Syracuse can't get any better ... can it? - MSNBC.com
Latest post from: Syracuse can't get any better ... can it? (http://beyondthearc.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/11/23/2135143.aspx)
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Ramblings From A Cosby Watching/College Hoops/Pop Culture Fanatic
Bryan R. Adams got started in the music biz setting up interviews for the likes of De La Soul, Naughty by Nature, and Coolio. Slightly before that, I got coffee and bottled water for Queen Latifah and RuPaul.
Started FAB Communications in 1996 and began developing PR campaigns for fashion companies, theaters, filmmakers, grassroots organizations, dentists, restaurants, financial concerns, and musicians.
An avid networker who attends at least five events per month and belongs to three networking groups.
A dad and husband.
Gluten-free since 2005.
Since my first trip to Manley Field House in 1979, I've been hooked to Syracuse basketball ever since.
Syracuse Dominates UNC; Wes Johnson and Orange Are the Team to Beat
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Syracuse dominated North Carolina from start to finish. North Carolina was stopped cold by the Orangemen's 2-3 zone. The Tar Heels were exploited, they will not beat a team all year that forces them to shoot threes. Will Graves is their best three point theat and he's no more a threat from three than your average intramural all-star.
No matter what the polls say, at this point, the Orangemen have established themselves as the team to beat in all of college basketball.
Kansas hasn't played anyone, Duke looks good with Plumlee in the middle, but they too haven't played a formidable opponent. Syracuse is the team to beat as far as I am concerned.
No one can argue that the Orangemen, from one through five, are the most balanced team in the country. Andy Rautins, Rick Jackson, Wes Johnson, Onuaku, and Triche. Who can beat them right now? No one. The Orangemen's 24th preseason ranking was ridiculously low. The Orangemen will be in the Final Four, guaranteed. Period. The Tar Heels, Sweet Sixteen, no further. End of story.
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No Tobias Harris, No Problem for Syracuse Orange
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One of the major benefits of having a hall of fame head coach like Jim Boeheim is that you\u2019re never short on talented young hoopsters who want to come play for your school.
No Tobias Harris, No Problem for Syracuse Orange
Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
One of the major benefits of having a hall of fame head coach like Jim Boeheim is that you’re never short on talented young hoopsters who want to come play for your school.
That’s why there’s no reason for Orange fans to sweat mega-prospect, Tobias Harris’ announcement tonight that he will play his college basketball at Tennessee rather than Syracuse.
Of course, nobody is happy about missing out on ESPN.com’s seventh ranked high school senior. That would be absurd. At the end of the day though, Harris opting for creamsicle orange just opens things up for some other elite high schooler to wear the Syracuse shade of orange.
That may not happen in the 2010 class though. The Orange already have one of the nation’s top recruiting classes, and Jim Boeheim could just tuck that scholarship away for next season’s class. Right now, four high school seniors are committed to play for Syracuse next year, three of whom are listed among ESPN.com’s top 100.
The future Orange stars already committed are third ranked shooting guard, Dion Waiters; second ranked center, Fab Melo; 12th ranked small forward C.J. Fair and 14th ranked center Baye Moussa Keita.
Fair, in particular, is one reason not to worry too much about losing Harris. The 6’7, 196 pound Fair looks like the prototypical Syracuse forward that Boeheim recruits every year. He has long arms, a lot of athleticism and the ability to step out and shoot the three-ball. He could develop into a terrific player that will make Syracuse forget all about Harris.
The rest of Syracuse's 2010 class is equally as solid.
Waiters, a 6’4 combo guard, will have an opportunity to step in and start at the two-guard spot immediately, replacing the graduating Andy Rautins. Waiters will bring a very different game to the position than Rautins does though, with the ability to drive to the basket in addition to being able to knock down a jumper. His size, strength and explosive athleticism is going to make him a very dangerous scorer for the Orange next season.
