Saturday, October 25, 2025

Syracuse Basketball - Influx of International Players (Update)

 The Syracuse Orange have five players born internationally on this year's squad, making it twenty consecutive seasons since 2007 that the team has had at least one international player on the roster.  In 126 years of Syracuse basketball, there has been an international player on 59 of the teams.  

I last wrote about the influx of international players back in October 2018, with a squad that was going to have a school record six international players: Antonio Balandi (Chad), Oshae Brissett (Canada), Paschal Chukwu (Nigeria), Marek Dolezaj (Slovakia), Ky Feldman (Israel), and Bourama Sidibe (Mali). 

That record was broken only two years later when the Orange had seven international players: John Bol Ajak (Sudan), Dolezaj, Jesse Edwards (Netherlands), Shane Feldman (Israel), Quincy Guerrier (Canada), Frank Anselem (Nigeria), and Sidibe.

The record for most combined minutes for international players at Syracuse is actually 2017-2018 when Chukwu, Brissett, Dolezaj, Feldman, and Sidibe combined for 3,825 minutes.  It is also the season with most starts by international players with 91.

Here's the top five squads with the most international player minutes:

  1. 2017-2018: 3,825 minutes - Chukwu, Brissett, Dolezaj, Feldman, Sidibe
  2. 2018-2019: 2,835 minutes - Balandi, Brissett, Chukwu, Dolezaj, Feldman, Sidibe
  3. 2011-2012: 2,386 minutes - Kris Joseph, Baye Keita, Fab Melo
  4. 2020-2021: 2,154 minutes - Ajak, Dolezaj, Edwards, S.Feldman, Guerrier, Anselem, Sidibe
  5. 2010-2011: 1,939 minutes - Joseph, Keita, Melo
The 2025-2026 squad has a good chance to crack the top five with Donnie Freeman (Bahamas), Naithan George (Canada), Luke Fennell (Australia), Tiefing Diawara (Mali), and Ibrahim Souare (Guinea).  Freeman and George are predicted to start, and the others should get playing time.  I'll predict they'll fall into the #2 position.

The first Syracuse team with two international starters was 1917-1918 with John Barsha (Russia) and Joe Schwarzer (Austro-Hungary).  That team went 16-1 and earned recognition with the Helms Foundation National Championship.

The first international player of note in the modern era was Leo Rautins (Canada) from 1981-1983. The 1984-1985 team was the first with three international players:  Joel Katz (Puerto Rico), George Papadakos (Canada), Rony Seikaly (Lebanon & Greece).

Sunday, October 19, 2025

OrangeHoops Hall of Fame 2025

In 2007, OrangeHoops inducted its charter class into the OrangeHoops Hall of Fame: Dave Bing, Derrick Coleman, Sherman Douglas, Vic Hanson, and Pearl Washington. The next several years saw the addition of Billy Owens (2008), Billy Gabor (2009), Lawrence Moten (2010), Louis Orr (2011), Roosevelt Bouie (2011)  John Wallace (2012),  Rony Seikaly (2013), Vinnie Cohen (2014), Etan Thomas (2015), Joe Schwarzer (2016), Lew Andreas (2017), Carmelo Anthony (2018), Stephen Thompson (2019), Hakim Warrick (2020), Gerry McNamara (2021), Rudy Hackett (2022). Rafael Addison (2023), and Jonny Flynn (2024) .  So the list now stands at 23. Another year has passed, and now it is time for the 2025 inductee.

I established my rules for the OrangeHoops Hall of Fame back in 2007 and you can catch up on them here. 2024 does have two  new eligible candidates (using the fifteen year rule):  Wesley Johnson and Arinze Onuaku.

Wesley Johnson was an explosive leaper with a terrific perimeter shot.  He played only one season at Syracuse after transferring from Iowa State, but his presence had a terrific impact on the team.  He scored 16.5 ppg, with 8.5 rebounds and made 41.5% of his threes, guiding the Orange to a 30-5 record.  Johnson was named Big East Player of the Year, and AP All American.

