owens, who committed to SU this week and like Ford, is a NR on all the scouting services.

“There are over 1.5 million HS football players in the USA. Scout/Rival/ESPN can’t rate them all. Good find! -Frank”

That’s a great point and I’ve never thought of it that way. The scouting services are going to get the can’t miss guys, which is part of the reason we talk so much about them. But how much difference is there really between a 1 or 2-star guy and an unrated player? It might just mean they didn’t go to any combines. Both Ford and Owens fit the Marrone model: get size and speed and coach em up.

“I’m curious as to how long we can expect to hold on to Scott Schafer. He has done an amazing job with the defense over the past few years and I have to imagine other schools are after him (or will be at some point). -MattyZ”

That’s the million dollar question. Schafer has taken the worst defense in a BCS conference with players coached by the most inept defensive coach ever and made it into a top 25 unit. He’s going to get looks. All indications are he loves where he is, but it’s impossible to guess what kind of money will be thrown his way. Schafer is a competitor, and eventually you would think he’ll want his shot to be the man if he’s offered a head coaching gig.

Thanks for all the feedback this week! Stay tuned for the latest on Rippy with DVM joining me in studio for this week’s FizzCast. Remember to continue commenting on all of our posts and to respond to it all on Twitter (@OrangeFizz) so your thoughts can end up in the Fizz Feedback next week.

Posted: Craig Hoffman

“@beneg92 Boeheim should take Triche when he goes to recruit. Same tactic when Ernie Davis was recruited and Jim Brown came.”

“BT and DaJuan are tight and Coach McKenny is spot on – DaJuan does respect BT like an older brother. If you’ve been around them when they’re together, you totally see it. -AnaheimOrange”

Jim Boeheim has been recruiting for 35 years and if there’s a way he can have a leg up on a guy, you know he’ll do it (within the rules of course). Sometimes the best recruiter is not a coach at all, but instead a friend already within the program, which is exactly what Triche is. However, the PG denied trying to push DC 2.0 to SU earlier in the week, saying “it’s not my job.”

The simple point is Coleman has a relationship with not only the SU coaches but a tight relationship with a current SU player an that definitely plays into the Orange’s hands.

“@mikem2305 Kentucky has a trump card too. calipari pays players and gives them improper benefits.”

As one of the few guys outside of Kentucky who actually likes John Calipari, I’m going to defend him right here. Cal is a charismatic guy who cares for his players like they were his own sons. Sure, what happened at UMass you can put on him, but if the NCAA Clearing House allowed Derrick Rose to play, how is it Cal’s fault for playing him? If the NCAA says the SAT score is good, it’s up to Cal to know that it wasn’t earned legally? You want him to go take the test with the guy? He left knowing Memphis was under investigation, but for $5 million a year, elite facilities and possibly the most rabid fan base in the country you would too.

(Editor’s Note: Hoff’s right – it’s understandable he would leave Memphis. Oh, and Cal is definitely paying players under the table and running a shady program at UK, which will eventually land on probation in 2019. So the ‘Cats landing DC 2.0 is always a possibility. That is all. -D.A.)

Back to SU and the debate over who is king of SU’s backcourt.

“Dion is in Coach JB’s doghouse. It is not a secret that Dion antics were frowned upon my JB and this guy is thought of as the second coming of Josh Wright as far as for being a knucklehead on this team. Not Wright. dion has a ton of talent but he does not apply the strategy of Coach JB. -Lou R”

Maybe we’re making too much out of one game, but Dion showed a lot in that Marquette loss in the tourney and the way he handled his off-season drama earlier this year. He stated how much he wanted to stay, never ripped the staff and within the context of being a 19-year-old egotistical kid (which accounts for the retweets of his fans who were saying how great he was), he handled it pretty well. He’s not SU’s best guard yet, but he certainly could be and he’s not far off.