The big story that had Syracuse in the recruiting spotlight this offseason though, was the commitment of the seven-foot Brazilian center Melo.
Like Waiters, Melo will have a chance to step into a starting role immediately next year, with Syracuse losing Arinze Onuaku after this season. He’ll bring a smooth jumper and an advanced offensive repertoire for a young big man. He’ll also be an intimidating presence at the back of Syracuse’s 2-3 zone.
Coming in somewhat under-the-radar is another big man, Baye Moussa Keita of Oak Hill Academy. With Melo expected to be able to contribute immediately, Keita may find himself buried on the depth chart next year.
Keita will likely redshirt, but he could end up being a great player with time to develop. Since Melo is unlikely to be a four year player, Keita will certainly get his chance somewhere down the road.
These four high school stars make up what is already the fourth ranked recruiting class in the nation for 2010. Tobias Harris would have been a terrific addition, which may have pushed them to number one, but with or without him the Orange won’t be hurting for talent any time soon.
More on the Syracuse Basketball »
- Top Prospect Tobias Harris Picks Tennessee, Spurns Syracuse
- Recruiting Update- Pinkston To Tennessee Means Harris Is Orange?
- Syracuse Orange Excel Defensively for the First Time in Years
- North Carolina, Syracuse Look Radically Different This Year
- Podcast No. 2: Midnight Madness
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Rick Younger on The Today Show 11/12
Once again, Rick Younger on the Man Panel at The Today Show
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
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Road to The Final Four: Postseason Projections
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I've posted most of my projections on my Twitter page, but I'm publishing them as well to have something tangible at the end of the season.
If you have any qualms, questions, and/or comments about my projections just leave a comment and you'll get an explanation.
Final Four
Kansas—The best team in the country and should win the national title. Since Kansas is the best team and on a similar plane as North Carolina last year, the Jayhawks will reach the Final Four and win it all for the second time in three years.
Texas—The Longhorns are insanely deep and talented; so much so that any issues at point guard should not keep them out of the Final Four.
Purdue—Michigan State is probably the better team than Purdue, but the Boilermakers will be a tougher out in March. E'Twaun Moore, Robbie Hummel, JaJuan Johnson trio will be unstoppable and Chris Kramer will provide more than enough defense to interrupt the opposing offense. Purdue will be in the title game and lose to Kansas.
West Virginia—This team has minor issues in the backcourt, but the frontcourt is as good as it gets with Da'Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks.
Elite Eight
Kentucky—The Wildcats have as much talent as anybody, but lack experience. That will burn them at some point. For me, that point will be the Elite Eight.
Duke—If the freshman talent comes through and Mike Krzyzewski gets contributions out of his new big men, Duke is almost as good as anybody because of Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer.
Michigan State—The Spartans will fall two steps short of last year's team despite the fact they are almost as good as last year. The top teams are simply better this season.
Georgetown—Someone almost always makes the Elite Eight that doesn't deserve to be here and my pick for that team this year is Georgetown. The Hoyas probably aren't even a top 15 team, but the Austin Freeman, Greg Monroe, Chris Wright trio has the capability to upset some really good teams.
Player of the Year
Luke Harangody—Hands down the best college player in the country. The college game just doesn't have the kind of athletes that can consistently slow down Harangody.
Apologies to—John Wall could end up being the player of the year and deserves immediate contention, but I don't want to anoint him the Player of the Year just yet.
Freshman of the Year
John Wall—On top of being the most talented freshman, he always walks into the best fit for any of the top freshman.
Apologies to—Derrick Favors will dominate both ends of the floor, but there is a chance his Yellow Jackets will under-achieve leaving him without the necessary publicity to be the freshman of the year.
Big 10 Champion
Regular Season and Tournament—Michigan State. The Spartans are barely the better team over Purdue and have more depth to win on consecutive days in the postseason tournament.
