Cincinnati, and DePaul, and Rutgers, Oh My!

While fall practice for football is about a month away, the Big East has released the conference portion of the schedule. And the home games for the Orange are well, less than thrilling.

HOME GAMES: Cincinnati, DePaul, Georgetown, Louisville, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Villanova, West Virginia

AWAY GAMES: Connecticut, Georgetown, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Providence, Rutgers, St. John's, South Florida, Villanova

While Connecticut, Pittsburgh, and Marquette don't travel to the Dome this year, at least the Orange don't have to play any of them twice. But I have to say I'm a little tired of playing Villanova twice a year. Yes, they are one of our rivals, but they have been a pain in the ass for the past couple of years. What team stopped us from getting back to the NCAA tournament last year by beating us in the Big East Tournament? Who was the team two years ago that got a bid to the Big Dance even though they finished behind Syracuse in the Big East standings and royally screwed the 'Cuse? Yeah, those damn Wildcats. I say this is the year we enact vengeance on them and their pretty boy coach Jay Wright.

Anyways, at least we play Georgetown home-and-home. That's all that really matters.

Also, the season opener for football will be televised on August 30. The game at Northwestern is set for a noon kick off on either ESPN or ESPN2. I'll let you decide if that's good news or not.

Is That the Spread...Offense?

Great catch by some Syracuse football fans in this article about 5-foot-10, 175 pound wide receiver Leavander Jones from Atlantic City High School who has committed to play for the Orange. When talking of his visit to Syracuse, Jones drops this little nugget.

"When I came up here, I saw that they run a spread offense, and that's just like we run at Atlantic City. It won't be much different."

Did he just say spread offense? Well if this is true, this may explain the weird vibes experienced at the spring football game in April. There wasn't a lot to see at the game and The Axeman felt the same way after interviewing offensive coordinator Mitch Browning and quarterback Andrew Robinson. But after learning about the spread offense, Axe makes some good points about what they were really saying.

But this isn't going to be the spread offense that we saw with Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia. Everyone has their own version and Browning is going to implement his own. Apparently it's going to be much more simplified.

Offensive Coordinator Mitch Browning

"For the most part, we have our entire offense installed. So we come back in August and pick up where we left off. You know, guys will pick it up quick. You know, alot of guys who really have trouble absorbing parts of it will come back and say 'geez, this is really simple, really.' Then what we can do is continue to get better and better at it."

Quarterback Andrew Robinson

"The running game is a little more simple blocking-wise, but the quarterbacks have a lot of responsibility as far as the checks and making audibles at the line of scrimmage and things like that. I have had to work extra hard this spring studying up on the playbook and making sure I have the checks down and putting the offense in the best possible position. But otherwise, things have been slimmed down a little bit."

That shouldn't come as a surprise because who exactly are the playmakers on this team? Browning expected Mike Williams to be the big play guy going into the season. He's the guy that was going to stretch the field and take some shots with on play-action. Now Browning is going to have to focus more on the running game which he is capable of. At Minnesota, running backs Marion Barber III and Laurence Maroney created a deadly tandem in the Big Ten.

The Orange's deepest position on the team is at tailback with DeLone Carter, Curtis Brinkley, Doug Hogue, and Averin Collier. These guys are going to have to be the playmakers whether its making reads on zone runs or catching the football out of the backfield.

It's a daunting task and daring move by Greg Robinson if he indeed has allowed Mitch Browning to install the spread offense, albeit a water-down version. At least he's making an attempt and going out with guns blazing. I'm actually intrigued by SU football.

The Hits Just Keep Onnnnn Comin'

The Syracuse football team already lost Mike Williams, now they'll be without the services of starting defensive end Brandon Gilbeaux.

According to Donnie Webb, the 6-foot-3, 271 pound junior has been suspended by the university for academic issues. Yeah, the same reason that Williams was suspended by the school a few weeks ago.

Now losing Gilbeaux isn't on the same level as losing the best player on the team and arguably the top receiver in the Big East. But the Orange can't afford to be losing starters because well, there just isn't a whole lot of talent to choose from. Slated behind Gilbeaux in the post-spring depth chart is redshirt freshman Lamar Middleton.

Just when you thought things couldn't get worse for this team. Is there ever going to be something positive about this team in the news? Throw me a bone here. We're still more than two months from the opening of the season and I'm already discouraged.

I'm going to bang my head on the wall now.

That's Still $800K Guaranteed

For a few hours we all watched, and watched, and watched. Golden State came and went at #14 where ESPN mock draft expert Chad Ford had Green going. And he continued to slide down the board. But Donte' didn't get too concerned about the situation.

"It was long, but I never got worried," Greene said. "I never got down. I knew that whenever I got picked or wherever I went I knew I'd have to work hard."

Finally, with the 28th pick, the sorry Memphis Grizzlies selected the former Orange player that led the Big East in scoring at 17.7 points per game. It's a good thing that Donte' was not invited to the draft or else he would have looked like former Kansas player Darrell Arthur sitting in the green room. Here's what Ford thought of the selection...



Another value pick. Lots of scouts compare him to Rashard Lewis. Greene is a perimeter shooter who lacks a position or real game right now, and I'm not sure how he fits on Memphis, which already has Rudy Gay. But the Grizzlies have been shopping this pick, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Greene wearing another hat later tonight.

Now Donte' was probably relieved to have been selected, but he was going to the Grizzlies. Memphis is one of the least attractive places to go to as they've had back-to-back 22-60 seasons. Management practically begged the Lakers to take Pau Gasol off their hands. But then the Rockets swooped in and picked up the guy they wanted all along.

According to Mike Waters' story, the Houston Rockets were the only team to send personnel to Syracuse and inquire further about Green. Going to the Rockets seems like a good fit as they only have one true small forward in Shane Battier. SU assistant coach Rob Murphy agrees.

"I think it's a great situation for him. They obviously wanted him. I think it's a great thing for him."

I'm sure a lot of Syracuse fans are saying "I told ya so" and what not. But the fact remains that Donte' was drafted in the first round. While he didn't go as high as he probably wanted to go, he ended up with a good franchise in Houston. He probably cost himself a few million dollars, but he's still going to make a pretty good chunk of change. Green will make $800K in year one, $870K in year two, and then the Rockets must decide whether or not to pick up the team option for years three and four. If they do, Green will make about $1.5 million per year. Not bad for a 19-year-old. Not too bad at all.