Arinze Onuaku was a strong solid center with an exceptional ability to score down low, making nearly 65% of his field goal attempts, an SU record. Defensively he was outstanding at keeping opponents out of the lane.  He was also the worst free throw shooter in Syracuse history at 39.5%.

Johnson would crack my list of top 10 candidates.

I think this year’s viable top 10 candidates come down to the following, listed chronologically: Lew Castle, Dennis DuVal, Jimmy Lee, Danny Schayes, Leo Rautins, Dave Johnson, Jason Hart, Preston Shumpert, Eric Devendorf, and Jonny Flynn.

Castle was a two time All-American at Syracuse, and was captain and leading scorer of Syracuse’s only undefeated team, the 1913-1914 squad that went 12-0.

Eric Devendorf was a fiery trash talking guard who could aggressively take the ball to the hoop or pull up for a three pointer. Devo was a four year starter who ended up with 1,680 career points.

DuVal was a flashy point guard for Syracuse in the early 70s.  When he graduated from Syracuse he was only second to Dave Bing in career points scored.  He was a three year started and averaged 18.6 ppg.  DuVal was a third team All-American his senior year

Lee was a clutch shooter with terrific perimeter range, and outstanding free throw shooting ability. He was able to use his shooting ability to set himself up as a solid passer. Lee's 18 foot jumper with five seconds remaining led the Orangemen to beat heavily favored North Carolina, as the Orangemen eventually moved on to their first NCAA Final Four. Lee would end up making the All-Tournament team for his outstanding performances.

Schayes was a skilled center with a good shooting touch, and solid overall basketball skills. He unfortunately sat behind the legendary Roosevelt Bouie his first three seasons, but he led the Orange his senior year in scoring and rebounding, earning an All Big East First Team selection.  

Rautins was a terrific ball-handling forward with a nice shooting touch, solid rebounding and scoring skills. He is most well-known for his game winning tip in basket to win the Big East Championship in triple overtime against Villanova in 1981.  Rautins also recorded two triple-doubles in Big East action.

Johnson was a 6'5" swingman during the heights of Syracuse's program.  He was a defensive replacement his freshman and sophomore year, and would development into one of the Orange's primary offensive threats his junior and senior year. Johnson would earn All Big East First Team his senior year.

Hart was a speedy defensive point guard, and a four year starter.  He was a decent ball handler, and finished his career as the number two assist man all time at Syracuse. He was much better on the defensive end, and would finish as SU's all-time leader in steals.  Hart would have a 9 year career in the NBA, mostly as a backup guard.

Shumpert was one of the best three point shooters in Syracuse history, with terrific range.  He was a streaky shooter and carried the Orangemen to many victories, seven times in his career scoring 30+ points in a game.  He would be named to the Big East First Team both his junior and senior seasons, averaging 20.7 points per game his senior year.  He was not a strong defensive player, and there were questions about his temperament, particularly related to issues with DeShaun Williams.  Shumpert is currently the 8th all time leading scorer at SU.

All are worthy players, and tough selections to make.  I designed my selection rules to make it tough; the Hall of Fame should be the 'best of the best', and I would rather have a line of worthy players outside the Hall of Fame, than cheapen it by having lessor players included.

Ten very good candidates.  The 2025 inductee is Wesley Johnson.

The 2009-2010 Orangemen were an outstanding team and Johnson  was a key component.  Explosive to the hoop with a terrific perimeter shot, he was difficult to guard and highly productive for the Orange.  He led the team in scoring and rebounding, and made 41.5% of his threes.  The Orange had their 'Shut it down' defense, and Johnson was very adept at providing weak side defensive help.

He would score 31 points against Gonzaga in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament.

Johnson was name the Big East Player of the Year, All Big East First Team, and AP All America First Team.  He was the 4th overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft, and would have 9 solid seasons in the NBA.  He would score 4,235 points averaging 7.0 a game.







