Orangeyes Daily Articles for Wednesday for Basketball

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Welcome to International Traffic Light Day!

The upside down traffic light on Tipperary Hill might get worldwide recognition every St. Patrick's Day, but the country's first traffic light was manufactured in Syracuse. According to the Syracuse Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Crouse Hinds Company, started by Huntington Beard Crouse and Jesse Lorenzo Hinds in 1894, built the traffic light that was installed in Texas in 1921. The Salt City got its first traffic light three years later on the corner of State and James streets.

SU News

Former Syracuse basketball player Demetris Nichols poses in his Pop Warner football uniform.

What sports did Syracuse stars play as kids besides basketball? (PS; Waters)

Before they became college basketball stars at Syracuse University, they played lacrosse, hockey, football, volleyball, baseball and soccer.

They were Little Leaguers. Or Pop Warner standouts. They played pickup ice hockey or tennis.

Sometimes they excelled. They won championships. They posed with the same trophies that are handed out in every youth league across the country. Their pictures as a youngster in a baseball uniform look the same as the one you might have tucked away in a scrapbook or photo album.

And other times they struggled. Billy Owens, one of the greatest players in Syracuse basketball history, admittedly couldn’t hit a curveball.

A few played their alternative sport well into high school. They all eventually wound up playing basketball for the Syracuse Orange.

But here is a look at the sports a handful of future Syracuse basketball players played before they became SU hoops stars.

JOHN WALLACE (1992-96)

My first love was football. It was the first sport I ever played. I was 7 years old and you had to be 8 in order to play, but I lied about my age and they let me play because I was a big kid.
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College basketball: Boeheim, other Syracuse staff members join fight for social justice (nny360.com; St Croix)

Syracuse University men’s basketball coach Jim Boeheim and members of his staff have taken real steps in joining the fight for social justice.

Boeheim was recently announced as one of several prominent college mentors in the McLendon Foundation Minority Leadership Initiative, while SU strength-and-conditioning coach Ryan Cabiles and assistant coach Gerry McNamara have each linked up with Coaches 4 Change.

The McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative was created, according to its website, to provide minorities a jump-start to their careers through practical experiences, opportunities to network, and instilling the values of Hall of Fame coach John McLendon — integrity, education, leadership, and mentorship.

Boeheim is one of the many NCAA basketball and football coaches serving as initiative ambassadors, along with program co-chairs Tommy Amaker of Harvard and Kentucky coach John Calipari.

“I’m excited, think it’s a great program,” Boeheim said during a recent phone interview.

“Everybody talks about doing things to help minority students and I think this is a tangible way that we’re going to be able to get people in positions,” he said. “Most interns get an opportunity to show what they can do and they get jobs out of it, I was an intern, basically, as an assistant when I got out of college and then I got a job.”

Boeheim said that he and other coaches intend to help recent minority college graduates aiming for a career in athletics a chance to work in different areas of the department, such as marketing or ticket sales.
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Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim built his 'Cuse dream player, picking 10 players to fit 10 different categories on the court. Listen to Boeheim's full conversation with Andy Katz on the March Madness 365 podcast.

SU Top 100: #47 Adrian Autry – Orange Fizz – Free Syracuse Recruiting News (orangefizz.net; Gross)

Syracuse did not advance to the elite eight in 1994, but not to any fault of their senior point guard Adrian ‘Red’ Autry. In the Sweet 16, the Orange (4) met top-seeded Missouri. The Tigers led by eleven points with five minutes to go. That’s when Autry led a scoring barrage and surged SU into overtime. Autry finished the game with 31 points, all coming in the second half. That’s an NCAA Tournament record for points in a half. Unfortunately, Mizzou rallied in OT, winning 98-88. Quite the way to end a college career.

Earlier that season, Autry had a signature game with a much happier ending. In February 1994, Syracuse upstaged Kentucky, No. 4 in the country, inside the Carrier Dome, 93-85. Autry finished with a shining 30 point, 10 assist stat line, something Orange fans got accustomed to in the 93-94 season.

He averaged 16.7 points per game along with 6.1 assists as a senior, both career highs. His three point jumpshot connected 37 percent of the time, a vast improvement from his previous career mark of 33 percent. The campaign earned him First Team All-BIG EAST honors.

But Autry was a major contributor for all four years. He’s one of three players in SU history to lead the team in assists over all four seasons. He’s 5th on the all-time assists list, and 6th on the steals list.

Remember, Autry played with some of the best scorers in SU history. In ’91 Autry was the point guard when Billy Owens averaged 23.3 PPG. In ’92 Dave Johnson averaged close to 20. Finally, in ’93 and ’94 Autry fed backcourt partner Lawrence Moten, the all-time points leader in Syracuse men’s basketball history.
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NCAA Basketball: Updated 2020-21 power rankings after NBA Draft deadline (bustingbrackets.com; Freeman)

With a ton of NCAA Basketball players making huge decisions on the NBA Draft, which teams benefitted the most for the upcoming season?

It’s absolutely crazy that in the month of August, many of us NCAA Basketball fans still haven’t had a clear look at how all 357 rosters look for the upcoming season. That’s in part due to the NBA Draft deadline having been extended up to August 3rd for underclassmen to decide on whether or not they’ll return to college, or opt to go pro.

The good news for basketball fans overall is that the bubble for the NBA seems to be working well, with the season continuing. That helps the league setup continue without even further delay, such as the NBA Draft lottery occurring later this month, along with the actual draft set to happen in October. The hope is that an actual combine for prospective prospects will happen after all, with nearly 100 invites having already been set out.

Between the combine, and even whether or not there will be a 2020-21 NCAA Basketball season has had to play into the minds of players who waiting to decide his late of their potential decisions. There’s no gameplan for how to do this, so waiting as long as one can only make sense in this situation.

But with the deadline has now passed (still an extra two weeks in case the college season does, in fact, get canceled), we now know which players are staying in college and who we had to say goodbye to. And compared to some of our own expectations on what some guys would ultimately do, there definitely were several surprising moves.

For an instant reaction look overall, here are my current top-25 power rankings for the upcoming season.
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Other

Orange Lot Madness: Bigger State Fair-style drive-thru events set through Labor Day (PS; Cazentre)

Pizze frittes. Sausage sandwiches. Deep-fried Oreos. Wine slushies. Drive-in movies.

Starting this weekend, and running through Labor Day, State Fair-style food will be joined by free movies and other entertainment in the Orange parking lot next to the fairgrounds.

It’s called Orange Lot Madness, and it’s brought to you by several of the vendors who staged similar drive-thru food events this spring and summer to ease the pain of the coronaviris pandemic. This time, it’s even bigger.

Of course it can’t replace the canceled 2020 New York State Fair, which was scheduled to start Aug. 21 and run through Labor Day. But organizers say it’s meant keep Central New Yorkers from thinking there’s nothing to do during what otherwise would be State Fair season.

It’s the first time the State Fair has been canceled since 1948.

“We decided that can’t happen — we can’t end the summer without a bang, that’s just not what we do in Central New York” said Grazi Zazarra, whose family-owned Villa Pizze Fritte stand launched the first State Fair-style drive-thru events back in April and May. “It’s not the Fair, but it certainly will be a great way to end the summer on a high note.”

Joining the Villa Pizze Fritte stand for the next five weekends will be the Big Kahuna food stand, Ashley Lynn Winer
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