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. 

History of Syracuse First Year Head Coaches

 Adrian Autry becomes the eighth head coach for Syracuse's Men's basketball team. The first year has had different levels of success.

Prof. John A.R. Scott was the first head coach, with his first season 1903-1904.   Scott would go 11-8 his first year, winning his first two games.  Scott took over a team that was 1-8 the prior season, and he would go 64-54 in his career.

Ed Dollard would become the second SU coach in the 1911-1912 season.  Dollard would go an impressive 11-3 his first season, winning his first two games.  Dollard would have big wins over Colgate and Penn to end the season.  He took over a team that was 6-11 the previous year.  Dollard would go 152-58 in his 13 year career at Syracuse, including a Helms Foundation National Championship in 1917-18 season.

Lew Andreas

Lew Andreas became Syracuse's 3rd coach with the 1924-1925 season.  Andreas would have an impressive first year going 15-2, winning his first 11 games.  His first season had two big wins over Colgate.  He took over a team that was 8-10 the previous year.  Andreas would go 358-134 in his career, with two appearances in the NIT, and a Helms Foundation National Championship in 1925-1926 season behind Vic Hanson.

Marc Guley was Syracuse's 4th coach starting with the 1950-1951 season.  Guley would lead the team to the post season his first year going 19-9.  He would win his first three games.  He took over a team that was 18-9 the previous year.  His team beat #14 Toledo, and #6 Bradley on its way to winning the National Campus Tournament Championship.  Guley would go 136-192 in 12 years at Syracuse, with one NCAA Tournament and one National Campus Tournament.  His last season was the worst in Syracuse history with a 2-22 record.

Fred Lewis was Syracuse's 5th coach starting with the 1962-1963 season.  Lewis would go 8-13 his first season, a marked improvement over the 2-22 the previous year.  Lewis would win his first game before losing his second.   Lewis was 91-57 in his six years at Syracuse with 2 NIT and 1 NCAA appearance.

Roy Danforth was Syracuse's 6th coach starting with the 1968-1969 season.  Danforth would go 9-16 his first season, losing his first five games before beating Penn State 71-51.  He took over a team that was 11-14 the previous season.  Danforth would go 148-71 over 8 seasons, with 4 NCAA bids, 2 NIT bids, and a surprise Final Four in 1975.

Jim Boeheim was Syracuse's 7th head coach starting with the 1976-1977 season. Boeheim would go 26-4 his first season, and took the Orangemen to the 2nd round of the NCAA. He would win his first regular season game, before losing his second to West Virginia.  He took over a team that was 20-9 the previous season.  Boeheim would go 1116-441 in his 47 year career with the Orange, going to 35 NCAA tournaments, 7 NIT, 5 Final Four, and the 2003 National Championship.

Adrian Autry is Syracuse 8th and current coach starting with the 2023-2024 season. Autry's career is just beginning; he is already off to a good start at 2-0.

Syracuse Hoops: Fathers and Sons

There have been nine father and son basketball players for Syracuse University basketball.  The most famous is undoubtedly the Boeheim family, with Jim and his two sons Buddy and Jimmy.  

It is tough to rank which duo is the best when the father may have been an all-time great, and the son a walk-on.  How do you compare that type of duo to a family where both the father and son played significantly?  From my perspective, you have to factor in the level of talent of both the father and son.

Here is how I would rank the nine father/son combinations at Syracuse:

9.  Steve and Stephen Keating. I bet many of you did not know that there is a father/son combo connection on this years team? Stephen Keating is a walk-on forward for the Orange; he has not played a game yet this early in this year.  His father Steve was a walk-on for the 1991-92 season, scoring 2 points in the only game he played.

8.  Ribs and Reaves Baysinger, Jr. This is the first father/son combo at Syracuse. Ribs played 11 games in 1921-22 scoring 6 points as a reserve guard/center.  Reaves Jr was a backup center on the 1944-45 team playing in 2 games and failing to score.  He was drafted by the Navy for World War II, and would enroll in the Naval Academy where he would be a star football player.  Ribs was the freshman athletic director at Syracuse from 1927 to 1946 and would have overseen his son's activities as a freshman.

7.  Dick and Bill Suprunowicz. Dick was a outstanding defensive guard/forward for three seasons from 1949 to 1951, scoring 526 points in 78 games.  His son Bill was a reserve guard for three seasons, scoring 30 points in 20 games.

6.  Adrian and Adrian Autry Jr.  Adrian Sr. was the starting point guard for four seasons from 1991-1994, scoring 1538 points in 121 games along with 631 assists. Adrian Jr. was a walk-on for four seasons from 2016-2019 scoring 10 points in 29 games.  Junior would play for his son, who was the assistant coach for the basketball team during that span.

