SB Nation New York: All Posts by Sean Keeley

Operation: Get Scott Shafer's Twitterfeed Out Of Last Place, Will Ya?

2013-05-24T13:00:06Z

I realize that #HardNosed Syracuse Orange head football coach Scott Shafer just started his Twitterfeed a couple months ago, but that's not an excuse for his low following. Do you know what HCSS does with excuses? He leads them into the Carrier Dome and locks the doors behind them, making it impossible for them to escape while their family cringes in despair.

So, I'm done looking at lists of every college football coach's Twitter following and seeing Shafer in 77th place alongside Toledo and Northern Illinois' coaches.

And I've had it with seeing Shafer called out as the ACC coach with the smallest Twitter following.

This aggression will not stand.

As of the time of this writing, Shafer has 1,607 followers. The next-lowest ACC football coach following is is Boston College's Steve Addazio (2,769).

You know what I'm asking for. For the love of God, if you're not following HCSS, FOLLOW HIM. Tell other people to follow him. Promote the crap out of his Twitterfeed. And let's strike the first blow in the renewed SU-BC rivalry in The Quest To Not Have The Lowest ACC Football Coach Twitterfeed Following (TQTNHTLACCFCTF).

Do your part, Syracuse fans. Together, we shall overcome...low Twitter follower numbers for our football coach. Tweet #Hardnosed, everyone.

Just give me 11 guys who leave it on the field for the TEAM! #OrangeNation
— Coach Scott Shafer (@Coach_Shafer) May 9, 2013

Honor Your Contracts, ESPN

2013-05-21T17:16:14Z

Just because the whole "honor your contract" thing is a thing around here, and it seems like certain folks just don't want to hear otherwise, this news about ESPN laying off 400 employees out of nowhere is the perfect example of why that line of thinking is bullshit. Yes I'm sure most of those people were employees-at-will but you get the point...the people on the other side of the "contract" are always going to be more loyal to their bottom lines than they are to you. You're always one bad quarter or one mistake away from getting fired. Always take care of yourself.

Okay, I'm gone again...

Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Podcast: Lawrence Moten Talks 'Cuse Past & Present

2013-05-17T18:03:06Z

According to Lawrence Moten, "the train never stops" with Syracuse Orange basketball. Once an Orange, always an Orange. And the school's all-time leading scorer stopped by TNIAAP to talk about all-things Syracuse as well as promote his upcoming meet-and-greet event in Los Angeles.

If you're in Southern California, make sure you go say hi to Lawrence on Saturday, June 1st at 6:30 p.m. at Busby's East (5364 Wilshire Blvd.). There will be giveaways (including signed copies of HTGAO) and there's a decent chance some other SU alums will be stopping by as well.

The venue also has pool tables, outdoor patio, $5 valet and street parking. Plus, it has a great and reasonable menu. There is a potential NBA East Finals, Game 6 as well at 5:30 PT, so it also may be a great place to watch the game .

This event is open not just to Syracuse alums. You are welcome to bring and tell all your friends. There will be no cover charge before 10pm. The place turns to a club atmosphere then and will have a huge dance floor.

Along with the Saturday event, Moten is also hosting a private Basketball Clinic and Pick-up Game on Sunday. Starting at Noon, a select group of SU fans will join Moten for a pre-game meal followed by warm-ups, a clinic and pick-up game. Afterward, Lawrence will host a Q&A over dinner at a local restaurant.

For more info on Saturday's meet-and-greet as well as Sunday's basketball event, check out the Facebook event page.
If you want to sign up for Sunday's basketball event or have any questions, contact Henry Yoo at hy2334 at yahoo dot com.

Find out more about the events by listening to the podcast below, while also finding out....

What it was like to watch this year's team make their Final Four run.
Whether or not we'll see him in the Dome this season.
His thoughts on Syracuse joining the ACC and his favorite Big East memories.
On getting his jersey retired (finally).
On his high school teammate and college roommate, Marvin Graves.
Where he likes to eat when he's in Syracuse.
On the power of the SU Unity Loud Towel.
On Jim Boeheim and how long he thinks he'll keep coaching.
Whether or not we might see Lawrence on the sidelines one day.