Friday, November 29, 2024

OrangeHoops Hall of Fame 2024

In 2007, OrangeHoops inducted its charter class into the OrangeHoops Hall of Fame: Dave Bing, Derrick Coleman, Sherman Douglas, Vic Hanson, and Pearl Washington. The next several years saw the addition of Billy Owens (2008), Billy Gabor (2009), Lawrence Moten (2010), Louis Orr (2011), Roosevelt Bouie (2011)  John Wallace (2012),  Rony Seikaly (2013), Vinnie Cohen (2014), Etan Thomas (2015), Joe Schwarzer (2016), Lew Andreas (2017), Carmelo Anthony (2018), Stephen Thompson (2019), Hakim Warrick (2020), Gerry McNamara (2021), and Rudy Hackett (2022).  So the list now stands at 22. Another year has passed, and now it is time for the 2024 inductee.

I established my rules for the OrangeHoops Hall of Fame back in 2007 and you can catch up on them here. 2024 does have eight new eligible candidates (using the fifteen year rule):  Eric Devendorf, Kevin Drew, Jonny Flynn, Paul Harris, Kristof Ongenaet, Jake Presutti, Justin Thomas, and Sean  Williams.

Eric Devendorf was a fiery trash talking guard who could aggressively take the ball to the hoop or pull up for a three pointer. Devo was a four year starter who ended up with 1,680 career points.

Kevin Drew was a walk on guard his freshman year; he never played in a game.  He was a star lacrosse player for four seasons earning Big East First Team honors his senior year.

Jonny Flynn was a speedy point guard who led the Orange offense for two seasons.  Flynn was a McDonalds High School All-American.  He would play in the NBA for three seasons.
 
Paul Harris was an explosive muscular forward who was terrific on the offensive boards.  He would play for the Orange for three seasons.

Kris Ongenaet was a defensive minded forward for the Orange for two seasons. He was a solid rebounder known for his hustling play, and was decent passing the ball.

Jake Presutti was a walk-on guard for four seasons.   He would play 30 games and score 11 points.

Justin Thomas was a walk-on guard for three seasons. He would play 23 games and score 12 points.  Thomas memorably played in the last overtime period of the six overtime win against UConn, as Syracuse had no scholarship players remaining due to fouls.

Sean Williams was a lanky 6'11" center who came to Syracuse as a "project". He played in 16 games in two seasons before transferring.


Flynn and Devendorf would both crack my list of top 10 candidates.

I think this year’s viable top 10 candidates come down to the following, listed chronologically: Lew Castle, Dennis DuVal, Jimmy Lee, Danny Schayes, Leo Rautins, Dave Johnson, Jason Hart, Preston Shumpert, Eric Devendorf, and Jonny Flynn.

Castle was a two time All-American at Syracuse, and was captain and leading scorer of Syracuse’s only undefeated team, the 1913-1914 squad that went 12-0.

DuVal was a flashy point guard for Syracuse in the early 70s.  When he graduated from Syracuse he was only second to Dave Bing in career points scored.  He was a three year started and averaged 18.6 ppg.  DuVal was a third team All-American his senior year

Lee was a clutch shooter with terrific perimeter range, and outstanding free throw shooting ability. He was able to use his shooting ability to set himself up as a solid passer. Lee's 18 foot jumper with five seconds remaining led the Orangemen to beat heavily favored North Carolina, as the Orangemen eventually moved on to their first NCAA Final Four. Lee would end up making the All-Tournament team for his outstanding performances.

Schayes was a skilled center with a good shooting touch, and solid overall basketball skills. He unfortunately sat behind the legendary Roosevelt Bouie his first three seasons, but he led the Orange his senior year in scoring and rebounding, earning an All Big East First Team selection.  

Rautins was a terrific ball-handling forward with a nice shooting touch, solid rebounding and scoring skills. He is most well-known for his game winning tip in basket to win the Big East Championship in triple overtime against Villanova in 1981.  Rautins also recorded two triple-doubles in Big East action.

Johnson was a 6'5" swingman during the heights of Syracuse's program.  He was a defensive replacement his freshman and sophomore year, and would development into one of the Orange's primary offensive threats his junior and senior year. Johnson would earn All Big East First Team his senior year.

Hart was a speedy defensive point guard, and a four year starter.  He was a decent ball handler, and finished his career as the number two assist man all time at Syracuse. He was much better on the defensive end, and would finish as SU's all-time leader in steals.  Hart would have a 9 year career in the NBA, mostly as a backup guard.

