sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to April Fool's Day!
Telling someone they have a spot on their shirt when there isn't one, putting a whoopee cushion under their seat, or putting a "kick me" sign on their back—there are countless practical jokes and pranks that can be played on people. On April Fools' Day, these pranks are in full force, and many a person is sent on a fool's errand.
It isn't exactly known how the day started. One prominent theory says that it started in France in 1564, after New Year's Day was changed to January 1 that year. Those who wanted to continue celebrating the old new year around Easter became known as "April fools," and tricks and jokes were commonly played on them. Although France started beginning their years on January 1 in 1564, they didn't adopt the Gregorian calendar until 1582, and some sources claim this may have been the year that April Fools' Day started. Either way, an early prank in France was to put a paper fish, known as a poisson d'avril, meaning "April fish," on someone's back. It represented an easily caught fish, which was a symbol for someone who is gullible. The tradition still takes place today.
SU News
Syracuse basketball is reportedly showing interest in four-star transfer Pharrel Payne, a sophomore forward at Minnesota. / Doug McSchooler/for IndyStar / USA TODAY
Syracuse Basketball: 'Cuse showing interest in 4-star transfer, a Minnesota big man (itlh; Adler)
Syracuse basketball is among numerous teams reportedly showing interest in Pharrel Payne, a sophomore forward at Big Ten Conference school Minnesota who is in the transfer portal.
The X account The Portal Report said in a social media post that a wide range of schools is displaying interest in the 6-foot-9, 255-pound Payne, who was rated a four-star prospect coming out of high school and is also ranked as a four-star transfer this off-season, according to several recruiting services.
Per the post on X from The Portal Report, others showing interest in Payne include Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Texas, Georgia, Wisconsin, Indiana, Georgia Tech, Nebraska, Arkansas, Providence, Ole Miss, Colorado, Iowa State, Illinois, Florida, Georgetown, Texas A&M, Butler and Oregon, among others.
The current transfer-portal window opened on Monday, March 18, and it will run for 45 days. To date, several Orange players on the team's 2023-24 roster have entered the portal, and 'Cuse coaches have reached out to a handful of guys who intend to transfer out of their existing programs.
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Syracuse basketball has reached out to Hofstra wing Darlinstone Dubar, a 4-star, top-10 national transfer averaging 18 PPG. / Lance King/GettyImages
Syracuse basketball reaches out to 4-star, top-10 national transfer averaging 18 PPG (itlh; Adler)
Syracuse basketball coaches have reached out to Hofstra junior guard/small forward Darlinstone Dubar, according to media reports.
The 6-foot-8 Dubar, who hails from Charlotte, N.C., is in the transfer portal. In national transfer ratings this cycle, he is ranked as four stars and in the top 20 overall, per several recruiting services.
The X account 24/7 High School Hoops was among those to note that the Orange has reached out to Dubar, along with other schools such as Kansas State, Arkansas, Virginia, Ole Miss, Arizona State, St. John's, Auburn, Notre Dame, Indiana, Tennessee, Kansas, Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech, among others.
The current transfer-portal window opened for business on Monday, March 18, and it will run for 45 days. Per reports, the 'Cuse coaching staff has contacted at least six college transfers, including Hofstra junior point guard Jaquan Carlos.
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Associate head coach Gerry McNamara and head coach Adrian Autry. The Syracuse Men’s Basketball team traveled to Raleigh North Carolina to take on The North Carolina State Wolfpack, Feb 20, 2024. (Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com)dnett@syracuse.com
Autry is 'super excited' for McNamara. He also has a job opening to fill (PS; $; Ditota)
Adrian Autry described this week as a “rollercoaster of emotions” for himself and Gerry McNamara.
McNamara was officially named the Siena College men’s basketball coach Friday morning. He interviewed for the job last Sunday. Indications this week were that McNamara would become Siena’s new coach once details were finalized and he was comfortable with terms of the contract.
That meant Autry would be losing his associate head coach and his longtime friend.
“I’m super excited for him,” Autry said during a Friday phone conversation. “We kind of started here at the same time as far as being back at Syracuse in a coaching position. We’ve been together for a long time. Dear friend. I’m just super excited for him. Obviously, I’m gonna miss him. He knows me and I know him, plus the bond that we had watching our kids grow up.
“I know all of our coaches, all assistant coaches, aspire to have that opportunity to run their own program.”
McNamara, 40, will be introduced to the Siena community Tuesday at 1 p.m. in Albany. He is taking over for Carmen Maciariello, who was fired when his Saints went 4-28 this season.
McNamara, Autry said, has all the characteristics that will make him a successful head coach.