How Much for Northeastern?

Today was the first day for Syracuse fans to buy individual game tickets. Just take a look at the announcement from SU Athletics.

Individual game tickets for Akron, Northeastern, Pittsburgh, Louisville and Connecticut are $36 for adults and $18 for youth (ages 12 and under). Individual game tickets for Penn State are $57 for adults and $30 for youth.

Now the $57 for the Penn State game may have caught your eye first, but I don't have a problem with that. Orange fans have wanted to see this game for many years. Its been 18 years since Joe Paterno and the Nittany Lions played the Orange. And you know there's going to be a lot of Penn St. fans making their way up Route 81 for this one. Quite frankly, they could outnumber Orange fans come September 13. Daryl Gross would be stupid not to charge more for a high profile opponent.

That having been said, why should fans pay regular price to see Northeastern? Yes, that is the homecoming game, but they are a Division 1-AA...excuse me...Division 1 Football Bowl Subdivision team. You remember Appalachian State's gigantic upset over Michigan. Well, Northeastern is nowhere near that level. They stink as they were 3-8 last season.

Who wants to go see this game? When SU announced this as the last opponent to fill out the schedule, I thought it was a joke because it's a 1-AA team. I certainly didn't imagine the SU athletic department charging full price for this game. Dr. Gross you're joking, right? You understandably jack up the price for the Penn St. game. Well, why can't you decrease the price for the less than thrilling match-up with Northeastern?

This game should be treated like an NIT basketball game at the Carrier Dome. Make the ticket price $10 for every seat. It would interest people who don't normally go to football games and would have others excited to get a seat on the first level. At least the athletic department would be honest with the SU fan base. It would be a little token of appreciation for the fans who have watched a program take a mighty tumble down the food chain.

But instead of showing SU football still has a little pride and tradition, Dr. Gross says nonsense to lowering the ticket price. If this team starts the year 0-3 god forbid, I'm afraid to see the crowd at that game. If there's even a crowd to see.

Stick This In Your Pipe and Smoke It Gottlieb

Ah yes, I'm referring to the much maligned and Syracuse basketball hater Doug Gottlieb.

The man has a vendetta against head coach Jim Boeheim and takes every opportunity to bash the Orange's soft non-conference schedule. The most frequent criticism is that the 'Cuse don't play on the road or leave New York State until late January.

Well that won't be the case for the 2008-09 season. While the full schedule won't be released until late August or early September, Syracuse Post-Standard beat writer Mike Waters says the Orange will play at Memphis on December 20.

Now Memphis probably won't be as good as this past season's Final Four team, but Tigers head coach John Callipari has brought in four top 100 recruits according to Scout.com. And in a pre pre-season top 25, ESPN.com college basketball writer Andy Katz ranks Memphis number 7 and believes they have a chance to make another deep run in the tournament.

The Tigers will have a legitimate shot to reach a third-straight Elite Eight with Robert Dozier, Antonio Anderson and Shawn Taggart anchoring a team that brings in a stellar recruiting class led by Tyreke Evans and the latest pickup in former Nebraska signee Roburt Sallie. Losing Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts and Joey Dorsey will change the moxie of this team -- and its primary scoring options -- but the Tigers are still the team to beat in Conference USA.

Of course Gottlieb will still find a way to get under the skin of every Orange fan. For the record, Jimmy B doesn't like him either.

"They don’t know what they’re talking about so I don’t pay much attention to them. … One guy in particular was in our league for a minute or two but he couldn’t play in it. He seems to do the most talking, probably because he wasn’t a very good player and he’s not very smart about basketball."

We all know who that 'one guy' is.

Donte' Green's Stock Falling

People questioned his decision, but it looked like Donte' Green was going to be drafted in or just outside of the lottery. Now that may not be the case.

Syracuse Post-Standard beat writer Mike Waters says Green has not been invited to attend the NBA Draft held in New York City Thursday. Now this doesn't mean that Green won't be drafted in the lottery. All it really means is that he won't be able to shake hands and look ridiculously tall while posing for pictures with commissioner David Stern.

But of course it isn't good news either. And on ESPN.com NBA writer Chad Ford's most recent mock draft is certainly telling of Donte's falling draft stock. Ford has the Houston Rockets selecting Green with the 25th pick. Only last week Ford had Green going to the Toronto Raptors at number 17. Here's what Ford thinks about the former Orange...

This seems like an unbelievable fall for a player with as much upside as Greene. Indeed, teams like the Kings and Warriors will look at him in the lottery, and likewise for the Raptors in the mid-first round. But if he slips past them, he could be on a free fall. He's a great shooter with upside, but he's not ready yet.

The last sentence sums up what most people around here think about Donte'. He has tremendous potential, but most people would say he could have used that extra year to mature and build up his body a little more. But mock drafts are just speculation anyways and should be taken with a grain of salt. Trying to project the first 30 picks of a draft is an inexact science to put it lightly.

ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas has a breakdown of Donte' Green on video and I think he's right on the money. Bilas is one of the best basketball analysts, period.

Anthony Named to Olympic Team

Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony was named as one of 12 players to represent the United States in the summer Olympics held in Bejing, China August 8-24.

In 2004, Anthony was a part of the disappointing U.S.A. team that only managed to bring home a bronze medal. But their most recent participation in the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship showed the U.S. senior national team may be back on track. The team went 10-0 and captured gold en route to qualifying for the upcoming Olympic games. Anthony averaged a team-high 21.2 points per game during the ten games.

It's great to see Carmelo on the Olympic team after the rampant trade rumors surrounding him. It was reported over the weekend that Anthony and his agent were meeting with Nuggets' management to discuss a possible trade. But in this story, Anthony's agent Calvin Andrews says he is with Anthony due to the all-stars pending DUI case.

I'm going there to be supportive of Carmelo," Andrews said. "If he's charged, there will be a penalty and I'll talk with the Nuggets about that. If the trade situation comes up, we'll talk about it, but there is no meeting planned to discuss trades."

Today 'Melo discussed his situation with the Denver Post saying he wanted to stay in Denver and wanted the Nuggets to be upfront with him.

"I kind of get insulted when people say 'He took a step back' or things like that, because I feel like I've put in a lot of hard work to be where I'm at right now," Anthony said.