Shumpert was one of the best three point shooters in Syracuse history, with terrific range.  He was a streaky shooter and carried the Orangemen to many victories, seven times in his career scoring 30+ points in a game.  He would be named to the Big East First Team both his junior and senior seasons, averaging 20.7 points per game his senior year.  He was not a strong defensive player, and there were questions about his temperament, particularly related to issues with DeShaun Williams.  Shumpert is currently the 8th all time leading scorer at SU.

All are worthy players, and tough selections to make.  I designed my selection rules to make it tough; the Hall of Fame should be the 'best of the best', and I would rather have a line of worthy players outside the Hall of Fame, than cheapen it by having lessor players included.

Ten very good candidates, and a couple of those players are among my all-time personal favorites.  The 2024 inductee is Jonny Flynn.

Flynn was a speedy guard with a great ability to drive to the basket as well as pull up for a three pointer.  He was a terrific passer and came to Syracuse heralded as a McDonald's All American.

Flynn would win the Big East Rookie of the Year his freshman season, and earned Big East 2nd Team honors his sophomore year.

He would score a career high 35 points in a loss to Providence.  Flynn was pivotal in the memorable six overtime win against UConn with a game high 34 points.  He played 67 of the game's 70 minutes, shot 16-16 from the free throw line, had 11 assists and 6 steals.

Flynn would finish his Syracuse career with 1,211 points on 16.6 ppg, along with 439 assists at 6.0 apg.  

Flynn was the #6 overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves.  He averaged 13.5 ppg his rookie season before injuries sidelined him. He would play 3 seasons in the NBA before playing internationally in Australia and Italy.






Sunday, November 24, 2024

Father & Sons

Syracuse men’s basketball had big news when Kiyan Anthony announced his commitment to the Orange. There have been ten father/son duos in Syracuse basketball history, and Kiyan and his father Carmelo will take that list to eleven.

Alphabetically, here is the list:

Red & Adrian Autry Jr

Red was the starting point guard for the Orangemen for four seasons, with 1538 career points (12.7 ppg) and 631 assists.  He was All Big East First Team his senior year.  His son Adrian Jr was a walk-on for four seasons with 10 points and 1 assist.

Ribs & Reeves Baysinger Jr

Ribs was a football star who also played basketball as a guard his sophomore year. He started six games and scored 6 points.  His son Reaves Jr was also an excellent football player who was a reserve on the basketball team for 2 games his sophomore year, failing to score.

Jim & Buddy Boeheim

Jim was a guard for three seasons, scoring 745 points with 177 rebounds, and averaging 14.6 ppg his senior year. His younger son Buddy was a star shooting guard with a terrific three point shot. He scored 1765 points with 309 three point baskets and a career 14.6 ppg.  Buddy was ACC First Team his senior year.

Jim & Jimmy Boeheim

Jim was a guard for three seasons, scoring 745 points with 177 rebounds, and averaging 14.6 ppg his senior year. His older son Jimmy was a forward for one season scoring 453 points with 204 rebounds, with a 13.7 ppg.

Vinnie & Vinnie Cohen Jr

Vinnie was the star forward for the Orangemen in the mid 50s, scoring 1337 points.  He averaged 19.7 ppg for his career, and 24.2 ppg his senior year. His son Vinnie Jr was a walk-on for two seasons with a total of 6 points.

Bill & Kevin Drew

Bill was a reserve swingman for two seasons scoring 5 ppg with a total of 190.  His son Kevin was a star lacrosse player who was a reserve walk-on for one season, failing to score.

Steve & Stephen Keating

Steve was a walk-on guard scoring 2 points in two seasons, while his son Stephen was a walk-on for one season, failing to score.

Billy & Chaz Owens

Billy was a versatile forward for the Orange who scored 1840 points in three seasons with 381 assists and 910 rebounds.  He averaged 17.9 ppg for his career, and 23.2 ppg his junior year.   Bily was Big East First team his sophomore and junior seasons, and Big East Player of the Year his last year.  Chaz is currently a walk-on forward for the Orange with 4 career points.

