sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to Loomis Day!
The History of Loomis Day
As with many things, the history of Loomis Day is actually the history of a man, and an event, and how they changed the world to come. Mahlon Loomis was a dentist in the 1800’s who had an idea that had nothing to do with teeth. He knew about the electrical properties of the atmosphere, and like Tesla had conceived of an idea to transmit electricity through the air to a distant location. His idea was, perhaps, off a bit. He thought to ‘charge’ a layer of the atmosphere to create an electrical conduit between two metal towers set high on mountaintops (Sound familiar?).
Loomis Day
SU News
Recruiting Roundup: Syracuse target Eric Ayala to make reclassification decision after July - The Juice Online (the juice; Cheng)
Happy birthday to former Syracuse star Carmelo Anthony! On to today’s recruiting links…
Combo guard Eric Ayala will decide if he’s reclassifying to the class of 2017 sometime after July, he tells 247Sports Director of Scouting Jerry Meyer. Arizona, Oregon, Syracuse, Miami, Indiana, LSU, Kansas, Maryland and UConn are among the schools pursuing Ayala.
2018 running back Patrick Garwo from Conwell (PA) Egan Catholic reported an offer from Syracuse over the weekend via Twitter, his sixth. Virginia and Wisconsin are among the other schools to extend offers.
» Related: Decision day for Hugh Davis, Syracuse re-offers Jo-El Shaw
Hugh Davis, a three-star linebacker from Indianapolis (Ind.) Cathedral, announced his commitment to Boston College late Friday evening via Twitter. He had also been considering Syracuse and Cincinnati among his finalists.
EJ Williams, a 2018 defensive back, picked up an offer from Syracuse over the weekend, he said on Twitter. The Pike (Ind.) product, also holds offers from Bowling Green and Northern Illinois.
That’s all from the recruiting world for today. Have a great start to your week!
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Charlotte Hornets are Taking a Closer Look at Tyler Lydon (itlh.com; Weisleder)
Former Syracuse Basketball Forward Tyler Lydon is getting a serious look from NBA teams. Inside The Loud House looks at one team in particular who is taking notice.
Earlier today, the Facebook page affiliated with the Charlotte Hornets released a video that displays just how explosive and versatile Tyler Lydon is. The 6-foot-9 Forward received well deserved praise in the video for his ability to drive and hit both the mid-range and three.
Lydon’s exceptional foot work was on full display in the mini-movie, and due to the fact that he excelled on both ends at Syracuse, there is no doubt in my mind that he will continue to do so, especially if he can end up on a team like Charlotte, who has the No. 11 overall pick in the draft.
Although Tyler Lydon had, what many believe was a down year, he showed up during the NBA combine. Lydon performed exceptionally well, especially when taking 3-pointers, nailing every shot he took from the top of the key.
A Look at Charlotte’s Roster:
Charlotte have a plethora of big men that unsurprisingly have not lived up to their potential so far. Cody Zeller and Frank Kaminsky, though both young, only excel on one end of the floor.
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Pitt’s ACC move fosters football, hurts basketball - The Pitt News (pittnews.com; Campbell)
In the four years since Pitt moved to the Atlantic Coast Conference, the decision to leave the Big East has both haunted and helped the school’s biggest sports — football and men’s basketball.
For the majority of the 2000s, the University of Pittsburgh was a basketball school. Coaches Ben Howland and Jamie Dixon turned the school’s program completely around — taking it from one of the worst in the Big East to one of the best in the country.
In Howland’s four years at the helm, the team went from 13-15 in the 1999-2000 season to 28-5 in 2002-03, taking home a Big East Tournament championship in 2003. Dixon sustained Pitt’s success, and the two combined to make 12 NCAA tournaments in 13 years.
Football, on the other hand, was a much different tale. The program that once housed Dan Marino, Tony Dorsett and many other of the sport’s best players was mired in a slump. After an awful 1990s — which saw only one season above .500 — the 2000s were better, but not comparable to the program’s storied past.
This trend gave the teams opposite reputations, with basketball being one of the highlights of student life — while football struggled to convince students to make the trip to Heinz Field.
It seemed as if this might always be the hierarchy of Pitt athletics, but in September 2011, the school announced its departure from the Big East to join the ACC in 2013 — a decision which hugely impacted the status of both sports.
The move not only gave the athletic department more money, but was also supposed to allow it to expand its recruiting base from the Northeast to the entire Atlantic coast. This was poised make the football team much more competitive while also helping the basketball program take its next step.