Its been an interesting few days for the former Orange star. And can you imagine if he was traded, what would have happened to that Nuggets/Suns game at the Carrier Dome? For now, it appears Orange fans will see 'Melo flash that bright smile again.

Guess Who's Back...Or is He?

About three weeks ago Syracuse wide receiver Mike Williams was suspended from the university over accusations of cheating multiple times. But in a recent interview, Williams says he may be coming back.

Paul Peck of WIVB-TV in Buffalo recently caught up with the suspended wideout at a basketball tournament. During the interview Williams states,

"They took it to (university) court, and the decision had been changed. I'm not sure. That's what my head coach (Greg Robinson) had been telling me. It looked like I'm there in August. They tell me to come to summer school July 6th, and in order to come to summer school I gotta be there."

But that is news to the Syracuse Athletics department. According SU Sports Information, Williams' status at the university remains unchanged and he has not been reinstated. SU assistant director of athletics for communications Sue Edson said head coach Greg Robinson is helping Williams enroll for summer classes at Onondaga Community College, not at SU. This would make sense since Williams said he needed to be back in Syracuse by July 6. Summer classes at OCC begin on July 7. Syracuse University's summer school begins on June 30.

Williams also addressed the multiple allegations of cheating...

"It wasn't no cheating situation. Syracuse is a private school. When you take exams you got to do exactly what they say. It was the beginning of the exam and the notes was out. He said I was looking at my notes. That's what he said. That's what happened."

Syracuse Post-Standard football beat writer Donnie Webb still believes Williams was suspended for cheating. The only way Williams could return is if the allegation were completely dismissed. It doesn't look like that's the case though. If Williams is to return to SU, he can appeal the suspension handed down by judicial affairs. He may seek reinstatement, but university guidelines say there is a mandatory semester suspension. This means Williams could return to school for the spring semester, but wouldn't be on the football field until the 2009 season.

Clearly there seems to be some miscommunication between Williams and Robinson. Williams is under the impression he is going to be playing for the Orange in 2008, but that is unlikely because of university rules that state a student must miss a semester for cheating before reinstatement. The one good thing out of all this is that it appears Williams wants to be with the Orange. But he may have to wait until 2009.

Former Orange Men

Some former Orange men are moving on while another will be returning.

Lacrosse player Mike Leveille keeps adding to his long list of accomplishments. Member of the 2008 national championship team, Tewaaraton Trophy winner, Lowes Senior Class Award Winner, first team all-america as an athlete and student, drafted 3rd in the Major League Lacrosse draft. How could it get better than that? Well, now you can add an endorsement as Leveille's now a member of the Warrior Players Club.

While Leveille is already playing professionally, Donte' Green is preparing for the NBA Draft held on June 26. Green has had private workouts for a number of lottery teams, the most recent being with the New Jersey Nets. While there, Green gave an interview and talked about his decision to enter the draft and how the Syracuse fans have treated him. Which we all know hasn't been very well after the announcement.

Even I wanted Donte' to stay, but folks get over it. If millions of dollars were staring you in the face, would you turn them down? Didn't think so. He is guaranteed to go in the lottery or just outside of it. Just how much his stock would have improved if he stayed another year is debatable. What's not is that he is a good player and person, and I wish him the best of luck.

Green's future peer Carmelo Anthony is returning to the Carrier Dome after a five year absence. Anthony, the beloved ex-Orange star who led the 'Cuse to it's first national title in 2003, is coming back as a full fledged NBA star. The two-time all-star will be in the Dome playing an exhibition game as the Denver Nuggets take on the Phoenix Suns. What a great opportunity to see some other stars as well such as Allen Iverson, Shaq, and Steve Nash. Hopefully Anthony is still on the Nuggets by that time. He has been the subject of many trade rumors, but for now he's staying put in Denver.

I went to the exhibition game in 2003 when the Nuggets played the Detroit Pistons. It was great to see Anthony back on the floor after winning the national championship that year. While Anthony has made some poor decisions in the past few years, I will definitely be there to show my appreciation once again.

Time Set for SU-Penn State Game

How many people will be going to the Dome to watch football after today's news? Well, the news didn't really do much because attendance was already going to be low. For those fair-weathered SU fans, maybe a visit from Joe Pa will get you to come.

The Syracuse Athletics department has released the time of the September 13 contest between the Orange and the Nittany Lions. The two east coast rivals will face each other for the first time since 1990 at 3:30 p.m. on ABC. For the record, Syracuse is 14-24-2 when playing on ABC. The last appearance came on September 9, 2006 against Iowa. Yes, the game where the Orange were held at the goal-line and lost 20-13 in double overtime.

Syracuse and Penn State met every year from 1922-1990. The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series with a 40-23-5 record. The last meeting at Penn St. ended in a 34-12 loss for the Orange. The last win for the 'Cuse over Penn St. was in 1988 and the last victory at the Dome came the year before.

Let's hope that Joe Paterno is still alive by the time that game rolls around.

Hopeless Already?

Woke up this morning and turned on the computer to read the latest sports news. Little did I know I would see the headline news that Mike Williams was suspended for academic issues. What? No, this can't be happening.

Williams hasn't been a stranger to academic problems. In Williams' freshman season in 2006, Head Coach Greg Robinson suspended him for the final game at Rutgers. The suspension was due to an academic related issue. But this violation seems to be much more serious. WTVH-5 is reporting that Williams was thrown out of school for cheating in a class. Williams is no longer enrolled at the university, but apparently completed the spring semester.

The leading receiver from last season, Williams entered his junior year as the clear number one weapon after the departure of Taj Smith who entered the NFL Draft. Last season Williams led the Orange with 60 receptions (tying a school record) for 837 yards (13.9 yards per catch) and 10 touchdowns. He ended the season having caught touchdown passes in nine consecutive games, a school record.

Ever since Greg Robinson arrived, he has had to deal with a number of unfortunate incidents. Now his most prized weapon is almost certainly gone for the entire season and unlikely to return. Listed on the post-spring practice depth chart as starters are Lavar Lobdell and Donte Davis. Lobdell's shortcomings have been well documented. The 6-3 junior is criticized for having bad hands and certainly has not lived up to the hype as a five star recruit out of Christian Brothers Academy. We don't really know much about Davis. The sophomore only played in one game last season at Iowa after suffering an injury to his arm. He was granted a medical hardship waiver.