“He’s been in the business for a while,” Autry said. “The one thing is he’s a great communicator, a great relationship builder, a clear communicator. He works hard. He gives you everything he has. And nothing is fake about him. He’s genuine, direct and to-the-point. … I think people like that stand out. I think people respect that.”
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https://www.timesunion.com/sports/a...-mcnamara-men-s-basketball-coach-19371243.php (times-union; Singelais)
Gerry McNamara helped cut down the net at MVP Arena in 2003. He was a freshman star guard on the Syracuse men’s basketball team, which won the NCAA Tournament East Regional in Albany on the way to the school’s only national title.
MVP Arena is now his home court.
Siena announced Friday the hiring of McNamara, Syracuse’s associate head coach, as head coach. He’ll try to revive a program that went 4-28 this season, the most losses in Saints history. He replaces Carmen Maciariello, who was fired March 20.
A source said the sides agreed to terms late Thursday night and signed a memorandum of understanding. Terms of the contract weren’t available.
McNamara will be introduced at a 1 p.m. Tuesday news conference at MVP Arena.
“I want to thank President Seifert and Athletic Director John D’Argenio for this incredible opportunity,” McNamara said in a news release. “I am so honored and excited to lead Siena College as the new head men’s basketball coach. My family and I can’t wait to get started and embrace Siena and the Capital Region.”
McNamara, 40, has spent the past 15 seasons on the coaching staff at his alma mater. He was elevated to associate head coach this season under first-year head coach Adrian Autry after working for 14 seasons as an assistant to Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim.
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Syracuse Basketball: How might Gerry McNamara leaving impact recruiting? We discuss. (itlh; Adler)
Gerry McNamara, the former Orange star player and associate head coach of the 'Cuse, is headed to Siena to take the helm of that program.
As GMac looks ahead to running Siena, a school in Loudonville, N.Y., near Albany that resides in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference ("MAAC"), the Orange has to replace its associate head coach, a guy who excels in player development and on the recruiting trail.
Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim, the former long-time 'Cuse head coach, noted in a recent interview that McNamara is a tremendous recruiter who has extensive and strong relationships among high school and AAU coaches.
Syracuse basketball, under first-year head coach Adrian Autry, has two exquisite 2024 commits, while the team is focused on a variety of highly ranked prospects in the 2025 and 2026 cycles.
How will McNamara's departure impact the Orange's recruiting efforts? That remains to be seen. But let's take a look at some of the squad's key targets in these classes.
Gerry McNamara is a great recruiter, and we'll have to see how that could affect Syracuse basketball.
2024 Class (two signees):
•Five-star power forward Donnie Freeman from Washington, D.C.
•Four-star shooting guard Elijah Moore from New York City
Notes: Both commits, who are officially signed with the Orange, have strong relationships with numerous 'Cuse coaches. I don't envision any issues here.
2025 Class:
While Syracuse basketball has offered scholarships to nearly 20 high school juniors, I sense that the Orange is focused on some or all of the recruits listed below:
•Four-star shooting guard Kiyan Anthony from New York City
•Four-star point guard Nigel James from New York state
•Four-star combo guard Derek Dixon from Washington, D.C.
•Four-star power forward/center Matthew Gilhool from Philadelphia
•Four-star forward Sadiq White Jr. from Charlotte, N.C.
•Four-star point guard Tyler Jackson from Baltimore
•Four-star small forward London Jemison from Connecticut
•Five-star point guard Jerry Easter II from Ohio
•Four-star forward Cam Ward from Maryland
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Keeping Up With The 315 3-29-24 (ESPN; radio; the 315)
To start today’s show Brian talks about the news that ‘Cuse MBB assistant coach Gerry McNamara has accepted the head coaching vacancy at Siena. Next, Brian takes a call from a long time listener, where the two discuss the GMac news and what’s currently happening in the NCAA tournament. Finally, while Brian tries to do an interview with some football players, AI Friday takes over the interview for itself!
Melo to customers at CNY ice cream shop reopening: ‘We are all family here’ (video) (PS; Miller)
More than 100 people waited nearly three hours outside an ice cream stand on Friday to catch a glimpse of Syracuse basketball legend Carmelo Anthony.
He and his former college coach, Jim Boeheim, were the featured guests at the reopening of the Skan Ellus Drive-In. Boeheim arrived on time, just about noon for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. He signed autographs, posed for photos with fans and chatted with Vinny Lobdell and Todd Ruetsch, two of the owners of the renovated Skan Ellus.
Anthony showed up at 2:30 p.m. Those who stuck around got to see him and Boeheim chat, and a few lucky ones got a photo with the former NBA star and maybe an autograph.
“This is our community,” he told the standing-room-only crowd. “We are all family here. I truly feel blessed to have this love. Let’s continue to support Syracuse.”