5.  Vinnie and Vinnie Cohen Jr. Vinnie Sr. was the best Syracuse basketball player of the 1950s, leading the team to the Elite 8 in 1957.  Cohen scored 1337 points in 68 games, averaging 19.7 ppg. Vinnie Jr was a walk-on for two seasons 1991-1992, scoring 6 points in 9 games.

4.  Billy and Chaz Owens. Billy was one of the all-time great Syracuse basketball players.  He scored 1,840 points in 103 games over 3 seasons from 1989 to 1991. Owens averaged 17.9 ppg, as well as 8.8 rpg. His son Chaz was a walk-on for two seasons from 2021-2022 scoring 4 points in 8 games.

3. Jim and Jimmy Boeheim. Jim was a three year guard for Syracuse basketball from 1964-1966, scoring 745 points in 76 games.  His son Jimmy played one season as a graduate transfer in 2021-22 scoring 453 points in 33 games.  Jim Sr, of course, is also the legendary Hall of Fame coach of Syracuse.

2.  Jim and Buddy Boeheim.  Jim was mentioned above with his older son Jimmy. Buddy was a four year player for the Orange, and finished his career with 1,765 points in 121 games. Buddy was the second most prolific 3 point shooter in Syracuse history. Jim and Buddy would rank #1 on this list if we were to consider Jim's coaching career, but I chose to focus solely on the court action.

1.  Leo and Andy Rautins.  Leo was a three year starter from 1981 to 1983, and was consistently a triple double threat as a good passing forward.  Leo scored 1,031 points in 85 games, along with 423 assists and 535 rebounds.  His son Andy played for four seasons and was a terrific shooter, as well as a good passer.  Andy scored 1,121 points in 127 games, along with 347 assists and 327 rebounds.  Both Leo and Andy would have stints in the NBA.

Father and Son Duos for Syracuse Basketball

Happy Father’s Day!  In honor of the day, I wanted to recognize the father/son combinations that have played and/or coached for Syracuse basketball.  This fall, Jim and Buddy Boeheim will become the seventh such combination for the Orange.  Below are the father/son combination in chronological order.

The Baysingers (Reaves ‘Ribs’ and Reaves Jr).  The Baysingers were the first father/son combination in Syracuse basketball history.  Ribs was a solid reserve on the 1921-1922 team playing both center and guard, and starting a handful of games.  He would play only his sophomore year.  He was a star on the football field at both guard and end, as well as an outfielder on the baseball team for three years.  Reaves Jr was a reserve center on the Syracuse basketball team for one season. He was a gifted football player like his father, and played quarterback for the football team in 1944.  Reaves Jr would enroll in the Naval Academy as a result of World War II, and would end up a star quarterback for the Navy football team.

The Suprunowicz (Dick and Bill). Dick was a defensive stalwart on the Syracuse basketball team for three seasons, helping guide the Orangemen to their first NIT appearance in 1950.  Dick would score 526 points in his career with 6.7 ppg.  Bill was a reserve guard on the basketball team for three seasons, from 1972 to 1974. He would score 30 points in 20 games.

Vinnie Cohen

The Cohens (Vinnie and Vinnie Jr).  Vinnie Cohen was the best Syracuse basketball player of the 1950’s, a star forward for three seasons.  He would lead the Orangemen to their first NCAA berth in 1957, taking the team to the Elite Eight.  Cohen would be the first Orangemen to score 20+ ppg, with 24.2 ppg, and had a career average of 19.7 ppg.  Vinne Jr. was a walk-on for the basketball team for two seasons, scoring six points in nine games.

The Danforths (Roy and Mike). Roy was the Syracuse head coach from 1969 to 1976, with a 148-70 record. He led the team to its first Final Four in 1975, along with 3 other NCAA berths, and 2 NIT berths.  He brought an entertaining style of basketball to Manley Field House, and helped build a winning program, before heading off to be the basketball coach at Tulane.   Mike was a reserve on the 1975-1976 team playing in seven games and scoring two points.  He would transfer to Tulane when his father became the coach there.

Leo Rautins

The Rautins (Leo and Andy).  The Rautins were probably the best father/son combination at Syracuse University.  Leo was a versatile forward for the Orangemen from 1981 to 1983, scoring 1,031 points. He was an exceptionally skill passer for a forward, averaging 12.1 ppg, 6.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists. He would be drafted in the first round of the 1983 NBA draft.  Leo had three triple doubles at Syracuse.  Andy was a prolific three point shooting guard for the Orange from 2006 to 2010, and was an exceptional passing shooting guard.  He would score 1,121 points, averaging 8.8 ppg, 2.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists.  Andy was drafted in the 2^nd round of the 2010 NBA draft.  Andy is the only son on this list to outscore his father.