Leo & Andy Rautins

Leo was a terrific passing forward for three seasons with 1031 career points, 535 rebounds, and 423 assists.  He averaged 12.1 ppg with 5.0 apg and 6.3 rpg. He was Big East Third Team his senior year.   He son Andy was a terrific shooting guard for four seasons with 1121 career points, 327 rebounds, and 347 assists.  He had 282 career three pointers. He earned Big East Second Team his senior year.

Dick & Bill Suprunowicz

Dick was a defensive standout at guard and forward from 1949-1951.  He scored 526 points with a 6.7 ppg. His son Bill was a reserve guard for three seasons scoring 30 points with a 1.5 ppg average.

 

If I were to rank the duos, it would go as follows:

  • 1.      Leo & Andy Rautins
  • 2.      Jim & Buddy Boeheim
  • 3.      Jim & Jimmy Boeheim
  • 4.      Billy & Chaz Owens
  • 5.      Vinnie & Vinnie Cohen Jr
  • 6.      Dick & Bill Suprunowicz
  • 7.      Red & Adrian Autry Jr
  • 8.      Bill & Kevin Drew
  • 9.      Ribs & Reeves Baysinger Jr
  • 10.   Steve & Stephen Keating

It will be interesting to see where the Anthony’s end up on this list.  Kiyan will not need to accomplish much to move them to fourth, and a solid season easily moves them to third. 

Monday, January 01, 2024

NET Ranking Black Magic

There are several elements to the NET ranking.  The Quad element is supposed to be a heavily weighted portion, but the current results for Syracuse are baffling.

Here are the Orange's NET ranking compared to two teams they have beaten, and a third team. The data is their record for each quadrant, as of 12-31-2023.

Syracuse #78 rank  0-2 Q1, 2-1 Q2, 6-0 Q3, and 1-0 Q4
Pittsburgh  #41 rank  0-2 Q1, 0-1 Q2, 4-1 Q3, and 5-0 Q4
Oregon  #71 rank 0-1 Q1, 0-1 Q2, 6-1 Q3, and 4-0 Q4
SMU  #45 rank 0-3 Q1, 0-1 Q2, 2-0 Q3, 6-0 Q4

In theory Q1 losses don't hurt you, and Q4 wins don't help.  Meanwhile Q1 wins are huge, and Q4 losses hurt.

None of these teams have Q1 wins.  Syracuse has played only one Q4 game, as opposed to the 5, 4, and 6 of the other teams. Pitt and Oregon both have a Q3 loss (bad); Syracuse has not bad losses. 

Syracuse is 2-3 in Q1&Q2 games. Pitt is 0-3, Oregon 0-2, and SMU 0-4.

Syracuse is 7-0 in Q3&Q4.  Pitt is 9-1, Oregon 10-1, SMU 8-0.

Someone countered with me the other day that the large margin of victories for the other teams must be coming into play.  But the NCAA said in 2018 they cap margin of victory at 10 points, so that should have no impact on the Orange.

Here's the Orange margin of victory so far this season after 12 games (Chaminade doesn't count for the NET).

Point margin: +11, +12, +4, -17, -19, +23, -22, +11, +12, +20, +12, +8

All of the Orange wins except for Colgate and Pitt hit the cap.  Hard to believe the opposition is doing more.

I know they take computer modeling into play, but that's all secretive, but also supposed to be a smaller portion of the ranking.  The black box magic going on is baffling.  Perhaps small sample sizes are coming into play, but we are over a third of the way through the schedule.

The Orange have more quality wins, no bad losses, a tougher schedule, better overall record, and are capping the point spread margin, yet are lower ranked, significantly in 2 cases, than Pitt, Oregon, and SMU.



Tuesday, December 26, 2023

Let's Play Two

On December 4th, 1948 the Syracuse Orangemen did something unthinkable by today's basketball standards: they played both ends of a basketball double header.   They beat the University of Toronto 76-34 in the first game, and Ithaca College 81-41 in the second game at the Syracuse Coliseum.