Boeheim, who had left after the ribbon-cutting, returned after Anthony arrived. They sat at the rear table and talked about former SU player-turned-coach Gerry McNamara, who named head coach at Siena a few hours before.
“I just spoke with him yesterday,” Anthony said. “I think it’ll be good for him.”
“Yes, it will,” Boeheim agreed.
The ice cream stand and restaurant, located at the corner of Route 20 and Route 175, will remain open for the season through December.
REPORT: Penn State basketball adds ACC foe to 2024-25 schedule (basicbluesnation.com; Thomas)
Penn State basketball appears set to face off against an ACC foe early on in the 2024-25 campaign. First reported by The D1 Docket on March 28, Mike Rhoades and the Nittany Lions have agreed to a neutral site game against Virginia Tech in Baltimore on November 14. Neither program has publicly confirmed the news, but the report does offer our first look at year two under Mike Rhoades in Happy Valley.
Penn State basketball to face Virginia Tech in Baltimore, per reports
As reported by The D1 Docket on Thursday, Mike Rhoades and Penn State basketball will have an early season non-conference matchup with Virginia Tech out of the ACC. The game will be played at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, according to the report. The matchup has not been publicly confirmed by either the Nittany Lions or Hokies.Penn State basketball is 4-7 against Virginia Tech since 1921. The programs have faced off four times since 2014, twice in University Park, once in Blacksburg, and once at the Charleston Classic in South Carolina. The Nittany Lions have won three of those four matchups, but the Hokies got the better of Micah Shrewsberry and Penn State in 2022, winning 61-59.
First look at 2024
The reported matchup offers us a first look at the 2024-25 season for Penn State basketball. Although finishing 16-17, it was a successful first year under Mike Rhoades, defeating two top-15 programs and developing a sense of optimism that can be built on moving forward....
ACC-bound SMU close to hiring USC's Andy Enfield as the Mustangs' basketball coach, AP source says (yahoo.com; Hawkins)
SMU is close to hiring Southern California coach Andy Enfield to take over the Mustangs, a person familiar with the situation said Sunday. They are moving next season into the basketball-rich Atlantic Coast Conference.
Enfield could be named SMU's coach within a few days, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because a deal had not been finalized.
The Trojans were 15-18 this season with Bronny James as a freshman, ending a run of four consecutive years winning more than 20 games. Enfield is 220-147 in 11 years at USC.
Rob Lanier was fired after two seasons as SMU's coach on March 21, a day after the Mustangs lost 101-92 at Indiana State in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament. They finished 20-13, doubling their win total from last year, but were 30-35 overall under Lanier with a 16-20 record in American Athletic Conference games.
SMU hasn't been to the NCAA Tournament since 2017, which was only its third appearance since last winning a tourney game in 1988.
Three ACC teams made the NCAA Elite Eight this season. That included Duke and North Carolina State playing in the South Region final Sunday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, which is just over five miles from SMU's campus.
The ACC will have 18 basketball teams with SMU moving into the league along with Cal and Stanford from the Pac-12.
USC, which is moving from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten this summer, has made the NCAA Tournament five times under Enfield, including three straight appearances before this year’s losing record. The Trojans got as far as the Elite Eight in 2021. Despite that success, the basketball program plays in the shadow of the school’s higher-profile national champion football program.
Enfield first captured national attention in 2013 as the coach at Florida Gulf Coast, guiding the school into the Sweet 16 as a 15th-seed with wins over Georgetown and San Diego State by playing a high-flying, up-tempo offense that often ended with thunderous dunks. That “Dunk City” run ended in North Texas with a loss to Florida in the South Region semifinal played at AT&T Stadium.
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MBB: NCAAT 2024 Mar 31 (RX; HM)
MBB: NCAAT 2024 Mar 31
There's an ACC team in the Men's Final Four, and there's an ACC team in the Women's Final Four, yet there's only one ACC schools still playing in March Madness. How's that possible? Read on!
| Sunday, March 31, 2024 Men's Basketball Scores Midwest Region - Elite 8 2 Tennessee 66 1 Purdue 72 W South Region - Elite 8 11 NC State 76 W 4 Duke 64 NCAA Women's Scores Regional 1 in Albany - Elite 8 3 Oregon State 58 1 S Carolina 70 W Regional 4 in Portland - Elite 8 3 NC State 76 W 1 Texas 66 |
The NC State Men and Women are both headed to the Final Four! Congragulations to the Wolfpack - may you bring home a pair of NCAA trophies!
REPORT: Penn State basketball adds ACC foe to 2024-25 schedule (basicbluesnation.com; Thomas)
Penn State basketball appears set to face off against an ACC foe early on in the 2024-25 campaign. First reported by The D1 Docket on March 28, Mike Rhoades and the Nittany Lions have agreed to a neutral site game against Virginia Tech in Baltimore on November 14. Neither program has publicly confirmed the news, but the report does offer our first look at year two under Mike Rhoades in Happy Valley.