Other guys listed behind those two are: Dan Sheeran (6-3, 217 So.), Chaz Cervino (5-10, 180 RFr.), and Van Chew (6-1, 165 Fr.). The only one out of this group to see the field is Sheeran and he has seen very little at that. Of course Robinson did snag four star recruit Marcus Sales from CBA. Sales and company certainly will have an opportunity to impress the coaching staff and earn playing time. Coach Robinson may consider moving Bruce Williams or Da'Mon Merkerson from the secondary back to wideout. Merkerson played WR last year and was moved to corner during spring practice due to the lack of depth at that position. Switching him again would leave a gaping hole there.

Regardless, the loss of Williams is huge. He's an impact player who could take some pressure off ARob and the offense. Yes, he would have seen plenty of double coverage from opponents. But we are talking about Mike Williams. He is one of the best receivers in the country, certainly at the top of the Big East receiving crop. New offensive coordinator Mitch Browning has enough trouble trying to establish a running game. Now he won't have Williams to release the pressure.

Greg Robinson's job just got a lot more difficult. And his job is clearly on the line this season. Good luck GRob, you are going to need it. Unfortunately, it's already looking like a long season is ahead and it's only June. Oh boy.

How Big a Loss is Donte' Green?

When Donte' Green declared himself eligible for the NBA Draft on Wednesday, Orange fans were understandably upset. The anger was not due to the surprise of the announcement. As fans we knew in the back of our minds all year that Green would probably make the jump. But Green's decision instantly dashed the dreams we had of making a deep run into the NCAA Tournament next year. Or did it?

Yes, Donte' is a tremendously talented player and he will be a first round pick in the NBA Draft. With Green on the court, opposing coaches had to prepare their defense around stopping #5 of the Orange. He scored 17.7 ppg, good for fourth in the Big East Conference. He also broke Gerry McNamara's freshman record for three-pointers made. But there certainly are faults to Donte's game.

How many times this year did you yell at Donte' for not running out to put a hand in the face of a shooter on the wing? There were many occasions in which Green looked like he played with a lack of effort on the defensive end of the court. With his athleticism and over 7-foot wingspan, Green should have been much better. The biggest gripe though has to be with his shot selection. For the year, Donte' shot just under 42 percent. But in Big East Conference games playing against much tougher competition, Green had problems. He shot under 40 percent in eighteen conference games and only 29 percent from 3-point range. Head Coach Jim Boeheim would have pulled him to the bench a number of times, but the lack of depth prevented that. He had to stick with his top weapon no matter how many bad shots the freshman chucked up. Another thing is that Donte' was playing out of position this year. Instead of playing small forward, he was banging against power forwards of the other team. Green didn't like playing with his back to the basket and his upper body was not strong enough to bang back.

That gets me to my point. Jim Boeheim was putting out a team that was missing two very big pieces. The most important being guard Eric Devendorf who was lost to a torn ACL in mid-December. Prior to his injury, the junior was averaging 17 ppg and was starting to play under control. The emotional leader of the team was on the bench unable to help a young Orange squad. Andy Rautins, the other missing piece to the puzzle, is more of an unknown. But the 6-foot-5 shooting guard has added about 20 pounds of muscle and could be a top five shooter in the country according to Boeheim. I'm not saying that these two can replace Donte' Green, but they certainly add dimensions to the team that were missing this past season.

Three point shooting will be much improved next season. Rautins has had months and months to perfect his three point shot that he showcased in 20 starts two seasons ago. Devendorf's presence opens things up for everyone else. His ability to slash into the lane and shoot the three ball will prove valuable for guys such as Rautins who can set himself on the arc and wait for the kick out after penetration. While there is no guarantee these guys will return to normal after ACL tears, if they do, they add much needed depth at the guard position. My projected starting lineup for the 2008-09 season is Flynn, Rautins, Harris, Ongenaet, and Onuaku. Since Devendorf tore his ACL in December, he may not be back until Big East play begins in January. But once he works his way back in, he will be fresh for the stretch run.

Best of luck Donte', but this team is fully capable of making the NCAAs without you.

Orange Grabs Bulls by the Horns in 89-77 Win

Time after time, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim has said there are no easy games in the Big East this year. So the Orange tried to make it an easy game by shooting 55.9 percent in the first half en route to a 14 point advantage over South Florida at the break.

In a one point game early on, Syracuse freshman Donte' Green sparked a 7-0 run himself to extend the Orange lead to 15-7 over the Bulls. But the game's most anticipated match up was of the big men. Arinze Onuaku (6-foot-9, 258 pounds) took on South Florida's Kentrell Gransberry (6-9, 270) in a battle in the post. While Onuaku had not faced anyone with the size of his USF counterpart, Onuaku more than held his own. The Orange sophomore scored 11 points while holding Gransberry to only eight and allowed the Bulls' big man to only shoot five times from the field during the first 20 minutes of play.

The Orange continued to dominate in the opening minutes of the second half. After South Florida cut the deficit to nine points, they went cold from the field. Syracuse's defensive effort held USF scoreless for more than five minutes, holding USF to 23.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc, and helped create easy scoring opportunities. Whether it was off missed shots or steals, the Orange defense sparked a number of fast breaks where the Orange are at their best. They certainly showed that as they outscored the Bulls in transition 31-14. Syracuse stretched its lead to 19 points, the run capped off by a Donte Green rim-rocker off a no-look pass from Scoop Jardine.

Speaking of Scoop, the freshman had another outstanding game in only his fifth start. Jardine scored 14 points, dished out a team-high eight assists while only committing one turnover. After being thrown into the starters roll due to Eric Devendorf's injury (scheduled to have surgery on Monday), the Philadelphia guard has shown he's ready for the Big East. Anyone can see the confidence he has gained over the past few games, and he does not seemed phased playing under the bright lights. With Scoop playing along with Jonny Flynn, the Orange are in good hands even with a young back court. The two combined to score 26 points, recorded 14 assists, grabbed 9 rebounds, and only turned the ball over four times. Flynn has already shown he can be counted on, but the addition of Jardine is like having two point guards on the floor at the same time. Their ability to penetrate puts the defense on its heels and creates a number of chances for others.