“honestly at least 7-8 guys have the potential and upside to be nba talents. (triche waiters joseph melo fair christmas mcw and even scoop is being talked about at least a late 2nd round pick after being evaluated at the LBJ camp)Some of them i doubt would reach their potential by next season but really anyone of them have the natural talent to step in as the teams star. it would be awsome tho if they all did over the summer they would be a force. -kevin”

Being a star is a mindset. It’s critically important that everyone on the team knows their roles. Ideally Kris is the star, with Scoop as his trusty sidekick dishing assist after assist. Brandon is the assassin, hitting open jumpers and driving to mix it up every once in a while. The Fab/Baye combo becomes a reliable interior scorer (not necessarily a post scorer, but guys who can catch and finish off a drive and dish) and more importantly a shot blocking presence on the inside. CJ Fair is exactly what he was last year, with some added range on his jumper and some extra bulk, doing the dirty work and rebounding his area like a boss. That leaves Dion to be a spark off the bunch, come in and score in bunches while playing (this is the biggest question for #3) lock down D. Have the freshman fill in the blanks and SU’s top 5 ranking is completely validated. That’s a lot of if’s, though.

“I don’t think it’s reasonable to proclaim Dion as Syracuse’s best Guard…. yet. But, if he can buy into the defensive philosophy and learn how to play nice with JB, his upside is tremendous! I have no doubt that he has the talent and ability to be a top NBA prospect from the Orange and to be a truly game changing, dominant player in the BE but he has to get his head in the right place. -cap2nine”

It’s mental and we won’t know until the season starts if Dion has figured it out. One guy who seems to have figured it out? Dion’s cousin Scoop. You may have heard of him.

“I’ve been much more of a Scoop critic than a fan but I appreciate this article for reminding me of the perspective and instilling in me some optimism for Scoops game this coming season. I know that I sometimes get so bent on the last game or the next game or wins, losses and stats that I forget that these guys are students and citizens living in the public eye. Scoop has dedicated himself to becoming a better man and that is a greater accomplishment than anything he will ever want to prove on the court. And, if he is learning from the past and from last season and applying himself to become a better player as well, I have no choice but to support him completely. I will burry my skepticism and I excitedly await the upcoming season. The ball is in your hands Scoop, run with it! -cap2nine”

“Scoop will have a big year. Congrats to Scoop for his maturation and transformation. -Marty”

“I agree with this article, the lack of offense really put a lot of weight on Scoop and the Syracuse offense in general to start chucking up some shots. I will not totally blame that on the offense because there were definitely some “Scoop-id” plays. I think with all these camps he has gone to over the summer bringing his basketball IQ up (which I think can do nothing but help him) and being a 5th year senior, Scoop will lead this team with KJ and they will be a force in the Big East and the Nation. I am pumped for November. -Andy”

All reports are that Scoop has been amazing at these camps and everyone is saying Scoop has matured. The real test is when he suits up in an SU uniform. The last time we saw him on the floor for the Orange most fans were quite frustrated with their point guard. Let’s hope he brings this mentality to the Carrier Dome after the summer is done. We’re all pulling for the guy and there’s no doubt he’s made immense strides as a leader, but if there was ever a player who had to constantly self-police his game, it’s Scoop.

“I am delighted to see this article. It’s been really frustrating to listen to the Scoop bashing by so many “fans” and websites over the past year in particular. Most of these people don’t seem to understand what is going on in the game of basketball, so let me try to explain. You can have your point guard play one of two ways. He can play the position conservatively and more or less error-free with a great A/T ratio. However, this style will also minimize the offensive opportunities he can generate both in halfcourt and especially in transition. The alternative is to up the tempo and take more risks, with the idea being that the resultant TO’s are more than compensated for by additional offensive opportunities. -Doc”

Doc’s medical degree is not in hoops, but he’s been accepted as an undergrad to Fizz Basketball University (of which I am a professor and also help clean the dining halls, which makes D.A. Chancy Nancy?). He’s right on with his point about an aggressive point guard creating extra opportunities. Scoop occasionally has turnovers on bad passes from being overly aggressive but his problems come in two forms. One is his inconsistency in the clutch. Sometimes he’s the guy hitting miracle 3′s against UConn, other times he’s the guy getting stripped against Marquette (first game, not the NCAA tournament where he took an ill-advised 3 at the end of the game instead of driving off a pick-and-roll). You can live with missed shots down the stretch, it’s the turnovers that kill you.

Also, Scoop needs to improve his decisions early in the shot clock. Unless he is wide open or there is less than 15 on the shot clock, Scoop has to avoid shooting a 3. It’s not that he’s a bad shooter, he just needs to get more ball movement and get a higher percentage look.