Big East Champion
Regular Season—West Virginia. The Mountaineers have the best duo in the league with Devin Ebanks and Da'Sean Butler
Tournament—Villanova. The Wildcats' stable of guards will be nearly impossible to stop after two or three days of consecutive basketball.
Big 12 Champion
Regular Season and Tournament—Kansas. The Jayhawks are the best team in the country and definitely have the depth to compete with Texas in the tournament.
Pac-10 Champion
Regular season—California. The Golden Bears should have no trouble rolling through the Pac-10 regular season because of their ability to out-score everyone.
Tournament—Washington. If Cal struggles defensively like they did last year, Washington will have the advantage in the tournament when offense sometimes goes dry.
SEC Champion
Regular season—Mississippi State. The Bulldogs will finish with the best regular season record because of the weakness of the west. Plus, Kentucky might struggle early as the freshman continue to gel together.
Tournament—Kentucky. John Calipari's teams rolled through Conference USA tournaments and will have this team built for success in the postseason.
ACC Champion
Regular season—North Carolina. The Tar Heels have a dominate frontcourt that few teams in the conference can match which will translate into a lot of conference wins.
Tournament—Duke has the experience and talent to knock off North Carolina's inexperienced team in March.
Atlantic 10
Dayton is clearly the best team in the conference, Richmond will finish second.
Conference USA
Tulsa has a dominate duo with Ben Uzoh and Jerome Jordan. UTEP, Memphis, and Houston all could be good enough to either win the league or even garner an at-large bid.
West Coast Conference
Portland has the experience to dethrone Gonzaga who is clearly down this year. Some nice pieces remain in Spokane, but there's no way the Zags are a top 25 team like some suggest.
Missouri Valley
Northern Iowa returns all five starters from an NCAA Tournament team. Creighton, Southern Illinois, and Illinois State have the potential to upset the Panthers.
Colonial Athletic
Old Dominion should finally end VCU and George Mason's reign atop the league. VCU behind Larry Sanders and Northeastern behind Matt Janning could challenge for the league title.
For more conference winners, check out my preseason bracketology.
For the record predictions:
- I've been touting these five teams during the offseason as sleepers: Cincinnati, Seton Hall, Baylor, Oregon State, and Vanderbilt can all be really good this season. Top five finishes in the Big East aren't out of the question for the Bearcats and Pirates. Baylor can finish fourth or fifth in the Big 12 if the Bears play defense. Oregon State can end up third in a weak Pac-10 and Vandy could finish second in a very strong SEC-East.
- Florida, Notre Dame, and Pittsburgh aren't very good in my book. The Gators lose their best player, but bring in Kenny Boyton and somehow this team goes from NIT to top 25 as some claim? I'm not buying it. Notre Dame isn't much better than last year, if the Irish are even better at all. The defense should be better, but the offense won't be as strong. Pittsburgh loses four starters, but have some talented players waiting in the wings. Those players aren't talented or experienced enough for the Panthers to go dancing.
- The Mountain West will be only a one bid league this year. The league will be strong again in 2011, but for now Brigham Young should dominate that conference. UNLV has talented newcomers, but this team limped into the NIT last year and loses Wink Adams from last year's team.
- I'm not completely sold on Butler. There's lots of talent, but not a lot of size. Last year, the Bulldogs repeatedly struggled or lost against more athletic, longer teams (Ohio State, LSU, Cleveland State). We'll see early on if Butler is for real as the Bulldogs have a challenging non-conference schedule.
Like what you see here? Follow Jameson on Twitter for more college basketball updates.
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On The Beat: Syracuse vs. Albany Preview
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Syracuse 2009-2010 Basketball Preview Overload - Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician
Syracuse 2009-2010 Basketball Preview Overload
by Sean Keeley on Nov 6, 2009 1:48 PM EST
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AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH....TOO MUCH INFORMATION!!!
