2008-2009 BIG EAST PREVIEW: 6) SYRACUSE

October 25, 2008

If you have not noticed, Jim Boeheim has not been overly excited about the New Big East and what has transpired for his Orange since the league expanded to 16 teams. Syracuse has found themselves on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble the last two seasons and it has been four years since the Orange have last won a game in the Big Dance. Since joining the Big East, not since the 1980-1981 and 1982-1983 had the Orange gone back to back seasons without an NCAA Tournament win, so this is unprecedented territory for Jim Boeheim.

Last year also marked the first time since those seasons in the early 80’s that SU missed the tournament back to back seasons. All told, SU has been in the NIT three times in seven years and save for one season with Carmelo Anthony, the ‘Cuse has only won an NCAA Tournament game once in the last six non-‘Melo seasons. Has Jim Boeheim lost his touch?

Boeheim has been quite cranky the last few years. Whether it was defending Big East All-Time Top 50 Player Gerry McNamara, complaining about television dictating game times or his general whining about cloudy weather in Syracuse and a tough conference to play in, the Hall of Fame coach has not been overly cheery of late. Maybe some new gold bling from his stint with the Gold Medal winning USA basketball team this past summer will brighten up the mood, if the gold has not helped, maybe the prospects of a healthy Orange squad in 2008-2009 that should break at least one of the NCAA droughts for SU. If that does not work either…well, coach Boeheim is just one that will not cheer up!

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Comings:

Syracuse adds two new recruits to the fold this season in Mooke Jones and Kris Joseph. Jones was a hot target of the Orange staff from Section I power Peekskill High School. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard should fit in well in the SU system. Joseph is a native Canadian that played his high school ball at Archbishop Carroll in DC. He is an athletic combo forward with a high ceiling.

Sitting out the season due to NCAA transfer rules is Wesley Johnson, a Texas native who played two seasons at Iowa State. Johnson is a 6-foot-7 forward who should make a big impact when eligible in 2009-2010.

Although not new to the roster, Syracuse does return guards Eric Devendorf and Andy Rautins from injury. Rautins missed the entire season after tearing an ACL in international competition over the summer while Devendorf tore his ACL in a December non-conference game last season.


Goings:

Syracuse said good-bye quickly to Donte’ Greene who made the jump to the NBA after one season at Syracuse. Green was selected in the 1st round of last June’s draft. The Orange roster was void of seniors after Josh Wright left the club very early last season. Also, power forward Devin Brennan-McBride, who battled injuries his brief SU career, left the program around mid-season in 2007-2008.


Net Impact:

There will be some sentiment that the loss of Greene could be addition by subtraction. While Greene was not a chemistry problem in the locker room, he never seemed to buy into the belief of a better shot in the possession could be found by someone else or that defense has something to do with winning at the high-major college level. Often times Greene would be flashing his ‘dynasty’ sign after a score only to see the action race past him the other way for two points.

That said, what Greene does take with him is 18 points, 7 rebounds and a team leader in blocked shots. Even more importantly, he did it from a forward position that the Orange are unlikely to have a replacement for.

Kris Joseph will likely get some extended time early on as SU tries to plug the hole at power forward created by Greene’s departure, but Joseph will likely make more of an impact later in his career. Mookie Jones will be in the mix in a pretty loaded backcourt, which includes the return of Devendorf and Rautins. Adding the return of the injured players, SU should be better off in the Big East this year than last and have improved college basketball odds.


2008-2009 Backcourt Outlook:

Leading the Orange backcourt in 2008-2009 is burgeoning star Jonny Flynn. The explosive and uber-athletic 6-foot floor general is coming off an impressive freshman campaign that saw him average 16 points and 5 assists while being named the Big East co-freshman of the year. Flynn’s career got off to a bang with 28 points in his Orange debut against Siena and then a game-winning three against St. Joseph’s the next night in the waning seconds. Flynn reached double figures in scoring 15 times in 18 Big East games, including a career-high matching 28 against Pittsburgh.

This season, Flynn should be greatly helped by the return of Eric Devendorf and Andy Rautins, to take a lot of the perimeter load off of him. Devendorf can help out a lot with ball-handling and is another player that can create his own shot as he is a crafty driver to the basket. Devendorf was averaging 17 points and four assists prior to the injury. Rautins is the best three-point shooter on the Orange squad. His ability to spread defenses as they must respect his perimeter touch (36% as a sophomore) will help Flynn and Devendorf find more lanes to the basket.

