syracuse basketball and reflections

[Dennis Koller]

on the eve of the big game, here are some final thoughts...............

 

 

 

 

     Please bear with me. This is going to take awhile.Someone made the comment today,"that`s good for you but not for us."

Having overheard this I responded with,"maybe that`s what they`ll be saying in Michigan tomorrow. I won`t go there." I don`t think that they at all knew what I meant by that. Perhaps we`ll be rejoicing tomorrow. You know what I mean by that. Regardless, even with the big game, in so many ways, this will be just another day for us. We`ve been here so many times now and probably in the future, many more times. Not so in Michigan. Syracuse`s basketball team has been to so many NCAA tournaments, sweet sixteens, elite eights, final fours and even four championship games having won two of those championship games.

     Michigan hasn`t been to a final four in twenty years. Michigan is a good team. They may even win the national championship. The NCAA tournament always brings intensity, surprises and most of all-PRESSURE. None of this is new to Syracuse. This all bodes well for SU. What will Michigan be like though? For starters, this is their first final four appearance in twenty years. During pre-game warmups, I would expect Michigan players to LOOK composed, relaxed and focussed.Yet within-hardly.LOOKING calm is what I`d expect them to be very much working hard at. They know what they`re up against!

     Since just before the end of the Big East tournament, Syracuse has demolished every team in it`s path. At their end of the court during pre-game warm ups, they really will be calm, relaxed and focussed. They`ve been here before. Syracuse knew a few weeks ago what was required for them to get this far. Many of us did.The Orangemen reached deep within themselves and pulled out a strength! They snapped, not just came out of, but they SNAPPED-all at once out of the worst slump that anyone could ever remember seeing in sports in years! Everyone but the orangemen thought that the season was over-that it would take a miracle for anything good to happen. Then there was the house fire that could have rendered Michael-Carter Williams` family completely homeless or worse. During a recent tournament game, with tears in her eyes having just heard the terrible news about the fire at their home in nearby Massachusetts, MCW`s mother, sitting high in the stands looked looked down at him on the court. MC could see her tears. It could have effected the entire syracuse team. It didn`t adversly.Again, syracuse reached deep within and came up with HEART. They demonstrated character. No wonder that all of this is a story just waiting to be told.

     NO ONE has ever experienced before, a zone defense such as Syracuse`s. Those who have experienced Syracuse`s zone defense will all be watching the game on television! With the Syracuse zone, some improved shooting, particularly three`s here`s what we can expect to see tomorrow............Syracuse needs to keep that zone working and whenever Michigan does get within the zone-Syracuse needs to COLLAPSE on it, whatever it is without fouling and so as to tie up Michigan`s big men or man. With the zone operating on all cylinders, Syracuse will force Michigan to shoot OVER the zone. That`s what we want. Michigan will miss shots that way more.

     Offensively, Syracuse needs some improved shooting, not just threes but FREE THROWS, and aggressive offensive rebounds.

     Altogether, minimize mistakes and turnovers. Look for SU to begin the game with very surprisingly, a man to man defense throwing Michigan off from their gameplan and then SWITCH-back to the zone hopefully getting Michigan rattled and in need of calling time outs!

     These are all big if`s. Yet Syracuse can see it now-taste it and FEEL IT! It`s not about now so much what not to do-Syracuse KNOWS what they CAN do!

      Final prediction...................................................SYRACUSE 68-MICHIGAN 60

 

     If it`s close... then.................................................SYRACUSE 62-MICHIGAN60

 

 

     If Syracuse seriously dominates, then it`s............SYRACUSE 78-MICHIGAN 62

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     NOW, about those reflections.............................................

 

 

 

 

     WE all know what it`s like to sit in front of our television sets as sports fans yelling things like,"WHAT WAS THAT?"

"WHY DOES IT ALWAYS HAVE TO BE A STREET FIGHT UNDER THE BACKBOARDS?" "CAN`T YOU DO THAT RIGHT?", and of course, everyone`s particular favorite, "WHAT DO MEAN FOUL?"

     Hopefully, there won`t be any need for that tomorrow. Regardless of the outcome, I`m hoping to enjoy the game, being so proud of our orangemen and just resting in that temporate zone of composure and right now I can feel someone thinking "yeah right, fat chance of that!"

 

     For me, the word "basketball" stirs things and brings back memories. It`s somewhat as with movies. For instance, picture if you will a movie screen that`s all black at the movie`s start. Then , bold white letters appear acrossed the dark screen stating......................................SYRACUSE NY-1970....................................................obviously were flashing back to a previous era and one that finds us in a gymnasium packed with cheering, screaming students

     That gymnasium is the Bishop Grimes High School home court! Those screaming, cheering students are us-the class of `70 in unicent declaring, "WE`RE NUMBER ONE,WE`RE NUMBER ONE!" Because we were! Bishop Grimes was the number one ranked high school basketball team in New York State during the basketball season of 1969-70.

     One memorable moment on that court was the Bishop Grimes-Central tech game of that `69-`70 season. Yet the sweetest of  victories came also on that court and of that same `69-`70 season with the Bishop Grimes victory over Bishop Ludden.

Ludden no longer had Mark Wadach and Phil Harlow. Returning for Bishop Grimes was Bobby Battle and John Button with all of the rest of the boys! ( hi Deborah, i just thought I`d throw all of that out there). The girls, our cheerleaders so often would lead us in, "YOU`RE LOOKING GOOD BG YOU`RE LOOKING GOOD!","YOU`RE LOOKING GOOD BG YOU`RE  LOOKING GOOD!"

