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.