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2017-2018 ACC Basketball Preview (howtheyplay.com; Lowd)
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Syracuse Orange
2016-2017: 19-15, 10-8 in the ACC (tie for 7th); lost to Ole Miss in the 2ndround of the NIT
Preseason Projection: 11th in the ACC; NIT
Departures: Tyler Lydon (13.2 ppg., 8.6 rpg., 1.4 bpg., 39.5% 3pt.) is projected as a First Round Pick in the NBA Draft; Andrew White (18.5 ppg., 4.6 rpg., 40.3% 3pt.), John Gillon (10.5 ppg., 5.4 apg., 41.9% 3pt.), and DaJuan Coleman graduated
*This section is likely to be updated soon depending on the decision of graduate transfer Geno Thorpe.
Syracuse followed their surprising Final Four appearance two years ago by missing the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years, and that was compounded by the departure of head coach in waiting Mike Hopkins. Jim Boeheim will again be working with a young squad after losing a great deal of production and leadership to graduation and the draft, but he won't have the benefit of a recruiting class as highly regarded as those he has had in the past.
Boeheim may finally turn the keys over to junior Franklin Howard, and it will be interesting to see which version of Howard takes the wheel. Howard is 6-5 and has all the physical tools Boeheim could want in a guard. He's an excellent defensive player and passer that easily led the team in both steals per minute and assists per minute, but sometimes he can't hit the broadside of a hyperbolic barn, and he also turned the ball over more than anyone else. Granted, most of those assists were early in the season before his confidence was lost, but he's capable of doing some great things. He certainly showed improvement as a sophomore, but if he can't find consistency the 4 star freshman Howard Washington will be the point guard. At 6-2, Washington doesn't have Howard's physical gifts, but he's a smart player and true point guard that would provide madness saving stability to the position. Boeheim will still have potential NBA talent available with 6-6 Tyus Battle, who is currently projected as a 1st round pick in next year's draft. Battle (11.3 ppg., 36.6% 3pt.) had a solid but not spectacular freshman year, but he should turn into offensive option number 1 as a sophomore. Oshae Brissett, a 6-6 4 star prospect, should see time at small forward; he's a fluid athlete with a high motor likely to provide more help at the defensive end as a freshman.
Sophomore Paschal Chukwu will step into the starting center spot after missing almost all of last season with an eye injury. The 7-2 Chukwu was only able to play in 7 games, but he posted excellent rebounding and shot blocking rates (2.0 bpg. in 15.4 mpg.) and will provide a strong base for the Orange defense. He'll be backed up by 4 star freshman Bourama Sidibe, who at 6-10 is more mobile and athletic than Chukwu with the same strengths and weaknesses. Neither is much of a scorer. 6-10 sophomore Taurean Thompson (9.2 ppg., 3.8 rpg.) is a much more offensive minded player at power forward, but his rebounding will need to improve with Lydon's departure. Matthew Moyer, a top 80 recruit that was also a medical redshirt last season, should see time at both forward spots but start at small forward. Moyer has gotten stronger and improved his perimeter shooting since arriving at Syracuse, and he should be more helpful as a rebounder than any of last season's wings. Marek Delezaj, an athletic and skilled 6-9 4 star recruit, could contribute at forward, but he is very thin at this point.
Despite being on the NCAA bubble and playing in the NIT, Syracuse was a horrible road team last season, finishing 2-11 in road and neutral court games. This team will actually be younger, and may even include a freshman point guard. Part of the problem was at the defensive end, where Syracuse can normally be expected to provide a suffocating zone but struggled with more offensive minded and less physically imposing players (the Orange finished 131st in fg% defense and 236th in rebounding margin). That should be corrected with a longer, more athletic and defensive minded group, although the obvious tradeoff will be a step back offensively (they were 45th in assist to turnover ratio and 47th in 3pt.%) as Lydon, White, and Gillon are replaced by less skilled players. Defense does travel better than offense, so at the very least Syracuse should be more competitive on the road, but this is a team with too many young players that need time to develop offensively to be considered a Tournament contender.
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Other
Update: Genesee beer tanks in Wayne County, approaching Rochester suburbs (PS; Cazentre)
The first set of giant beer tanks headed to the Genesee Brewery in Rochester via the Erie Canal are leaving Lyons, Wayne County this rainy Memorial Day, and should make it to at least Lock 30 (Macedon) this afternoon.
The barge operators will determine later today whether to push these six tanks on today to the Rochester suburbs of Fairport and Pittsford. A second set of six tanks started today in Clyde and will make it to at least Lock 28 in Lyons today.
A crowd estimated at 1,000 people came out to see the tanks Sunday night in Lyons, a Genesee spokesman said.
If the first set of tanks remain in Macedon tonight, they will move through Fairport and Pittsford Tuesday.
The 12 20-foot by 60-foot tanks are too large to be be trucked down the state Thruway. Once they arrive at 150 Lee Road in Rochester in the next day or so, they will be taken individually by truck to the brewery on St. Paul Street.
The tanks are part of a $49 million modernization project at Genesee Brewery in Rochester, the state's oldest brewery.
