syracuse basketball

What a difference a year makes. Carmelo Anthony played for one season at Syracuse University. In that 2002-03 season, Melo averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds, leading head coach Jim Boeheim's team to their third National Championship. Melo left a few months later in the NBA draft as the 3rd overall pick of the Denver Nuggets. However, Anthony will always be on the Mount Rushmore of Syracuse basketball. Now his son may continue that Orange legacy.

In the course of coaching a premier college basketball program for nearly five decades, it would be easy to assume that one would get pretty good at assessing their team's chances from one year to the next. On Wednesday at the ACC Men's Basketball Media Day, Boeheim told several reporters that this year's squad of Orange will go to the Big Dance in March. After suffering his first losing season since taking up the profession at Syracuse, the 77 year-old coach is ready to get his team back to playing tournament basketball.

It was a long road just to choose a destination for Dior Johnson and his on-court talents. ESPN ranked him amongst the best 40 freshman college basketball players in the nation coming into the season. Four high schools and three college commitments may have been a troublesome sign for some programs. However, University of Pittsburgh head coach Jeff Capel was confident that his team was a good fit for Johnson. Now, that all could be in jeopardy for the one-time Syracuse University commit.

Being a coach's son or daughter, it has its advantages and disadvantages. When you are a coaching legend's child expectations can often be, well, legendary. Syracuse hoops fans had some of those projections satisfied on Tuesday, when their head coach, Jim Boeheim's sons took the court in the NBA Summer League for the Detroit Pistons.

Star senior Buddy Boeheim punched FSU player Wyatt Wilkes after attempting to get a rebound early in the first half. Buddy received a one game suspension.

Jim Boeheim and his Syracuse Orange have struggled out of the gate this year. Losses to Colgate, VCU and Georgetown certainly have not been highlights on their road to a 5-5 record to start the season. A legitimate COVID outbreak has forced the program to be put 'on pause' since December 11th. With their 2nd game of ACC schedule just ahead, the Orange were in danger of possibly forfeiting conference games. Syracuse defeated Florida State 63-60 in Tallahassee on December 4th in there only ACC match-up so far.

However, when winning and/or ego become a priority in college athletics above student-athlete welfare, there is a serious problem. Chantel Jennings and Dana O’Neil wrote an article in yesterday’s Athletic titled, “Why the mass exodus from Syracuse women’s basketball? ‘Ego, manipulation...fear tactics.” Their investigation revealed disturbing details about the Syracuse Women’s Basketball program based on interviews with 9 former players and 19 others, including former team managers and staff members.

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