The Autrys (Adrian ‘Red’ and Adrian Jr).  Red was a star starting point guard for Syracuse for four seasons, averaging 12.7 ppg and 5.2 assists.  He helped guide the Orangemen to a Big East Tournament Championship (1991), a Big East Regular Season Championship (1992), and three NCAA tournaments.  He has been an assistant coach for Syracuse since the 2011-2012 season, and in March of 2017 was named the Associate Head Coach.  His son Adrian Jr has been a walk-on player the past three seasons, and has scored 10 points in 19 career games.  Red is  the first father to coach basketball to his son at Syracuse.

The Boeheims (Jim and Buddy).  Jim is the 2^nd winningest coach of all-time in men’s Division I basketball, with a record of 1027-371.  He has led the Orange to one National Championship, five Final Fours, and 33 NCAA tournaments.  He was also a solid guard for the Orangemen for three seasons in the 1960s, scoring 745 career points with a 9.8 ppg average.  Buddy is a freshman for the upcoming season, and has a reputation as being a terrific perimeter shooter.

Jim Boeheim has ties to many of the other individuals on this list.  He was the head coach for Vinnie Cohen Jr, Leo  & Andy Rautins, Red Autry & Adrian Autry Jr.  He was an assistant coach under Roy Danforth, and for Mike Danforth and Bill Suprunowicz.

Freshmen at the Point

Syracuse University and Coach Jim Boeheim have been fortunate to often be able to start an experienced point guard for the Orange.  In his first 37 seasons on the Hill, Boeheim has only started a freshman point guard seven seasons.  Tyler Ennis, for 2013-2014, will be the eighth journey with freshman running the team.

The first freshman point guard for Boeheim was unquestionably the most gifted freshman point guard.  Pearl Washington stepped onto Syracuse's campus in 1983, and electrified the crowds with his playground style of basketball.  The Pearl's freshman campaign was a fantastic individual highlight reel, including his game winning half court short to beat Boston College, and his outstanding Big East Tournament effort, where he scored 30 points in the semi-finals against Villanova, and 27 in a memorable Syracuse-Georgetown finals, a game the Orangemen would lose in overtime.  

Syracuse would go 23-9 that season, including 12-4 in the Big East, largely behind the efforts of Washington and sophomore Rafael Addison.  The Pearl would average 14.4 ppg and 6.2 assists. He was also very turnover prone with 3.5 per game, and also foul prone at 3.1 per game. The Pearl would log 34 minutes a game, and did have the luxury of Gene Waldron in the backcourt.  Waldron had been Syracuse's starting point guard the previous two seasons, and provided some steady play.

The next freshman to start at point guard for Syracuse was something of a surprise.  Syracuse had a team loaded with experienced talent for the 1989-1990, but had just lost superstar Sherman Douglas to graduation the previous season.  Boeheim wanted to get all his talent on the court to start the game and moved high flying senior Stephen Thompson to the point, playing sophomore guard Dave Johnson at shooting guard, along with a monster front line of Billy Owens, Derrick Coleman and LeRon Ellis.  

The move of Thompson to the point hurt the team for two reasons. First, Thompson was not a natural point guard, and was uncomfortable in the position. He was not proficient at running the offense.  Second, Thompson was the best finisher on the team, loved playing near and high above the rim, something he could not do from the point guard position.  So after fifteen games into the season, Boeheim inserted unheralded freshman Michael Edwards into the starting lineup.  

Edwards would play the point competently, which was all the team was asking of him.  Syracuse would go 26-7, and win the Big East Regular season championship.  Edwards would score 6.3 points per game and have 5.0 assists per game.

Adrian 'Red' Autry, was highly touted out of high school, and would immediately replace Edwards at the point in the starting lineup the next season (1990-1991); Edwards would still start but moved to the shooting guard position.  Autry was a big guard at 6'4", and was able to run the offense very well.  Syracuse would have a very successful season going 26-6, and 12-4 in the Big East winning the Big East regular season championship.  Billy Owens was the big story on the team, and most of the plays went through Owens one way or another, taking some of the burden off of Autry.

Unfortunately the Orangemen's post season did not go well, as they were one and done in the Big East Tournament and NCAA with shocking losses to Villanova and Richmond.  Autry finished the season with 9.7 ppg and 5.3 apg.  Like the Pearl, he was turnover and foul prone, with 3.6 and 3.4 averages respectively.  

It would be another six seasons until a freshman ran the Syracuse offense. In 1996-1997 highly heralded Jason Hart started for the Orangemen.  It was a very experienced team with seniors Jason Cipolla and Otis Hill, and juniors Marius Janulis and Todd Burgan all starting.  The team was coming off of a surprising Final Four season, and there were some reasonable expectations for a strong season. The Orangemen would start the year ranked 13th in the country in the AP polls.