On the wing is junior Paul Harris, the 6-foot-4 manchild that has been a longtime friend of Flynn’s as they both come out of Niagara Falls (NY). Harris is a unique talent and his averages of 14.5 points and 8.2 rebounds last season bares that out. At just 6’4, Harris compiled a dozen double-doubles last year. He also added over three assists and nearly two steals a game to his stat sheet. Harris also has the potential to be among the league’s top defenders, although that is muted in the Syracuse 2-3 zone at times. The question with Harris is what position does he play? He is not a strong (being polite) outside shooter, but is a terrific ball-handler, but decision making tends to make him a careless passer. Is he a shooting guard that can’t shoot? A point guard that turns it over? Realistically, he might be a power forward, and with the Orange slim at prospects at the power forward position, could he land there for extended periods of time this year? Probably not if SU stays in their zone, but if Jim Boeheim tries more man defenses, with the evolution in the game of a more perimeter-minded ‘4’ man, that might work with this team.

If Harris does see time at the ‘4’, freshman Mookie Jones will be in the mix more as the fourth guard. He has the shot-making ability to compliment Flynn and Devendorf well. His 6-foot-6 frame is also long and lean, making him very versatile in the patented zone defense of SU, however, it probably would not be wise for him to be on the block of the 2-3, that would be the baseline opposing teams attack.

One potential backcourt player not in the mix this season is sophomore Antonio Jardine. The Philly native, who averaged 5.5 points a game last year after being pressed into action, will take a medical redshirt to help an injured leg heal this season.


2008-2009 Frontcourt Outlook:

The area of question for the Orange this season resides in their frontcourt. Junior, 6-foot-9 and 260 pound Arinze Onuaku returns to the middle for Syracuse. Onuaku had a productive sophomore season returning from his own injury problems and contributed 13 points and 8 rebounds a game. Onuaku was efficient on offense, shooting nearly 63% from the floor, but struggled badly at the line, shooting less than 45%. Onuaku is not really the atypical SU big man, but he is more of a prototype Big East bruiser.

Almost thrust into an emergency role last year as the lone post threat, Onuaku pretty much finds himself in a similar position this year, although sophomore Rick Jackson should be ready to help more. Jackson was a high school teammate of Jardine and could spend some time playing the ‘4’ as well. Jackson has a little more length and athleticism than Onuaku, but is still a bit raw offensively. Most likely he will split time in the post with Onuaku to give the Orange a solid 1-2 punch.

The other post player prospect for this season is sophomore Sean Williams, the man with the almost legendary 7-foot-6 wingspan. Williams is the definition of a project, having played very little on his high school and prep teams prior to SU. If the Orange still view him as a project with upside, a possible redshirt for Williams to develop more could be a wise investment.

The likely starter at power forward is senior Kristof Ongenaet, who was a late JUCO addition to the Orange roster for 2007-2008. Ongenaet was also thrust into emergency playing time last season and held his own, not getting in the way and adding some hustle to the mix. This season, they would like to see him more of an offensive threat. Over the course of the last 12 Big East games last year, Ongenaet played nearly 30 quiet minutes a game, averaging 5.8 points a game. He was an after thought for opponents, evidenced by the fact that Pittsburgh placed 5-foot-11 point guard Levance Fields on him to start the game against SU. In 34 minutes against Pitt, Ongenaet did not score or attempt a field goal. In an ideal world, Ongenaet is a player that would spell the frontline starters for 15 minutes a game, if he finds himself in the right place at the right time he would score a bucket or grab a rebound. If he is playing 30 minutes a game, SU might be in a little bit of trouble as he and Onuaku have little ability to create their own offense and rely on the others to set them up for their opportunities.


2008-2009 Team Outlook:

It is definitely an interesting year for the Syracuse Orange as they head into the 2008-2009 season. After back-to-back NIT trips, the coaches, players and staff are determined to get back into the March Madness Betting mix. This is not the type of results Syracuse has come to expect under Jim Boeheim. Maybe it is a product of the New Big East, or a series of bad luck with injuries last season and an under-performing senior class that graduated previously.

This season the potential is definitely there to break the NCAA Tournament drought of appearances and wins. It will be interesting to see if SU goes to a small line-up, which might mean less zone and more in the face defense led by Jonny Flynn and Paul Harris to set the tone. After all, who would you feel more comfortable guarding Big East talents such as Sam Young, Earl Clark, DaJuan Summers or Lazar Hayward, Paul Harris or Kristof Ongenaet? It could also create some match-up advantages on offense as well.

All in all, this is another Syracuse squad with talent, but some question marks as well. They definitely find themselves in the top-25 range and a team that should be ‘in’ on Selection Sunday, but the margin for error could be slim. Look for Jim Boeheim to be a little more creative this season in looking for match-ups that SU can exploit to their advantage rather than just letting the chips fall as they may with his 2-3 zone and open offense. The NBE is full of challenges, and look for Jim Boeheim to rise to the challenges with top assistant Mike Hopkins this season in getting the Orange back on track.


2008-2009 Big East Prediction: 11-7