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Gasaway article - I apologize if this has been posted, but I didn't find it and there's been a lot of activity here today. I've only included the quotes on the Orange players below.
Ennis at #3 (Behind McDermott and Parker)
Fair at #14
http://insider.espn.go.com/mens-col.../the-nation-top-25-players-college-basketball
"3. Tyler Ennis, Syracuse Orange
The question posed by Ennis' superb freshman season is a simple one. How in the world was this kid ranked all the way down at No. 20 nationally in this season's freshman class? I know the premise of my list is that it's NBA-blind, but I'm waiving that rule for one sentence. Ennis is currently showing up at No. 10 on my colleague Chad Ford's Big Board, meaning in the NBA's eyes, he is one of the 10 best draft-eligible basketball players on the planet.
I'll buy that. He's the point guard on the No. 1 team in the nation, and an excellent and highly disruptive defender as well. Ennis has posted far and away the lowest per-possession turnover rate of any Syracuse point guard of the past decade, and it's no coincidence that a remarkable 86 percent of the Orange's ACC possessions have produced a shot attempt from the field or at the line. So here's one more salute directed Jim Boeheim's way. This fall he handed his team's keys to a freshman ranked "just" No. 20 nationally, and it turns out the coach knew exactly what he was doing."
"14. C.J. Fair, Syracuse Orange
During the time this season when Arizona was No. 1, I heard my ESPN colleague Bill Walton touting Nick Johnson for national player of the year on the grounds that the junior is the leading scorer for (what was) the nation's top-ranked team. I suppose that distinction now falls to Fair, who would indeed be an excellent choice for such an award.
With the departures of Michael Carter-Williams, Brandon Triche and James Southerland after last season, Fair has been asked to assume a much larger workload on offense. The senior must be doing something right in his new role, because Jim Boeheim's team has scored 1.15 points per possession in ACC play. Ennis, Jerami Grant and Trevor Cooney have helped attain that number, to be sure, but give credit to Fair as well. He has been an effective featured scorer even though his perimeter accuracy has gone missing. (Last season: 47 percent. This season: 29.) Fair is the workhorse of an excellent Orange offense."
Ennis at #3 (Behind McDermott and Parker)
Fair at #14
http://insider.espn.go.com/mens-col.../the-nation-top-25-players-college-basketball
"3. Tyler Ennis, Syracuse Orange
The question posed by Ennis' superb freshman season is a simple one. How in the world was this kid ranked all the way down at No. 20 nationally in this season's freshman class? I know the premise of my list is that it's NBA-blind, but I'm waiving that rule for one sentence. Ennis is currently showing up at No. 10 on my colleague Chad Ford's Big Board, meaning in the NBA's eyes, he is one of the 10 best draft-eligible basketball players on the planet.
I'll buy that. He's the point guard on the No. 1 team in the nation, and an excellent and highly disruptive defender as well. Ennis has posted far and away the lowest per-possession turnover rate of any Syracuse point guard of the past decade, and it's no coincidence that a remarkable 86 percent of the Orange's ACC possessions have produced a shot attempt from the field or at the line. So here's one more salute directed Jim Boeheim's way. This fall he handed his team's keys to a freshman ranked "just" No. 20 nationally, and it turns out the coach knew exactly what he was doing."
"14. C.J. Fair, Syracuse Orange
During the time this season when Arizona was No. 1, I heard my ESPN colleague Bill Walton touting Nick Johnson for national player of the year on the grounds that the junior is the leading scorer for (what was) the nation's top-ranked team. I suppose that distinction now falls to Fair, who would indeed be an excellent choice for such an award.
With the departures of Michael Carter-Williams, Brandon Triche and James Southerland after last season, Fair has been asked to assume a much larger workload on offense. The senior must be doing something right in his new role, because Jim Boeheim's team has scored 1.15 points per possession in ACC play. Ennis, Jerami Grant and Trevor Cooney have helped attain that number, to be sure, but give credit to Fair as well. He has been an effective featured scorer even though his perimeter accuracy has gone missing. (Last season: 47 percent. This season: 29.) Fair is the workhorse of an excellent Orange offense."