However, by mid season, the team had dropped out of the polls with four losses by December 14th.  The loss of the talent and veteran leadership from John Wallace and Lazarus Sims from the previous season was clearly felt. Hart was a solid defensive guard, but tended to make poor shot decisions and game play decisions on offense.  He would shoot only 37.9% from the floor, and average 3.0 turnovers a game.  The Orange had no other point guard to really help him out, so Hart played about 35 minutes each game.  He did average 9.6 ppg and 5.8 apg, decent numbers for a freshman.  

The Orangemen would finish 19-13, and would lose in the first round of the NIT Tournament.

The next time a freshman point guard started for Syracuse, the end result would be the first NCAA National Championship for the Orange.  In 2002-2003, red-shirted freshman Billy Edelin was slated to be the starting point guard; however, NCAA violations from activity in another basketball league prevented Edelin from playing in the first 12 games of the season.  So Boeheim turned to another freshman, Gerry McNamara, and made him the point guard.

The results were far better than anyone could have expected. McNamara played the point position well, and the team had outstanding ball movement.  Superstar freshman Carmelo Anthony had a lot to do with that, as he drew a lot of defensive attention; but Anthony wasn't the only star on the team, and players knew their roles.  McNamara would play a very strong game at point guard, and was excellent at the inside/outside game with Anthony and Hakim Warrick.  McNamara would get the ball to one of those big men, and if defenses collapsed too much, they would kick it back out to McNamara who would drain the three point shot. 

McNamara would remain the starting point guard for the whole season, even after Edelin returned, and would play 35.2 minutes per game.  Once Edelin returned, McNamara would get some opportunities to play the shooting guard, but still would log more time at the point. It wasn't until the championship game that Edelin saw more time at the point than McNamara.  Syracuse would of course finish the year 30-5, 13-3 in the Big East, and would win the National Championship. In that game, McNamara would hit six three point shots in the first half to help the Orange get a large early lead.  

McNamara would finish the year with 13.3 ppg, and 4.4 apg.  He was good at not turning the ball over with only 2.4 turnovers a game, and while not a great defender, he was very adept at stepping into the passing lanes for a quick steal, averaging 2.2 steals a game.  

Jonny Flynn would be the next freshman to run the Orange, for the 2007-2008 season. Flynn was electrifying, a guard with great quickness and some flair in his play.  He was a good playmaker, but the team struggled.  A preseason injury took sharpshooting junior Andy Rautins out for the year, and midway through the season his classmate Eric Devendorf would tear his ACL and miss the remainder of the season.  Syracuse would end up with a lot of defensive and rebounding talent on the team, but not many polished offensive players.  Freshman Donte' Greene was the best offensive weapon, and the game tended to focus the offense on him, and unfortunately it often ended with him.  The lack of depth due to injuries forced three starters, including Flynn, to play 35+ minutes a game.

The Orange would finish a disappointing 21-14 that year, including 9-9 in the Big East.  Flynn would have an impressive freshman campaign with 15.7 ppg and 5.3 assists, and would be the Co-Rookie of the Year in the Big East.

The last freshman to start at the point for Syracuse was Brandon Triche in 2009-2010.  This may have been the best all around team in Syracuse history, with a devastating post season injury shortening their run.  Syracuse started the season unranked, and by March 2nd, 2010, they would be the #1 ranked team in the country.  They would enter the NCAA tournament as a #1 seed, however, they lost center Arinze Onuaku to a knee injury in the Big East Tournament, and the hurt them in a close lost to Butler in the tournament.

Triche played well at point guard all season.  He had the luxury of being on a veteran team, and having a veteran back up point guard to support him in Scoop Jardine, a sophomore in his third year at Syracuse.  Perhaps the biggest advantage was most of the offense flowed through senior Andy Rautins, the teams top three point shooter and top assist man.  

Triche would spend a lot of time at the shooting guard position, along with the point guard position, as Boeheim rotated Triche, Jardine and Rautins as needed.  Triche was steady, but Jardine usually played the point at the crunch minutes at the end of the game.  

Triche would finish the year with 8.1 ppg, and 2.8 apg.  He shot an excellent 40% from three point range, often as the luxury of defenses considering him the fifth best scoring option on the floor. Triche took advantage of those opportunities.

Tyler Ennis will be the eighth freshman point guard, and has no true backup.  There will be a lot of minutes the 6'2" guard will have to play. He will be blessed with an outstanding senior in C.J. Fair who has a great inside/outside game, and several promising players who could provide strong offensive support, such as Trevor Cooney and Jerami Grant.  Ennis will have his work cut out for him; the preseason activity in Canada looked very promising, and if the Syracuse team can develop so that it can rely on Ennis to run the offense, and not have to provide it, then it could be an excellent freshman year for him, and an excellent season for the Orange.

Let's sit back and see what happens. Let's go Orange!