Check out the podcast and then go friend Lawrence on Facebook

Download the podcast from TalkShoe
Download the podcast from iTunes (and rate it!)
Subscribe to the RSS feed

You Missed It, Check Out These Recent TNIAAM Podcasts...

Atlantic Coast Convos: Previewing Boston College Football

Syracuse Lacrosse Open Thread: WLAX vs. Dartmouth, MLAX vs. Bryant

2013-05-12T19:00:01Z

Both the men's and women's Syracuse Orange lacrosse teams begin their quest to return to the Final Four today in NCAA Tournament play.

The 4th-seeded women's lacrosse team will take on the 11-7 Dartmouth Big Green in the second round of the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Tournament. The Big Green defeated Boston College, 11-8, in the first round on Friday. The game will be played at 3:00 p.m. at SU soccer stadium. Last year, the two teams met in the opening round of the NCAAs, a 15-5 win by SU en route to their Final Four appearance. Get more info here.

Meanwhile, the No. 1 men's squad get a seemingly simple task starting at 7:30 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. Defeat Northeast champion Bryant Bulldogs in their NCAA Tournament opening round game. The Bulldogs enter the tournament at 8-10, having started the season 0-7 and battling their way back into contention.

For the Orange, it's their 33rd trip to the tourney and the ninth time they've started it at the No. 1 slot. The Orange are 18-4 as a one-seed and have claimed four national titles, most recently in 2000.

The winner of this game will take on the Yale Bulldogs, who erased a 5-1 halftime deficit to defeat Penn State, 10-7. Get more info on the SU-Bryant game here.

Get all your NCAA Tourney info at College Crosse. Leave your pre-, in- and post-game comments below. G'ORANGE!

Syracuse Reportedly To Retire Donovan McNabb's Jersey During Wake Forest Game

2013-05-11T15:26:07Z

From the source himself, Donovan McNabb tweeted Saturday morning that he's been told the Syracuse Orange will retire his No. 5 jersey during the November 2nd home game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

At our Trustees dinner it was announced that SU will be retiring the # 5 on Nov 2. God is good.thx to all teammates and coaches from 94-99.
— Donovan McNabb (@donovanjmcnabb) May 11, 2013

Now an NFL Analyst, McNabb is arguably the best quarterback in the history of Syracuse football, named Big East Offensive Player of the Year three times, first-team all-conference all four years, Big East offensive player of the 1990s and a member of the Syracuse All-Century Football team. He did very well.

It's been a banner week for McNabb in Syracuse. He finds out he's getting his jersey retired and he ate very well...

Just left Acropolis on Marshall Street in Syracuse. Legendary wings and pizza. 2 nd day eating lunch there. Banging Son👍😄
— Donovan McNabb (@donovanjmcnabb) May 10, 2013

My mom will be very happy to hear the news.

@donovanjmcnabb Great meeting you this week. Good luck in your new ventures! #CusePride #CuseFamily twitter.com/Coach_Shafer/s…
— Coach Scott Shafer (@Coach_Shafer) May 11, 2013

Got $1.4M Handy? Buy Doug Marrone's Old House

2013-05-09T13:00:05Z

Because I'm doing so much on my other gig this month, I've got real estate on the mind. And when I found out that Doug Marrone's Jamesville's house is not only still on the market but is available to look at, well, I had to sneak a peak.

Sure, she's a looker, but just because it was FHCDM's house, that doesn't mean you should buy it. No, you should buy it because of this...

Yeah. that's pretty sweet. And, no hashtags that you'll have to remove. Double bonus.

Also, you might be inclined to think this was Marrone's son's room, but I'm willing to bet it was actually Marrone's.

Take that Drew Brees Fathead down and the value of the home decreases 10%.

Boeheimian Rhapsody

2013-05-01T22:38:31Z

"This good Melo...that bad Melo...this good Melo...that bad Melo..."

