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.