One Orange man benefiting from this is Paul Harris. In the last three games, Harris has looked more like the player he was last year. By that, I mean he is being aggressive and taking it strong to the hoop. In the beginning of the year Harris seemed a bit lost and played out of control. He just didn't look comfortable at all and forced the jump shot too many times. Now I think we are all starting to see the real Paul Harris. "Do-it-all-Paul" scored 20 points and pulled down 13 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season. Harris will always be able to get points by driving in the lane, drawing the foul, and also off of tip-ins and rebound put-backs. But he is starting to hit that mid-range jumper consistently. He had a couple against South Florida, including one where he did a little shake-and-bake against Gransberry and drained the shot over the defenders outstretched arm. Going into the bulk of the Big East schedule, Harris must continue to be aggressive, especially on the boards. His effort on the glass was contagious as the Orange out rebounded USF 53 to 36, including 21 offensive rebounds which led to 25 second chance points for the Orange.

Onuaku brought in 12 of those caroms and recorded his second straight double-double as he put in 16 points. For much of the second half, the Bulls abandoned the post and did not give the ball to Gransberry who finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds. I think Onuaku clearly out-played Gransberry and should be considered the second best center behind only Georgetown's Roy Hibbert. There are not many people that are going to be able to hold down A.O. this year.

Someone that has yet to be stopped is Donte' Green as he finished with a team-high 21 points and was one rebound away from a double-double. At times it may seem that Green disappears, but that is due to his scoring barrages. When he gets a basket, he looks to get another one on the next possession. When he shoots, it doesn't look like he is using much effort because his shooting stroke is so smooth. There are a couple things though that I would like to see more of. Obviously Green needs to play better defensively. I agree with Boeheim that it takes time for young players to learn how to play defense because in high school, they just focus on playing offense. But I think there is no question that if Green applies himself to playing defense, he can be outstanding. On the offensive end, I would certainly like to see Donte' drive the basketball more and post up. But he may have trouble because Big East players will have a strength advantage over him. Once Green is able to build up his upper body, watch out.

Once again, the Syracuse offense puts on a show as it shoots fifty percent from the field for the eighth time this season. Also, all five Orange starters posted double figure scoring marks for the sixth time, three of them reaching that feat in the first half. Syracuse (12-3 overall, 2-0 Big East) takes on the Cincinnati Bearcats (6-8, 1-1) on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. It is the first road game for the Orange since it defeated Virginia on December 5.

Orange Opens Big East Play With 76-70 Win Over St. John's

Heading into the Big East Conference opener, head coach Jim Boeheim said the Orange were much tougher than many of his other 31 ball clubs that he has coached in his tenure at SU. Wednesday night's victory over St. John's proved that assertion as the Orange out-muscled the Red Storm on the inside in the form of a 258 pound beast.

That beast was Arinze Onuaku who converted 11 of his 15 field goals for a career-high 23 points and added 13 rebounds for his fourth career double-double. Onuaku's 23 points are the most by an SU center since Etan Thomas recorded that same total against Florida Atlantic on November 22, 1999. The redshirt sophomore is second in the Big East in shooting percentage, converting field goals at a 67.6 percent success rate.

In the first half though, Donte Green carried the offensive load for the young Orange. Green dropped in 17 first-half points, including three 3-pointers in a run that enabled Syracuse to jump all over St. John's by a score of 19-6 in the early stage of the game. About mid-way through the first half, Syracuse extended its lead to as much as 14 points, but a three minute scoring drought allowed St. John's to pull to within a deuce, 30-28. But a three from the electric point guard Jonny Flynn gave the Orange a seven point advantage heading into the break.

The Orange would find itself in a battle for much of the second half due to foul trouble. At the 16:24 mark, Green picked up his fourth personal foul and found himself sitting on the bench for over nine minutes. Once again, the Red Storm took advantage, closing the gap to a basket (50-48) with twelve minutes remaining. From that point in the game, Onuaku muscled his way in the paint, using both hands to score 10 of his 17 second-half points. In a continuing pattern this season, the Orange outscored their opponent in the paint, SU ending up with a 34-26 advantage over St. John's.

I thought Arinze played an excellent ball game and would like to see the Orange give him the ball more. At times Onuaku was tentative, looking to give the ball up instead of taking his man one-on-one. With his size and strength, Onuaku is difficult to handle down low for many teams and is a legitimate scoring threat on the block. SU hasn't had anyone at the center position with the offensive skills of Onuaku since Otis Hill graduated in 1997. Onuaku can use both hands which makes him that much tougher to guard. The only problem of course is his free throw shooting, as he was 1-of-4 from the line tonight. But Syracuse struggled as a team from the charity stripe, shooting 54.8 percent (17-of-31) which was one reason why the Red Storm were able to hang around in the second half. Another concern was the lack of rebounding for the Orange, as they were beaten on the glass by St. John's 42 to 36. If Syracuse wants to compete with the big boys like Georgetown, Connecticut, and Pittsburgh, the Orange must rebound the basketball better.

But when you have players like Donte Green, you can get away with a few things. Before leaving the game with foul trouble, the leading scorer for the Orange looked smooth hitting turn around jumpers and connecting from long range to spark the offense. The highlight of the game came late in the second session as Green tried to take the rim off with a two-handed flush off a lob pass from Antonio "Scoop" Jardine. The dunk pushed the Orange lead to 11 with just over three minutes remaining. Green finished with 22 points on the night while fellow freshman Jonny Flynn added 14 despite a poor shooting performance (3-for-10) and added seven assists. After being named Big East Player of the Week for his 19 point, 15 rebound performance against Northeastern, Paul Harris added eight points to go along with seven assists, matching his career-high.

The game was the 2,500th contest played by the Orange basketball team. Even though there were only 17,487 people there to watch, they made ten times as much noise than the 20,000+ crowd that was at the Northeastern game. Hats off to the fans for raising some hell and the people in section 311 (311 Heaven) deserve a lot of the credit as they started a number of chants throughout the night. Syracuse improves to 11-3 on the year and takes on the South Florida Bulls (9-4) this Saturday at noon in the Carrier Dome.

The Year 2007: An Orange Fan's Nightmare

As the year 2007 comes to a close, many Syracuse Orange fans can now look forward to the men's basketball team as they head into Big East Conference play. The talent of the freshman class has made it worth every penny spent at the Carrier Dome thus far. Hey, don't look now, but as I wrote before, the Orange women's basketball team is now on a ten game win streak as they defeated Siena in their last contest. The women are now 11-1 and are garnering some recognition in the national polls. Lacrosse is only two months away and both the men's and women's teams are ranked nationally. And in the last few weeks, Greg Robinson has put a little buzz back into the football program by snagging highly ranked recruits. But what Syracuse fan could forget the awful year their beloved Orange suffered, no matter what the sport?