The D.O. and Post-Standard both have their basketball previews out and it's...a lot. I'm just gonna link out everything below and then we can meet somewhere afterwards to discuss. Get comfortable...
Arinze Onuaku hopes for healthy knees, strong season...Mike Waters
Meet forward Wesley Johnson, a newcomer with experience and skill...Mike Waters
Tough defender Rick Jackson promises an even stronger version...Mike Waters
Is Wes Johnson the best transfer in college basketball?...Donna Ditota
For Better or Worse: Stars Are Awfully Hard to Replace...Mike Waters
For Better or Worse: Sharing the Ball is Always Better...Donna Ditota
As Mike Hopkins believes he sits at the feet of a master, he's happy to wait his turn at the top...Bud Poliquin
One size fits all for forwards: The Orange's wings, like their predecessors, are long and lean...Mike Waters
Syracuse's setup men: Triche, Jardine, Rautins will get ball to the big men...Donna Ditota
You Asked, And Boeheim Answered...Jim Boeheim
Q: I would like to see SYRACUSE rather than ORANGE on the front of the home uniforms. Kentucky, North Carolina, Indiana, Kansas, Duke and others don’t put their nicknames on their jerseys. Who decides on the uniforms for Syracuse basketball?
— James Bean, Lexington, Ky.JB: To tell you the truth, before this question I didn’t even know what was on the front of the jerseys.
Awesome.
Moving Forward: After losing top 3 scorers from last season, Syracuse hopes it's retooling, not rebuilding...www.dailyorange.com/media/storage/paper522/news/2009/11/05/BasketballSeasonPreview/Moving.Forward.After.Losing.Top.3.Scorers.From.Last.Season.Syracuse.Hopes.Its.Re-3822815.shtml" target="_blank">Matt Ehalt
'It's been a long road': Wes Johnson has been just about everywhere, but he has finally found a place to call home...www.dailyorange.com/media/storage/paper522/news/2009/11/05/BasketballSeasonPreview/its-Been.A.Long.Road.Wes.Johnson.Has.Been.Just.About.Everywhere.But.He.Has.Final-3822818.shtml" target="_blank">Conor Orr
Taking the lead: Rautins, Onuaku return for a 5th year and become the leaders of a program searching for an indentity...www.dailyorange.com/media/storage/paper522/news/2009/11/05/BasketballSeasonPreview/Taking.The.Lead.Rautins.Onuaku.Return.For.A.5th.Year.And.Become.The.Leaders.Of.A-3822824.shtml" target="_blank">Andrew L. John
Diamond: Triche has bright side, but Jardine deserves chance to show his worth...www.dailyorange.com/media/storage/paper522/news/2009/11/05/BasketballSeasonPreview/Diamond.Triche.Has.Bright.Side.But.Jardine.Deserves.Chance.To.Show.His.Worth-3822826.shtml" target="_blank">Jared Diamond
Face of a program: Michael enters senior year with a chance to become SU's all-time greatest player...www.dailyorange.com/media/storage/paper522/news/2009/11/05/BasketballSeasonPreview/Face-Of.A.Program.Michael.Enters.Senior.Year.With.A.Chance.To.Become.Sus.AllTime-3822844.shtml" target="_blank">Brett LoGiurato
Believing the hype: Quentin Hillsman calls Juanita Ward the best he's ever coached. This is her last chance to prove it....www.dailyorange.com/media/storage/paper522/news/2009/11/05/BasketballSeasonPreview/Believing.The.Hype.Quentin.Hillsman.Calls.Juanita.Ward.The.Best.Hes.Ever.Coached-3822855.shtml" target="_blank">Dider Morias
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Read More: Wesley Johnson (F - Syracuse), Arinze Onuaku (F - Syracuse), Andy Rautins (G - Syracuse), Mookie Jones (F - Syracuse), Brandon Triche (G - Syracuse), Scoop Jardine (G - Syracuse), Rick Jackson (F - Syracuse), DaShonte Riley (F - Syracuse), Syracuse Orange
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Shift Your PR From Push To Pull
November 5, 2009Posted by Adam Singer in Marketing and Public Relations
Something interesting has happened with the advent of all people and companies becoming media. It is now possible to shift your PR from the infinite treadmill of push to the more reliable and greater returns of pull.This is a complete 180 from how PR used to be done. But it’s a higher value path because it is organic and scalable – your influence grows by virtue of your presence if you fully embrace a pull strategy. Bring your desired audience to you where they will listen intently as opposed to unartfully pushing your messages to them.