     I`ve often wondered over the years how many recalled, "YOU`RE LOOKING GOOD BG YOU`RE LOOKING GOOD!", "YOU`RE LOOKING GOOD BG YOU`RE LOOKING GOOD!"  Especially if going through a hard time?

Remembering "YOU`RE LOOKING GOOD BG, YOU`RE LOOKING GOOD!", has in times past helped to get me through a hard time or two, thankyou Lord.

     Now, let`s fast forward to our current time of 2013...........with all said, also reminicent of movie scenes-one in particular,

wherein Madonna sings a lyric from the music score in the movie "A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN" during the last scene.........."this used to be my playground..."

     Perhaps tonight and tomorrow we`ll all feel like saying, "YOU`RE LOOKING GOOD SU YOU`RE LOOKING GOOD!", "YOU`RE LOOKING GOOD SU YOU`RE LOOKING GOOD!""

 

 

     Basketball. Just another game? Just another word? Hardly. Especially if you`re from Syracuse and happen to be a basketball fan of the orange and graduate of the class of `70-BG HIGH!

 

 

     So with all of that, enjoy the game, enjoy the day tomorrow and what sounds so beatiful in perfect Espanol...

 

 

 

 

                                              VAYAN CON DIOS, MIS BG HERMANOS Y HERMANAS

[Dennis Koller]

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[Vincent Polito]

Dennis, well done. As a member of that team I can tell you those were times we will never forget. Over the years I've bumped into some of our basketball opponents on the soft ball field, the golf course or the mall or frequently at the airport as I travel. They always say "I remember you, where did you go to school, yeah you played for Bishop Grimes" and the all ask about Battle and Button. They would say things like "pick your poison" or "who do you try to stop" or "that was an unbelievable team". 20 - 30  - now 40 years later and people remember. It will always be the Battle and Button team though, and rightfully so. That not to say that Karl E, Mark C, Tom F and Paul M were not fabulous but in case anyone has forgotten  Bob (25 ppg) and John (26 ppg) led the CNY Cities League in scoring their senior year and we were averaging close of 90 points a game (keep in mind that was 1969 - 1970 and there was no three point line - if there was those two may have averaged 35 each)

 

After I left BG I never really thought about any of it until I read your note Dennis. My reflections.

I remember our Freshman year playing against Varsity teams and learning to compete and never backing down. Coach Ryder, was an interesting guy, not really an x's and o's caoch but no one was more competitive.  As a team were were 14 year olds playing Varsity level basketball. He know all we could do is run and run and run. We were boys playing against men, but coach Ryder would never let us give up. I remember our practices 3 - 5:30 and Saturday mornings. We had a basic play, 5 man weave and we did it full blast the whole practice. Things changed in our sophomore season, John B. arrived. I remember seeing him shooting baskets in the gym before any of us knew he was enrolling. I thought was was the new coach, no kidding. He had a shaved head before it was cool. And he changed everything by just being there. He brought a swagger, a confidence and we all knew we would be able to compete. He also pushed us to be as good as he was. Bobby Battle was always a really hard worker but he worked even harder. By our junior season the rest of us were filling out and a new coach recognized our ability to run and even though we were still undersized we would make up for that with high intensity defense (kind of like Louisville) and even higher intensity running game. I remember we would run fast break plays from every missed free throw and every made basket. Pushing the ball up the court without it hitting the floor.  We were also blessed with several underclassmen that stepped up, Gary Clark, Chet W.  Bucky Cato, and of course Walt Wayman (there are others but I'm getting old and forgetful). By our last season together several of us had played together for all four years and there was no fear of who we played, ever. We were getting ready for our last season for three years.

We were very blessed to be at BG at that time. It really was special. I think our 1970 basketball team was special, the Battle and Button show, has lived for over 40 years, what a blast.

Vinnie

Vincent Polito
Vice President, Healthcare

John Kim & Associates
Vin...@Johnkimconsulting.com
Ph: 315-720-8552

[bfood...@aol.com]

Vinnie  and Dennis--

 

How wonderful is everything you two have put in words. The teams were wonderful. The school was wonderful. Our camaraderie was wonderful. That spirit, --that BG Cobra blue feeling, and those four wonderful years of our lives, still lives within each one of us. It is proven, over and over!! Each note read from fellow classmates renews that feeling within each and every one of us. That feeling is fierce, just like the team, just like the friendships, and just like the eternal memories!!  I love you all, and not to sound cliché---but--thanks for the memories!!!

 

Bobbie P

[deborah button]

dennis, What a wonderful, poignant, and memorable tribute to Bishop Grimes.   deborah button

From: Dennis Koller <dennis...@yahoo.com>
To: "deborah...@yahoo.com" <deborah...@yahoo.com>; "bishop-gri...@googlegroups.com" <bishop-gri...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Friday, April 5, 2013 5:28 PM
Subject: syracuse basketball and reflections

[Francis W McCarthy]

Thanks, we all needed that!  How nice the sun finally came out!!

Sent from my iPod

[Bob Jordan]

Just seeing this now My Friends.1/12/12018.  Going back to BGHS on Sunday for John Button's induction into The Hall of Fame. With a Grateful Heart and wonderful memories of those years. Spoke to Mark Culotti and Karl Engelbrecht this week from that team and enjoyed the reminiscing. Hope to see lots of Good People there..  Bob Jordan  BGHS '70

[vpol...@gmail.com]

Wish I could be there but I’m in Florida until April. Tell everyone I said hi.

Vinnie 

Sent from my iPhone

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[Mary Moriarty Burgess]

Hi Bob.

So sorry I could not attend this event, and happy to know you were there!  John was such a fantastic spirit, and continues to be a joyful memory. 

All the very best to you,

Mary 

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