As Orange fans, we have been spoiled with the success of the men's lacrosse program. Nine national titles, 22 straight Final Four appearances, and at least an annual appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Well, that last one went by the wayside this past season as the Orange missed out on the tournament for the first time since 1982. Worse than that, it was the first losing season for Syracuse since 1975. There are Orange fans out there, including myself, who had never seen either of these two things occur in our lives. It was quite a shock seeing the Orange struggle, especially when Cornell and Albany played so well. Ranked number 2 heading into the season, the Orange were expected to do great things. But that second game against Army was a sign of things to come. Syracuse struggled to control the ball, turning it over far too many times. The offense was not very fluid and took a while to develop over the season. The major weakness on the team was the defense, a unit which ranked 48th out of 57 teams. Adding to the problems on the field were the arrests of Patrick Perritt and John Carrozza. Overall, the team lacked a passion to play lacrosse and the famed number 22 should be put aside for now as the current holder does not live up to its standard of excellence. The streak had to end some time, but the way in which it ended rubbed me the wrong way. Heading into his tenth season as head coach, John Desko must shake things up to get the Orange back where it belongs in the lacrosse world.

Going over the struggles of the football program has pained me, as it has with many other Orange supporters. Head Coach Greg Robinson entered the 2007 year promising a much improved team, including the offensive line which surrendered 45 sacks the previous season. Andrew Robinson, although starting for the first time in his career, was GRob's quarterback for the west coast offense. The Orange defensive line was supposedly going to be the strength of the defense as senior Jameel McClain returned after posting 9.5 sacks (18th best in the nation) last year and garnered All-Big East second team honors. The anticipation mounted as the first game was to be televised to a national audience on ESPN. And then it all came crashing down in the Carrier Dome the very night of the opener. Washington exposed the Orange offensive line, recording seven sacks and scoring 42 points on a porous and slow Syracuse defense. The Orange followed that up by getting shut out by the Iowa Hawkeyes 35-0. In that game, Syracuse could not muster up a single first down in the opening half of play. These first couple of games were only a preview of what was to come later in the season. In a match up against rival West Virginia, the Orange had no hope as they allowed the most points by an opponent in the 28-year existence of the Carrier Dome.

The one miracle that took place during the year was the win at Louisville. It was only the second win over a Big East foe under Robinson and the win ended the Cardinals 20-game home win streak. In a break out offensive performance, Andrew Robinson threw for a career-high 423 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-35 shocker over the then 18th ranked Cardinals. But that is about as much excitement we had this season. The few bright spots on the team were the wide receiver tandem of Mike Williams and Taj Smith. Especially Williams, a sophomore who led the Orange in catches (60), yards (837), and touchdowns (10), earning him All-Big East second team honors. Those ten touchdowns included a streak of one TD reception in nine consecutive games, breaking the old mark held by SU great and future hall of famer Marvin Harrison. Freshman Max Suter shined on kickoff return duties as he broke the NCAA record with 1,299 return yards. Suter earned All-Big East first team recognition as a special teams standout.

But of course, this record was broken due to the number of points the Orange gave up. Syracuse was outscored by a total of 221 points (418 to 197). After saying the offensive line would be improved, the Orange gave up 54 sacks. The Carrier Dome crowds hit an all-time low as fans called for Robinson's firing. Daryl Gross decided to retain Robinson for another season, even though GRob has accumulated a 7-28 record with only two Big East wins in three seasons and guiding the program to its only two ten-loss seasons in the school's history. I watched every second of every game at the Carrier Dome and it was nothing less than depressing. It did not help that running back Delone Carter missed the entire season due to a dislocated hip and four-star recruit Jermaine Pierce was told he could never suit up for the Orange. Here's hoping the recent success in recruiting shows up on the field as well.

Prior to that disaster, Orange fans experience the shock of a life time when Syracuse was left out of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2001-2002 season. I, like many others, kept watching the field of 65 being unveiled on Selection Sunday, waiting to see who the Orange would play. But Syracuse was never announced and I sat there looking at the television screen with my jaw hanging. No words could describe the disbelief I had at that point in time. How could the Orange be left out of the tournament? Syracuse ended the year winning seven of their last ten games, eclipsed the twenty win mark with an overall record of 24-11, including a mark of 10-6 in a very difficult Big East Conference. In the statement game of the year, senior night at the Carrier Dome, the Orange took the bite out of the hated Georgetown Hoyas. Coming into that game, the Hoyas were on an 11-game win streak, and had come out victorious in 18 of their previous 20 contests. But the Orange came out and took it to their hated rivals, leading by as many as twenty points at one point. With that win, every Syracuse fan thought the Orange had earned itself another tournament bid.

Oh, but the NCAA Selection Committee had differing thoughts. Gary Walters, chairman of the selection committee, did not answer the question of why the Orange were passed over by such teams as Villanova. The Wildcats finished behind the Orange in the Big East, but were selected based on their better ranking in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). Is it not ludicrous to put a team in that finished behind the Orange in the same conference and split the two games played between each other? Head Coach Jim Boeheim was almost speechless at a press conference following the news that the Orange had not been invited to the big dance. The Orange seniors that had believed they played their final home game against Georgetown, had to return to the Dome to play in the NIT. Even worse, the Orange were not even a number one seed in that tournament because the selection committee for the NIT did not anticipate the Orange being left out of the NCAA Tournament.

As Orange fans, we were dejected. I couldn't bring myself to fill out my NCAA bracket for a pool until the day before the tourney began. There was that empty feeling in everyone, as feelings of shock turned into outrage. Fans voiced their opinions to one Gary Walters, whose e-mail box was so full he had to change his address. T-shirts were made that said the Orange got screwed, a picture of a big screw on the front. But then the Syracuse faithful decided to do something. No one could change the fact that the Syracuse basketball team was left out of the dance, but we could still cheer our team on. In the great testament to the Orange faithful, Syracuse fans showed why they are the best in the country. An NIT record crowd of 26,572 filled the Carrier Dome to cheer on their Orange. It was a great sight to see, the Orange faithful making the best of the situation. Hopefully we will be rewarded with a much better year in 2008.