A Reminder About Syracuse Basketball's 2013 Recruiting Class

2013-05-01T13:00:09Z

The Syracuse Orange have five scholarship recruits joining the team for the 2013-2014 season. The last time we had so many newbies was 2007, when five freshmen and Kristof! joined the squad.

Between 2001 and 2012, Syracuse's recruiting classes have ranged between two and six players, more often than not settling in at three players. Regardless of the numbers, one thing remains clear...

Don't expect all five of them to work out.

I know it's hard to see that right now. You see SU has a near-top ten ranking. You see multiple players among the Top 150 overall. You see five guys who can make an impact, either immediate or over the next 4-5 years.

But...I'm sorry, they all won't.

The odds tell us one of them will be a complete bust. He might even transfer or leave the program. Another one will probably end up falling well short of expectations. The other three? We'll, they're the ones we'll be counting on.

As to which ones they will be...I can't really tell you.

Don't believe me? Let's look at every recruiting class since 2001 to see how there's almost always at least one star and one bust (that's as far as I could go back via Scout/Rivals):

2001: Hakim Warrick was a superstar. Josh Pace and Craig Forth were solid contributors and valuable pieces of a National Title team. Connecticut Gatorade State Player of the Year Marc Konecny? Never heard of him.

2002: Five-star Carmelo Anthony and four-star Gerry McNamara certainly lived up to the hype. Three-star Matt Gorman was more mascot than meaningful.

2003: Five-star Darryl Watkins was a two-year starter but hardly a superstar. Four-star Demetris Nichols became a stud while Terrence Roberts was more of a solid contributor. Four-star Louie McCrosky was good defensively but never lived up to the hype on offense, eventually transferring.

2004: Four-star Josh Wright became a starter but was shaky at best, transferring in his final season. Four-star Dayshawn Wright was a one-year bust who failed out of SU. Two-star Tommy Moss did play four years for Syracuse...on the football team. You may know him as Rice Moss. He never played for the basketball team.

2005: Four-star Eric Devendorf, and three-star Arinze Onuaku seemed to work out pretty well, all things considered.

2006: Five-star Paul Harris certainly played well, but not well enough to justify the hype. He also left early over perceived issues with Boeheim. Four-star Mike Jones didn't even make it through his freshman season, transferring to South Carolina. Three-star Devin Brennan-McBride's career was ambushed by injuries and he quit the team early in his sophomore season.

2007: The five-star recruits, Donte Green and Jonny Flynn, lived up to the hype and were both gone within two season. Four-star Scoop Jardine & Rick Jackson both became solid leaders and contributors over their full careers. Three-star JUCO transfer Kristof Ongenaet became a dependable glue-guy. However, three-star Sean Williams saw little action in two seasons before transferring.

2008: Four-star Mookie Jones was a one-note player who never got serious minutes, eventually leave the team in his junior (4th) season for "personal reasons." Three-star Kris Joseph became a dependable team leader and NBA draft pick.

2009: Scout listed DaShonte Riley as a four-star recruit. He saw limited time in two seasons before transferring. Meanwhile, three-star recruits Brandon Triche and James Southerland were very solid players who just led SU to the Final Four.

2010: Five-star Fab Melo made huge improvements in two seasons but had academic issues that helped push him out the door to the NBA. Four-star Dion Waiters was talented enough to leave after two seasons while four-star C.J. Fair was the best player on this year's Final Four squad and has a chance to leave a lasting legacy next year. Three-star Baye Keita has become a dependable bench player and glue guy.

2011: Four-star Michael Carter-Williams was a national leader in assists and steals before going pro. Four-star Rakeem Christmas is still growing into his role as a dominant center. Three-star Trevor Cooney had a rough redshirt freshman season but we remain hopeful he'll get better.

2012: Four-star Jerami Grant is already well on his way to becoming a solid contributor and potential star. Four-star DaJuan Coleman had the generic SU Big Man Freshman Season and should be much improved.

As you can see, there's no science to it. We've been pretty lucky in the last three seasons (as far as we know so far). Hopefully we stay lucky. But sooner or later, we're due for a 4/5-star player who just doesn't make the cut.