Lastly before we move on, a little housekeeping.

“@rez44 @OrangeFizz I didn’t read anything about Fab being gone or Baye. Are they?”

This is in response to a tweet from D.A. about the “murky” big-man situation. Baye is definitely returning but we don’t know what we’ll get from him on the court besides length. Fab’s legal drama has quieted but he’s still an enormous question mark on the court. DaShonte Riley is gone after his transfer to EMU.

“Come on its a loss. No matter if he came from Mars he’s from NYS!!! We lost another to BC or RUTGIRLS. BC, Rutgers even SMU are getting 4 star players. I guess HCDM just does not want quality players, just average players. HCDM better have his game plan down with his NR’s and 2/3 stars and under the radar players if he hopes for a winning season. -Terry”

“Terry, Are you kidding me? Do your research. Lynch is not a 4 star player. He is an under the radar player with good size and good speed. He is the type of player that Marrone and staff have had great success with so far. The fact that he chose BC over Us means very little. He also chose BC over Penn State? Does that mean Penn State “does not want quality players”? -Dr. Bill”

These comments are in response to D.A’s article about Buffalo RB Akeel Lynch choosing Boston College over Penn State and SU. At the end of the day, it’s not an enormous loss but clearly losing anyone in-state is not ideal. It begs an interesting question.

“@Adamstock1983 Most encouraging thing about the recruiting is where they are from. Starting to pull recruits all over the country. Watch out!”

This is interesting. Doug Marrone certainly wants to close the borders on New York State. But would you rather nab all the kids from the Empire State or pick up talent from across the country and bring it back to CNY? We’re looking for some opinions from Orange football fans. Leave your comments below and we’ll discuss your answers in next week’s Fizz Feedback portion of the FizzCast.

And there are two players who already have to start working their way into The Dougie’s good graces.

“I don’t know who is advising these kids in high school, but they need to know that the Dexter Manley days are over and their football skills alone will not get them into college. -ron”

“Smallwood is better off prepping at Milford, getting his grades up and putting on weight. He’s got skinny legs, needs to get stronger. This may be a blessing in disguise for him. He can prep at Milford, take care of business and come back in 2012 as a freshman. He could be an exciting speedburner for the Orange. -Marty”

It’s disappointing that two kids in the “high-character” recruiting class of all team captains find themselves on the outside looking in on the upcoming season. Both seem to be academic problems and Smallwood thinks he can get his straightened out before the fall. Maybe a year at prep school would be a good thing and there is certainly precedent for SU sending players to Milford. Not a bad idea. The long run is what’s important. No need to rush things.

Thanks for all the comments and the tremendous amount of Tweets this week. Tell your friends to follow us @OrangeFizz. We’ll have tweet-ups throughout the week so if you see one of us on, feel free to shoot us a question and we’ll get right back to you. Sometimes D.A. gets bored. Help him pass the time.

Be sure to also check out this week’s FizzCast where we talk to Drew Cannon from Basketball Prospectus, who wrote the much discussed rankings of the Top 100 players in the nation.

Posted: Craig Hoffman

“I refuse to read another article on Jarron Jones because i already know the outcome. Hey Jarron, become your own man and help rebuild something instead of being another big fish in a big pond. -OrangeCrush22″

“Jarron Jones is the type of 5 star recruit that SU should have the best chance of landing… he is a local NY state kid. If we can’t land him, who can we land. He says he has the best relationship with the SU staff compared to any schools on his list (WE HAVE HEARD THAT BEFORE) The Cuse has to ask the question: Why do all of these recruits love Notre Dame and not us. Last time we played, Grob beat them at Notre Dame! What is it going to take to bring Sexy back to the Cuse? We are not appealing to these 5 star hotties. That is what the evidence suggests. Cuse needs a makeover. -Dr. Bill”

“Jones was never going to come to SU. Get it through your heads, SU is not going to become a top tier football program in one day. We won the freakin pinstripe bowl and now we are going back to the glory days, right. Takes a couple years to remake a program and these 5 star recruits are not coming here at least 2-3 years, and that is of the team continues to win. -M&M”

Guys want to win. Winning makes you a big name. Being a big name makes you a hot NFL prospect and that’s where you start making money. So SU with only one winning season since 2002, facilities in need of upgrade and a stretch of players drafted in the later rounds by the NFL means there’s some catching up to do. Does that mean anyone should be satisfied with this outcome? No way. Just means it’s not surprising.