Have a Happy New Year everyone. As always, GO ORANGE!

Orange Tame Huskies in 95-74 Victory

After a three game hiatus from the Carrier Dome, yours truly returned to the Loud House with a few friends from high school (shout out to my loyal readers Eric and Jeff). The Orange couldn't have ended the year any better, as they cruised to a twenty-one point win, their tenth of the year, over the Northeastern Huskies.

But the game was a contest for the first twenty minutes. The Huskies trailed by only two at the half as they shot 50 percent from three-point range (5-of-10) and 53.6 percent (15-of-28) from the field overall. Leading the way for the Huskies was Matt Janning who scored 15 points in the first half. Northeastern's triangle and two defense confused and slowed the Orange's leading scorer. Freshman star Donte Green was held to one three-pointer and only attempted two shots from the field. Thankfully for the Orange, Paul Harris picked up his offensive game.

Harris attacked the paint with drives to the basket, making contact and forcing the officials to blow the whistle. "Do-it-all-Paul" dropped in 12 points in the first twenty minutes of play, half of them coming from the charity stripe. In the second half, Harris continued to show great effort as he corralled 15 rebounds for the game, matching a career-high. For the game, Harris had 19 points, nine of them coming from the free throw line, which is where he should be a lot this year. In this game he played under control and did not take many jump shots. Instead, he attacked the rim and went to the free throw line. That is the Paul Harris we need to see. Last year he just took it to the paint and put it on the officials to make a decision. I know he wants to show everyone that he has a jump shot, but when we get into the Big East, were gonna need to have someone take it strong the hoop. That is what Harris does well. Harris' season-high 19 points and 15 rebounds give him the 14th double-double of his career. He also added seven assists, including a few sweet behind the back passes.

Some of Harris' energy rubbed off on to freshman guard Antonio "Scoop" Jardine. In only the third start of his career, Jardine put up a career best 18 points and dished out four assists. Jardine matched his previous career-high of eight points (against East Tennessee State University) in the first half. He knocked down 7 of his ll shots and added four free throws amid cheers of "Scoooooop!" from the Syracuse faithful. While Jardine can't fill injured Eric Devendorf's shoes, he certainly can do many good things. Scoop is great at getting into the lane and drawing defenders with him. While his jump shot is anything but pretty, he has a variety of runners and floaters that he can put on the rim. Jardine just finds a way to get the job done and that is all we can ask for from such a young player still learning on the job. Head Coach Jim Boeheim was also pleased with the freshman's defense as Jardine was matched up with Northeastern's Janning as the Orange switched to man-to-man defense. Janning connected on only 2-of-7 field goal attempts in the second half and finished with 26 points. Many of his teammates followed suit, as the Huskies shot a miserable 27 percent from the floor in the second half.

With the performances of Harris and Jardine, the Orange used a 25-11 second half run to stretch their lead to 16 points, which they held for much of the half, extending all the way to 22 at one point. Donte Green recovered from a sluggish start to score 17 points, including 4-of-6 shooting from beyond on the arc. Syracuse had six players in double figures, including a career-high ten points from Kristof Ongenaet off the bench. It is the third time the Orange have accomplished that feat this season. The Orange outscored the Huskies 51 to 32 in the second half, and Syracuse dominated the inside with a commanding 54-28 advantage with points in the paint. The Orange continues to display their offensive talent by topping the 90 point mark for the 5th time this season. The last Syracuse squad to do that was the 2003-2004 team, which included the likes of Gerry McNamara and Hakim Warrick. The win is also significant as Jim Boeheim moves into 11th place on the all-time Division I wins list with 760.

The Orange, now 10-3, enters the year 2008 on a four game winning streak. But now they must face the rough and tumble Big East. Now the bumps and bruises come over an extended eighteen game conference slate that begins Wednesday night against the Red Storm of St. John's. I'll be there for the Big East opener and look forward to yelling "Scoooooop!" many more times.

Orange Slices

Every now and then I'll post about happenings on The Hill under the title Orange Slices. Basically the post will talk about a number of stories involving SU Athletics. So, without further ado:

Greg Robinson adds another recruit to an already impressive class of 2008. Mikhail Marinovich of Milford Academy will play for the Orange. Marinovich, 6-foot-6, 22o pounds, has talked to the Syracuse coaching staff about playing a number of positions such as tight end, defensive end, outside linebacker and safety. Marinovich was lightly recruited out of high school, but after recording 15 sacks and displaying his 4.52 speed in prep school, he turned down offers from Miami, Pittsburgh, and North Carolina State to join the Orange. Robinson has shown why he is getting another shot to turn this program around. According to Scout.com, it's the first time Syracuse has received a commitment from the top New York state prospect since Scout.com's recruiting data base was created in 1998 (thanks to Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician).

Syracuse University Director of Athletics Dr. Daryl Gross is being sought after by two schools to fill vacancies in their athletic departments. The University of Miami is considering Gross for the AD position, but it seems Gross wants to stay at Syracuse. He said he has much left to do in an e-mail he wrote to Post-Standard football beat writer Donnie Webb. In his blog, Webb also reports that the University of Oregon contacted Gross about their AD position. Gross said he has no interest, but he does have ties to the west coast as he was an assistant athletics director for the University of Southern California.On the hardwood, the Syracuse women are making some noise. In his second season as head coach, Quentin Hillsman has guided his squad to a 10-1 record, their only loss on the road to the sixth ranked Tar Heels of North Carolina. In the latest contest against Saint Peter's, the Orange women out muscled their opponent, grabbing an astonishing 68 rebounds, one shy of the school's all-time mark. Leading the way was senior forward Fantasia Goodwin, who collected an SU record 25 rebounds and added 17 points for her third consecutive double-double. Remember that last year, Goodwin was the one who played while she was pregnant. The win gives the women nine straight, a feat only accomplished one other time in school history. Because of their recent success, the Orange women have received seven votes in the most recent Associated Press poll while the Syracuse men's basketball team garnered a total of zero votes. The last time the women made the NCAA Tournament was in the 2001-2002 season. Ironically, the men's team missed out on the tournament that season and had to settle for an NIT bid.

