Dennis Nett/ Post-Standard
Hope you’re done digesting the meal and enjoying another one of the fantastic parts of Thanksgiving weekend Рcollege football rivalry games.
But like the assorted leftovers in your fridge, there’s another treat waiting for you tonight. Syracuse takes on Michigan in Atlantic City in the Legends Classic semifinal.
Like overcooked turkey, SU hoops has left a sour taste in fans’ mouths so far. Despite its 4-0 record, no one at The Fizz is happy with the way Boeheim’s bunch has played.
The lackadaisical nature of the Orange, especially in the first halves of games, has left its coach quite grumpy. The Per’fesser has lashed out at his students a number of times after games. Here’s a sampling:
“We need to get realistic. Right now, we’re the most overrated team that I’ve ever had. Right now. And I’m a little shocked that everybody’s bought into this whole thing. We’ve got a long ways to go. We are not a good basketball team.’’
“We need to clarify some things here too. We have no depth and we have no proven depth. We don‚Äôt have anybody that‚Äôs proven himself coming off of our bench. We don‚Äôt have one guy who‚Äôs made a significant play in a college basketball game this year. All I hear about is how much what depth we have. Give me a player that has done something on our team. One thing. We don‚Äôt have one player that‚Äôs done one thing off our bench.‚Äù
Don’t you love it when a coach keeps his guys humble? This is a young group with a lot riding on its unproven players, so the message Boeheim’s preaching is an important one.
But wait a minute. What happened to this? Ya know, the stretch limo entrance. The Unfinished Business theme song.
We know SU Athletics loves to do it big for Midnight Madness, but isn’t this a bit of a contradiction here? The Per’fesser signed off on all this hype. Nothing happens with the basketball program unless it’s run through Jim first, second and last. The timeline is intriguing.
October 22: Coach Boeheim steps out of Hummer Limo and onto red carpet, cue Jake Ober.
November 12: Orange Nation questions whether this team is severely overrated.
November 14: “I’m a little shocked that everybody’s bought into this whole thing.”
Well maybe you shouldn’t have sold it so well, Coach!
Posted: Andrew Kanell