Penn State basketball to face Virginia Tech in Baltimore, per reports
As reported by The D1 Docket on Thursday, Mike Rhoades and Penn State basketball will have an early season non-conference matchup with Virginia Tech out of the ACC. The game will be played at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, according to the report. The matchup has not been publicly confirmed by either the Nittany Lions or Hokies.Virginia Tech and Penn State will play in a neutral-site non-conference game on November 14th at Baltimore’s CFG Bank Arena, per public records obtained by @TheD1Docket.
Penn State basketball is 4-7 against Virginia Tech since 1921. The programs have faced off four times since 2014, twice in University Park, once in Blacksburg, and once at the Charleston Classic in South Carolina. The Nittany Lions have won three of those four matchups, but the Hokies got the better of Micah Shrewsberry and Penn State in 2022, winning 61-59.
First look at 2024
The reported matchup offers us a first look at the 2024-25 season for Penn State basketball. Although finishing 16-17, it was a successful first year under Mike Rhoades, defeating two top-15 programs and developing a sense of optimism that can be built on moving forward....
Other
Central NY pizzeria is changing its name after famous singer’s estate objects (PS; $; Doran)
Justin Gillett was at a local restaurant with a friend a few years ago talking about opening a new pizza shop. A woman sitting behind him turned around and asked if he’d picked a name yet.
Gillett said he hadn’t, and the woman suggested the name “Sinatra’s.”
“It had a nice ring to it, so I decided to go with it,” Gillett told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard Wednesday.
That was 3 1/2 years ago. The pizza shop in Rome has been a success, so much so that Gillett, 38, opened a second shop in Oneida. He researched Frank Sinatra, who he admitted he knew little about, and decorated his shop with some photos and memorabilia to pay tribute to the famous crooner.
He even played some Sinatra tunes in the pizza shop occasionally.
All was going swimmingly until March 18, when he received an email telling him to stop using the name “Sinatra’s.” It was a cease-and-desist letter on behalf of Sinatra’s estate.
The email said the name was an unauthorized use of Frank Sinatra intellectual property.
“You may have been unaware, but your use of the Sinatra IP violates” the estate’s exclusive rights and is trademark infringement and false designation of sponsorship, the email said. The letter was signed by Jennifer Romeo, vice president of Rights Enforcement with Global Catalog & Business Affairs.
“I had no idea,” Gillett said. “I was pretty surprised.”
Gillett called the woman. He said she was nice and that he could take some time to change the name.
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Monster Jam, Wine Fest, International Taste Fest: 12 things to do in CNY this week (PS; $; Newcomb)
Central New Yorkers have many great options of what to do with their time this Saturday. Monster Jam, Syracuse Wine Fest, International Taste Fest and three other entertaining events are all on the same day.
Monster Jam is a family-friendly event that features 12,000-pound monster trucks competing in competitions of speed and skill. Attendees can watch fan-favorites like Grave Digger, JCB DIGatron Megalodon and more complete in stunts, backflips, racing and head-to-head battles.
If you’re looking for something less intense than Monster Jam, there are two great festivals for food and drink. You can enjoy unlimited samples of wine, spirits and specialty food from throughout the state’s wine regions at the Syracuse Wine Festival. The International Taste Fest is taking place too. Try tastes and traditions from different countries and cultures while enjoying diverse, local entertainment. Each vendor has a $2 sample item.
Know of an event that you would like to see featured on this list? Email us at least two weeks in advance at features@syracuse.com
Monday
Grand Opening of Bash Potato
Try a baked potato whipped with butter, cheese and lots of other topping options at the newest restaurant in the Destiny USA food court. Bash Potato serves the one pound potatoes in custom options like a Philly steak and cheese or chicken parmesan, or you can build your own.Where: 1 Destiny USA Drive
When: 11 a.m.
How much: $8 - $11
Local Author Showcase
Hear from a local panel of authors about their personal experiences as authors and the ins and outs of publishing during this showcase at Liverpool Library. After the panel discussion guests will have a chance to talk with the author’s individually. Sparkling cider and cake will be served.Where: 310 Tulip St, Liverpool
When: 1 p.m.
How much: Free
Wednesday
The Celtic Woman
On their 20th Anniversary Tour, the Celtic Woman will entertain audiences with its blend of traditional and contemporary Irish music that echoes Ireland’s musical and cultural heritage. The group’s albums and DVD releases have been consistent multi-platinum best sellers and now locals can experience their talents at this concert. Click here to purchase tickets.Where: 411 Montgomery St, Syracuse
When: 7 p.m.
How much: $45-$150