Ed Stickel
Ed Stickel
Coach Lew Andreas used the same starting five for both games: Jack Kiley, Ed Stickel, Royce Newell, Ed Rosen, and Francis Miller. Kiley led Syracuse in the first game with 12 points, while Stickel led the second game with 19 pts. The two both score 25 points each in the two games combined.

Andreas used 19 players in the first game, and 17 in the second. 20 different players saw action for the Orangemen that day; 15 of them scored.   Bob Savage was the leading reserve with a combined 20 points.

The Orangemen wore their white jerseys for the first game and their orange for the second.

The combined box score for the Orangemen saw a 157-75 score, with 63 field goals, 33 of 59 free throws (56%), and 36 fouls.

Monday, December 25, 2023

Merry Christmas!

 I'm not a poet, so I asked AI to put something together a couple poems for me with some guidance.  Some miscues, but better than what I'd do.  I thought the first was more poetic and in the spirit, but the second more factually correct.  Enjoy!

Version 1

'Twas the night before tip-off, in Syracuse so bright,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a snowflake in flight.
The jerseys were hung in the lockers with care,
In hopes that a victory soon would be there.

The Orange faithful nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of three-pointers danced in their heads.
With memories of greatness, so storied and vast,
A legacy of triumph, from the present to past.

In the Carrier Dome, where the Orange call home,
Echoes of greatness forever are known.
From the Pearl's half-court magic, a legend so bold,
To Roosevelt Bouie and Louis Orr, pure orange and gold.

Six overtimes etched in the annals of lore,
Against Connecticut, a battle galore.
Sherman Douglas dishing, with grace and with flair,
To Steven Thompson, soaring through the air.

Dave Bing's brilliance, Vic Hanson's might,
Billy Gabor's grace, oh what a sight.
GMac's sharpshooting, from beyond the arc,
Three-pointers falling, lighting the dark.

In the annals of history, a name that does ring,
Carmelo Anthony, oh how he'd swing.
A champion's heart, a prodigious might,
For Syracuse, he'd shine so bright.

And Hakeem Warrick, with wings unfurled,
A blocked shot heard 'round the basketball world.
In the waning moments, with destiny stark,
Sealing the victory, leaving a mark.

As the orange and blue take the court once again,
With memories of glory, and dreams to attain.
In the heart of New York, where legends are spun,
The Orange march on, their story not done.

So here's to the Orange, to victories in flight,
Merry basketball to all, and to all a good night!

Version 2

'Twas the night before tip-off, in the Dome so grand,
Not a creature was stirring, across Orange land.
The jerseys were hung in the locker room with care,
In hopes that victory soon would be there.

The fans were nestled all snug in their seats,
With visions of greatness, and history to meet.
And Coach in his jacket, with clipboard in hand,
Prepared for the battle, a game to withstand.

When out on the court, there arose such a clatter,
Orange faithful sprang up to see what was the matter.
Away to the sidelines, they flew in a flash,
Cheering for Syracuse, their beloved Orange clash.

The Pearl at half court, a magician with the ball,
Dribbling and weaving, leaving defenders in a sprawl.
With a flick of his wrist, a shot from afar,
A lengthy shot splashed, like a shooting star.

Roosevelt Bouie and Louis Orr, giants of the past,
Legends of Orange, memories that forever last.
Six overtimes against UConn, a battle for the ages,
Heart-stopping moments, written in the basketball pages.

Sherman Douglas dishing, to Steven Thompson so fleet,
A connection so potent, opponents faced defeat.
Dave Bing's smooth moves, Vic Hanson's grace,
Billy Gabor's brilliance, each a legend to embrace.

GMac's three-point shooting, a rain of threes,
From beyond the arc, setting nets at ease.
Carmelo Anthony, a name that shines bright,
A national championship, a crowning delight.

And in the Dome's rafters, Hakeem Warrick's block,
A moment in time, like a ticking clock.
A rejection so powerful, a title to secure,
A symbol of Orange strength, forever endure.

So here's to the Orange, past and present combined,
A legacy of triumph, in each game defined.
As the ball tips off, and the crowd starts to roar,
Merry basketball to all, forever Orange, evermore!