I could speak from a strategic level on why shifting PR from push to pull is smart, but let’s drill down to a simple example to illustrate it. PR is far more than just publicity, but publicity is certainly a KPI of nearly all PR programs (if not an objective of many). In other words: all PR people can agree publicity is vital. Yet it’s not working so well from a push perspective anymore. Consider two major influential groups PR folks target, and why push is failing:
Traditional media are more concerned with if they have a future than whether to write up your pitch. While just a decade ago, traditional media and PR shared a symbiotic relationship, that relationship is currently on the rocks. As PR folk become more pushy (and noisy) and traditional media feel the squeeze of a changing landscape, this relationship won’t get better anytime soon.
Bloggers may not be interested in your pitch at all. Technorati’s 2009 state of the blogosphere revealed that 72% of bloggers are most interested in sharing their expertise and 71% blog in order to speak their minds. Does push PR really fit into these motivations?
With that said, as push PR fades in relevance, pull PR only continues to grow more potent.
Pull offers sustainable growth
By embracing a pull PR strategy, one that includes tactics such as content marketing, you’ll build out your digital footprint naturally over time. And more content will attract increasing amounts of attention from all channels monthly – search and social - as you put more digital hooks in the water.
Pull PR is strategic, push is inherently tactical
Push PR is inherently tactical in nature, whereas pull is far more strategic. Blogs are the ultimate pull marketing/PR tool, and the reason most fail is because they don’t act strategically, they act tactically. The problem is success is not easy and results take time to see. Most simply won’t commit, or will quit before their strategy has started working. However the returns payoff huge for those who develop an effective pull strategy and follow it long term.
Pull PR lives at the intersection of PR, SEO and social media
Is your PR agency is SEO & social media savvy? I asked ten questions to asses this at Online Marketing blog:
1. Are you implementing social media marketing, but not SEO?
2. Do your social media and SEO efforts work together?
3. How do you measure the return on investment of your social media engagement efforts?
4. Is social media something you do in your spare time, or is it a core function that requires a dedicated resource?
5. How much effort is put toward managing the search and social media friendliness of your corporate website?
6. How strategic are the recommendations for the company blog?
7. What is your company’s approval process for micro-blogging?
8. Is your current PR agency effectively optimizing your news content for search and social media?
9. What is your PR firm’s true core competency: traditional PR or social media and SEO?
10. Have you considered hiring a social media specialist?The answers to these questions your firm provides are key to assessing whether they understand pull PR.
Pull creates the right kind of web popularity
By developing a PR strategy to bring people to you instead of always pushing your message to them, you are going to nurture a very different kind of reputation than if you were always badgering people to spread your messages. It will be a relationship based on permission (they will want to hear more).
Pull PR makes you less reliant on traditional media
And yet, the amazing thing is that in time pull PR will deliver far more truly earned media. The reason is simple: it’s more powerful to be found by influencers than seeking them out.
Conclusion
Public relations is evolving quickly and it’s clear why. When everyone is media, you can carve out your own share of voice in the world. And as a byproduct of this, you’ll actually attract more media. When you have the ability to shift your programs to be less reliant on externalities and more on your own strategy it seems shortsighted to ignore this.
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Morgan Stanley Smith Barney/Women's Leadership Exchange 11/4 Event
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Morgan Stanley Event With GLAAD on November 17
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