While there may be snow on the ground, in a couple months lacrosse will return to the Carrier Dome. The men's team is ranked number nine by Lacrosse Magazine. They are also ranked the 11th best in the nation by Inside Lacrosse. The Orange returns eight starters from last year's squad, including three preseason all-Americans in Mike Leveille, Dan Hardy, and Steven Brooks. Head Coach John Desko looks to avenge last season's campaign in which the Orange missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1982 and suffered its first losing season since 1975. While the men came off one of its worst seasons, the women's program had its best. The Orange women tallied a school best 13 wins last season, won the inaugural Big East Tournament, and recorded its first NCAA Tournament win against Vanderbilt last season. Lacrosse legend Gary Gait looks to build on that success in his first season at the helm. The women are ranked fifth in Lacrosse Magazine's preseason top 20.

SU defeats Cornell 80-64

The Orange improves its record to 9-3 despite a lack luster second half. Syracuse jumped out of the gate quickly, led by freshman point guard Jonny Flynn's 15 first half points. This was one of Flynn's best games as he found the right balance between running the offense and dishing to others or when to find his own shot. A number of games this year, Jonny has had open looks from beyond the arc, but is so unselfish that he will drive into the lane and give the rock to his teammates. With Eric Devendorf out, Flynn needs to look for his offense a little bit more because he can be a scorer. I think he did a good job of that tonight and was still able to dish out 5 dimes.

Syracuse went into the locker room leading 49-30 and began thinking about holiday break a little too early. The second half was hard to watch as the Orange made only one field goal in the opening five minutes. The Orange missed a number of easy layups, but Cornell was just as cold from the field. Jonny Flynn was not as dominate as he was in the first half, but center Arinze Onuaku picked up the slack. Onuaku scored 11 points in the second half, finishing with a total of 18 on 8-for-10 shooting. The sophomore center has now converted 30 of his last 33 shots (90.9%) and has a shooting percentage of 69.1% for the year. If he continues to shoot like this, Onuaku could break a 28-year-old record which is held by SU great Roosevelt Bouie (65.4%). His latest performance also increased his scoring average to 13.8 points per game. That is the highest for an SU center since Otis Hill averaged 15.7 ppg during the 1996-97 season.

The only starter that played last season, Paul Harris, continues to struggle in the search for his shooting stroke. Head Coach Jim Boeheim pulled Harris out of the game a number of times to talk to his young player. This allowed junior college transfer Kristof Ongenaet to get some much needed playing time. Ongenaet took full advantage, diving on the floor for loose balls, blocking shots, and just flat out hustling on every play which many of his Orange teammates did not do last night. With Ongenaet's help on defense, the Orange held Cornell to 10-of-26 shooting from three point range. The Big Red came in as the 5th best 3-point shooting team, but made only 6 of their first 22 attempts before knocking down four consecutive treys to lessen the deficit. The Belgian's hard work earned him career highs in points (9) and rebounds (10) as he logged 22 minutes off the bench for the third consecutive game.

Perhaps the Orange struggled on offense due to Donte Green's lack of focus. The star freshman admitted he was thinking about his grandmother's cooking in Baltimore and just wanted to finish the game and go home. Green was an unspectacular 4-of-16 from the field, but did record his third career double-double, bringing down 10 rebounds. Green also had four assists, one of them a lob to the shorter Flynn who slammed it down for the highlight play of the game. Flynn finished with a game high 21 points on 9-for-14 shooting.

This game against Cornell told us about as much as the win over Colgate did, which is very little. The one positive was the play of juco transfer Kristof Ongenaet. This guy clearly is the scrapper on this team. He is willing to dive on the floor to keep plays alive. Now the Orange takes a few days off for holiday break before taking on Northeastern on Saturday, December 30 at 1 p.m. This is the final non-conference opponent for the Orange before Big East Conference play kicks-off on January 2 against St. Johns. I'll be at that game, wondering how the Orange will react to the challenge of facing a rugged Big East opponent. Until then, happy holidays to all and GO ORANGE!

Sales and Collier Commit to Orange

Just as I finished writing yesterday about the teammates from Harrisburg, PA committing to the Orange next season, another recruit decided to join the party. Marcus Sales (6-foot-2, 185 pounds), a wide receiver from Christian Brothers Academy, announced he was staying in New York to play for Syracuse. Sales led all receivers in Section III Class AA in receptions (43) and yards (639). He is rated the 27th best wideout by Scout.com and the 42nd by Rivals.com. Sales is considered to be the second best prospect in New York State.

The number one NY prospect, Averin Collier (below), has reportedly committed to the Orange as well. An official announcement will be made at a press conference later today, but according to Collier's high school coach Paul Dick, the running back will enroll in classes when the second semester begins in January. Not only is Collier the top prospect in New York, he is one of the most highly rated tailbacks in the nation. He is ranked as high as 10th by Scout and 25th by Rivals. Robinson has apparently told Averin's head coach a number of times that Collier is the biggest recruit ever landed by Syracuse under his watch.

This is a major win for Robinson, keeping the top talent from New York State. Along with Collier and Sales, Robinson has received an oral commitment from DeAndre Prester "who is definitely the best player in the Utica area," according to CBA head coach Joe Casamento. Other local talent snagged by Robinson include offensive linemen Ian Allport (Pulaski) and Nick Lepak (Auburn), tight end Chandler Jones (Endicott), and defensive end Matt Jones (Rochester).

Recruiting can be a crap shoot though, see Lobdell, Lavar. Lobdell was a four star recruit out of CBA who could have gone to Southern California. But in his time at Syracuse, he has done very little. In two years Lobdell has caught 13 passes for a total of 154 yards. But just look at the schools that some of Robinson's recruits just turned down for SU. Collier had offers from 19 schools including the likes of Alabama, Boston College, Clemson, Connecicut, Rutgers, and Virginia. Sales chose the Orange over Pittsburgh and North Carolina where former CBA quarterback Mike Paulus is a redshirt freshman. Tyrell Harris (cornerback, Pennsylvania) was being recruited by powerhouses Tennessee, Michigan, and Penn State. His teammate Mike Jones (tailback) had 40 schools to choose from, including Big East rivals West Virginia and Pittsburgh.

It is amazing to see how well GRob can recruit even after going 2-10 last season and with his job clearly riding on the 2008 season. He has three, 4-star freshmen coming to suit up for the Orange. Imagine the kind of players we could get if we won a few games.