The other recruit was from the hardwood as Brian Oliver fist-pumped his way to Seton Hall. At the end of the day, this isn’t a major loss for the Orange. Does it need a shooter? Absolutely. But with Syracuse’s recruiting chops in hoops, hopefully on his coming in the near future and Trevor Cooney is coming in this year.

“This doesn’t feel like a big loss to me at all. He had a couple of big games at Ga Tech but that was about it. Most transfers are much adieu about nothing, w/Wes Johnson being one notable exception. We shouldn’t have any problem finding another marksman to pair with Cooney. -BostonJay”

“Well, we all make mistakes. Not everybody gets to get beat by ‘cuse wearing 2 different jerseys. *FIST PUMP for you BRO! YEA JERSEY… lolz”

This lolz has been green-lighted by The Fizz as long that it’s only mocking Oliver. Lolz in other arenas can be dangerous to one’s manhood.

Meantime, football recruiting is off to a blazing start in July, picking up so many recruits that we’re not going to put a number here because it’ll be wrong in 10 minutes. However, the best news could be if David Perkins re-opens his recruitment.

“The day Perkins chose ND, i asked in the comments section, what is stopping him from still visiting ‘Cuse? Just because you make a verbal means nothing (example: Jarron Jones). I feel that he needs to make a trip up here to help weigh his decision. -Ron”

“We need to get this kid to the Cuse on a greyhound ASAP……. Of all the Big Fish who have gotten away, Perkins is the one that I felt really missed out on an opportunity of a lifetime by not choosing the Cuse. At Notre Dame, at best he could be a great player in a long line of great players… at the Cuse, he could be the face of a program on the rise to elite and become a media Darling like no where else. Go Cuse. I would have Floyd Little meet him at the bus station. -Dr. Bill”

“I wish the staff would have flown out to see him. Maybe they still can, because I doubt he’s going to visit now unless something changes. It sounds like if he’s opening his recruiting, it’s for Oregon. -jon”

“Wheatly should only talk to him. HCDM will scare him off with the building a man theme. LOL Big get if possible. Offer 44!!! -Terry”

“don’t forget smallwood flamed out so perkins would have a great shot at starting in a wide open backfield. Compared to sitting for at least two years at Notre Dame -tfreyguy”

“Guys….. he has IRISH with a shamrock shaved into his hair right now. And is recruiting crazy hard for ND and posting excitedly on Facebook about possibly leaving The Opening with two more commits for the Irish. That comment he made to ESPN was taken TOTALLY out of context. I do not see him going Orange. Also, he doesn’t want to play RB. -Realist”

Ouch, buzz kill. Perkins was all-in for the Orange until Notre Dame came calling and if he had been able to meet with the SU coaches things might have worked out differently. If Perkins does reopen his recruitment then SU needs to go all in. Wheatley will surely be involved, as will Doug Marrone. Perkins could be good enough to swing a Big East chase if he’s playing for SU. Despite the evolution of the Orange passing game, it seems like SU will always be a ground-heavy offense under The Dougie.

“Recruiting is less like fishing and more like dominoes. fishing is luck, while dominoes are logic. Recruits want a logical school, that’s prestigious, academically ok, has excelling coaches who they could see themselves gelll with, early playing time, and lastly all big recruits want the best shot they can get of playing pro football. The average 4 star recruit is not intresred in becoming a welll rounded man, he wants national exposure. Back to the domino theory, if you drop one dominoe, then 2 more will drop and so on until your scholarships(dominoes) run out. -the dome”

This is a really interesting point. Plenty of recruits (more so in basketball because of the AAU circuit) know each other and where their friends and rivals are choosing. That’s why the big targets are enormous stories for the Syracuse program. Who will be the first one to make the leap? And once you land one blue-chipper, there’s no telling what the trickle down effect will be.

Remember to listen to the FizzCast for more from the Fizz Feedback and continue to comment under all of our stories. Also, reply to us on Twitter (@OrangeFizz) and we’ll hit you back there as well.

Posted: Craig Hoffman