State of the Orange posted yesterday about a conversation he had with a college basketball ref who has done SU hoops games this year. SotO reports:
He [the ref] has personally witnessed Johnny Flynn and Paul Harris tell Boeheim to shut the F#$% up and Leave me the F#$% alone.
along with a couple other incidents which, if true and legit (as opposed to being taken out of context) would be, at the very least, disturbing. Consider that some of the remaining optimism for this season is founded on the mantra of “In Boeheim We Trust” (from a recent Orange:44/Nunes blogversation); if key players are not respecting his authoritahy, that trust won’t count for much. Hopefully the things this ref is talking about are isolated incidents of players getting frustrated and losing their tempers, not elements of a pattern of behavior.
3 Comments
I find it really hard to believe that any player talking to Boeheim that way wouldn’t find himself with a permanent seat on the bench PDQ. Yeah, you gotta play your best guys if you want to win, but if you have no authority over the team you aren’t going to win no matter who you play.
Agreed. I wouldn’t put too much stock in this. People say all kinds of stuff - say the ref doesn’t like these guys for some reason, in an informal conversation he’s going to say things off the cuff, perhaps exaggerate. Also, when do refs see things that spectators and reporters don’t?
Boeheim has put plenty of people in the doghouse through the years, and I can’t see how he’d have any problem making an example of these guys if this were true. His job is secure, I can’t see him putting up with that.
If anything I feel like this team has chemistry. All reports from my various university connections say that these guys seem to genuinely like each other and enjoy this team. I just don’t see it.
Or, more likely, if something like this did happen, or does happen, we’re seeing it in all the wrong context and blowing it way out of proportion. Think about it: basketball is intense and these aren’t kids out there. Language can get raw. Anyone who can read lips knows that Boeheim swears constantly during games; at the refs, at players, at the air. I can see a situation where the players use foul language just as much, but it’s not insubordination. When you see it in print, without context, it looks bad. But it’s all about the tone of voice, and the time and place. Personally, I’m not concerned about this at all. Jimmy and Paul, especially, have a well established chummy-yet-antagonistic relationship. Kind of reminds me of Boeheim and Kueth. And Flynn is way too classy and intelligent to be overstepping the bounds. I think this is making a big deal out of nothing, even if its true.
Here’s the key argument: if Paul Harris hated and disrespected Boeheim, would he have still encouraged his high school teammate Jonny Flynn to come to Syracuse? Would Jonny have even wanted to? I think not.