sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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We can thank the Jewish population of Eastern Europe for the dense, chewy, doughy circles of wheat that have assimilated into our western diet about as easily as apple pie. Topped with a schmear of cream cheese, peanut butter and just about any other sandwich filler you can think of, the bagel is especially popular in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom.
Often topped with poppy or sesame seeds baked on the outer crust, bagels may also come with salt sprinkled on their outer crust. The most popular bagel remains the plain bagel, closely followed by the sesame.
In order to celebrate these doughy bread rounds, why not consider enjoying one on February 9, otherwise known as National Bagel Day (and Bagel and Lox Day).
SU News
The next step in Syracuse freshman center Taurean Thompson’s development: Avoid foul trouble (DO; Schwedelson)
Taurean Thompson turned toward the Syracuse sideline to listen to Jim Boeheim. The Orange’s 41-year head coach didn’t have anything profound to say. Instead, Boeheim delivered a simple message that still rings true over a month later.
“Don’t foul,” Boeheim told Thompson.
Thompson had just put his hands on Miami’s Dewan Huell, who dunked just two and a half minutes into the Jan. 4 contest. It was Thompson’s first foul of the game before being pulled when he committed his second two minutes later.
Thompson has proven his offensive ability 24 games into the season. He’s provided a pleasant surprise for a Syracuse (16-9, 8-4 Atlantic Coast) team that’s desperately needed one at times. And as his freshman season progresses, so does his game. The next step to take is staying out of foul trouble.
Among those who have played a minimum of 40 percent of minutes in conference play, Thompson ranks forth in the ACC in fouls committed per 40 minutes (5.63), according to Kenpom.com. The Orange is 3-5 when Thompson commits four or more fouls. All three of those wins have come in the past two weeks.
“Every single day, that’s my main focus right now,” Thompson said of practicing to avoid fouling.
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Freshmen making their impact felt in ACC men's basketball (eastoregonian.com; AP)
A bevy of talented freshmen in the Atlantic Coast Conference are making their presence felt around the league.
Eight freshmen are averaging in double figures with two — North Carolina State's Dennis Smith Jr. and Georgia Tech's Josh Okogie — leading their teams in scoring. The average number of freshmen coming into the season to average double figures in the conference since 1992-93 was five, according to Basketball Reference.
The class is so deep that Miami coach Jim Larranaga named 17 he believes deserve consideration to be on the five-player all-freshmen team.
"The talent we have coming in is off the charts," North Carolina coach Roy Williams said. "I think they are much more experienced coming in, but there's also quality and depth on teams to help them develop."
Two of the league's top freshmen will meet on Wednesday when Smith's Wolfpack travel to face No. 14 Florida State and Jonathan Isaac. Both are projected to be lottery picks in the NBA draft if they leave school after this season.
The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Smith has lived up to his preseason billing. He is fifth in the ACC in scoring (19.2) while leading the league in both assists (7.0) and steals (2.2).
After rehabbing his senior year in high school due to a knee injury and enrolling at North Carolina State early, Smith is trying to become only the third freshman in conference history since 1993-94 to average at least 19 points — joining Maryland's Joe Smith (19.4, 1993-94) and Duke's Jabari Parker (19.1, 2013-14).
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Walk-on Adrian Autry Jr. embraces role as ‘Handshake Guy’ (DO; Schwedelson)
It all started one day while stretching before a preseason practice last season. Adrian Autry Jr. knew he wouldn’t receive much playing time as a walk-on for Syracuse, so he thought of a way to contribute even if it wouldn’t be during the game.
Autry asked senior Michael Gbinije for a position only one person on the team could hold. He wanted to be the Orange’s Handshake Guy.
“I’m a pretty funny guy and everyone’s cool with me,” Autry said, “I just thought that I could have something, have a little pregame ritual.”
The season before, Autry started regularly at nearby Jamesville-DeWitt (New York) High School. That meant he couldn’t be the one coordinating handshakes when the public address announcer called out starters. But at Syracuse (16-9, 8-4 Atlantic Coast), Autry’s found a new role. The sophomore calls himself, “King of the Handshakes.”
Ron Patterson served as the Orange’s previous Handshake Guy, but he transferred to IUPUI following the 2014-15 season and created the vacancy. In his second year in the role, Autry has taken inspiration from popular culture, Twitter, YouTube videos, professional athletes and even childhood games.
“We all just bounce ideas off each other,” Autry said.
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Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim says Carmelo should leave Knicks (nydailynews.com; Bondy)
Carmelo Anthony has remained loyal to the Knicks and is holding on to his no-trade clause, even with his boss trying to drive him out of town.
But his former college coach and staunch supporter Jim Boeheim believes Anthony should — and would — leave to a better franchise, specifically the Cavaliers and the Clippers.
"I think they would be ideal," Boeheim told Sirius XM's Mad Dog radio. "But I don't know if that can be worked out."
Boeheim also explained why the Cavs are a better fit than the Clippers in terms of winning a title, and added that the Celtics are less desirable for Anthony than the aforementioned teams.
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Other
Slippery roads this morning in CNY, heavy lake effect snow tonight (PS; Coin)
Much of Central New York is waking up to a few inches of snow this morning from a storm that is hammering coastal cities, but there could be more tonight in the form of lake effect snow.
Some flights in and out of Hancock International Airport have been canceled, and many schools have announced closures. Expect slippery roads this morning.
A coastal storm could create lake effect snow tonight and Friday in Central New York, with the highest amounts in Onondaga and western Madison counties.National Weather Service
In Central New York, we'll see 1 to 4 inches from this storm. During the day, expect high winds and falling temperatures. Wind chills could reach zero.
Those winds, generated by the departing coastal storm, will blow in lake effect snow tonight and into Friday from Lake Ontario. The band of snow will be fairly narrow, dumping up to 8 inches across most of Onondaga and western Madison counties. It will taper off quickly, with just an inch forecast for Ithaca and Rome.
The National Weather Service has upgraded the lake effect snow watch to an advisory, saying 4 to 8 inches could fall.
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