sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to Equal Opportunity Day!
The Gettysburg Address is celebrated today by various groups in different ways, and the holiday is given a few different names. It is informally named Gettysburg Address Day simply because it marks the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's reading of the Gettysburg Address. It is also known as Equal Opportunity Day. This day was created by the National Urban League in 1956 and continues to be celebrated as such by the league and others, being proclaimed by politicians on multiple occasions. The third name given to the day is Dedication Day, having been formally named as such by a joint resolution of Congress in 1946. It continues to be celebrated as Dedication Day at the Gettysburg National Cemetery.
The Battle of Gettysburg took place on July 1-3, 1863, between Robert E. Lee's Confederate forces and the Union Army of the Potomac under George G. Meade, in the southern Pennsylvania town of Gettysburg. The Confederates were defeated, and Lee and his men retreated on the Fourth of July, the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It was a battle of high casualties, with 23,000 Union and 28,000 Confederate soldiers killed, wounded, or missing, out of the 170,000 that fought.
SU News
If Jimmy Boeheim transfers, how many years will he have left? (Mike’s Mailbox) (PS; $; Waters)
The streak continues.
Not that anyone is keeping records, but the streak of consecutive weeks with a question about Jimmy Boeheim in Mike’s Mailbox stayed alive this week. In a big way.
The mailbox was flooded with queries about the Cornell senior who made a bit of news this week.
So here we go:
Q: If Jimmy Boeheim transfers to Syracuse and plays his last year of eligibility, would he still be able to use his graduate transfer year of eligibility?
Fady K.
Mike: My email inbox practically exploded when the news broke that Cornell senior Jimmy Boeheim, along with two of his Big Red teammates, had entered their names in the NCAA’s transfer portal.
Most of the questions centered around whether Jimmy would transfer to Syracuse, when and for how long? (His father, for those who don’t know, happens to be the head coach at Syracuse, and his younger brother is a junior guard for the Orange.)
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TAKING CHARGE: Marek Dolezaj's undersized frame shapes his 'sneaky' style of play (DO; Crane)
As Marek Dolezaj rose to the rim and finished a transition dunk, drawing an and-one, the power went out inside Boris Trajkovski Sports Center. Dolezaj landed, and teammates on the bench joked that his dunk had turned the lights off. It was Aug. 6, 2016, just three minutes into Slovakia’s FIBA Under-18 European Championship semifinal game against Montenegro.
That day, a storm tore through Skopje, Macedonia, the location of the tournament, and caused the Slovakia national team’s 10-minute bus ride from their hotel to take 90 because of flooded streets. Both teams had shortened warmups.
Dolezaj’s play was one of several that etched his spot in the Slovakian lineup, despite being undersized. He needed to rely on transition offense, strong rebounding and smart defense against stronger and taller opponents. Slovakia ended up losing after the power returned, despite Dolezaj’s 14 points. His 19 the next day claimed a win against Hungary and a third-place result, the country’s best youth-team finish.
“Marek in transition, you know, it was a lot of alley-oops, a lot of funny things,” Richard Duris, the coach of Slovakia’s U-18 team that year, said.
Playing against men as old as 30 in his club team, the Extraliga for Karlovka, shaped Dolezaj into the player was when he arrived at Syracuse. A year after the bronze medal finish, he was 180 pounds, the lightest forward on the Orange’s roster by 25 pounds. As he progressed and keyed the Orange’s run in the NCAA Tournament that year while helping it return again the next season, Dolezaj continued to grow.
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‘IT’S EXHAUSTING’: This season, COVID-19 is Syracuse's biggest obstacle (DO; Dabbundo)
Marek Dolezaj hasn’t been on Syracuse’s Main Campus a single time this semester.
He lives in downtown Syracuse and practices in-person at Manley Field House and the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center. He attends all of his classes online, avoids restaurants and bars and takes his dog for walks to pass the time.
The players are encouraged to only spend time with people who are tested for COVID-19 regularly and to never be in groups that exceed 10 people.
A semester of sacrifice was intended to help protect the entire team from contracting COVID-19. But the Orange found themselves with the same fate of dozens of college basketball programs looking to start up their season in coming weeks.
The program has confirmed two positive tests this week: One from an unnamed person and the other from head coach Jim Boeheim.
On Sunday night, Boeheim announced on Twitter that he had tested positive for COVID-19. At age 76, he’s considered to be at high-risk for complications, but he’s asymptomatic as of Sunday night. The positive test leaves the Orange’s head coach in quarantine, the team’s activities paused and the future of their season uncertain less than two weeks before it’s scheduled to begin.
“I’m confident we can pull it off,” Boeheim said at a press conference prior to his positive test. “But it’s not going to be easy. I think it can be done.”
Throughout this fall season, Syracuse football announced zero positive tests, even while a few Syracuse sports had matches and games canceled due to infections. Their relative success made Boeheim optimistic that the athletic department’s protocols could keep COVID-19 outside the program.
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PROVING IT: Alan Griffin was the most efficient scorer in the nation. At SU, his role will grow. (DO; Emerman)
About every other day for two straight summers, a preschool-aged Alan Griffin attempted to ride a bicycle with his dad. Day after day ended with Alan frustrated at his inability to balance, though.
It wasn’t that Alan’s a slow learner — Adrian Griffin, his dad, had already taught him how to shoot a basketball. Alan just couldn’t figure it out. Maybe the 6-year-old needed a little kick, Adrian thought.
“One day, we were out riding a bike, and I was trying to teach him, and I said ‘This is the last time I’m taking you to try to ride a bike. If you don’t get it now, I’m taking your bike and I’m throwing it in the trash,’” Adrian recalled.
Sure enough, Alan steadily pedaled away.
“It kind of let me know that Alan just needs to be challenged,” Adrian said. ”Any time you challenge him, he always steps up to the plate. He’s one of those players that if you tell him he can’t do something, he’ll prove to you that he can.”
His two seasons at Illinois were a different challenge. He came off the bench and served primarily as a floor spacer, taking nearly two-thirds of his shots from behind the arc. Alan fulfilled the limited role brilliantly as a sophomore, averaging 19.9 points, 10 rebounds and a steal on 41.6% 3-point shooting per 40 minutes. But after transferring to Syracuse, Alan’s now facing a new obstacle: adding enough playmaking ability to his game to replace 2019 Atlantic Coast Conference first-team performer Elijah Hughes.
With Alan’s window to become a legitimate NBA prospect narrowing, this season is critical. For both Alan and Syracuse, there’s no time for training wheels.
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Syracuse Basketball: Elijah Hughes picked in NBA Draft’s second round (itlh; Adler)
Former Syracuse basketball star Elijah Hughes is selected No. 39 overall in this year’s NBA Draft.
Not too long before midnight during the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft on Wednesday, former Syracuse basketball player Elijah Hughes became the latest Orange guy to get taken in the annual event.
The New Orleans Pelicans chose Hughes at No. 39 overall, or No. 9 in the second round, and that pick reportedly got made for the Utah Jazz, according to various media reports.
The 6-foot-6 Hughes, a talented and versatile forward, transferred to the Hill after starting his collegiate career at East Carolina, where he played his freshman season in 2016-17.
He had to sit out the 2017-18 stanza for the Orange, when the ‘Cuse went on a surprising journey to the Sweet 16. Hughes was one of the four main contributors for the team in 2018-19, as Syracuse basketball reached the NCAA Tournament but fell in the round of 64 to Baylor.
Finally, in 2019-20, Hughes’ redshirt-junior campaign, he took the squad on his back and put forth one of the best all-around performances in recent program history.
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Eric Devendorf once again gives back to CNY with Turkey Drive November 24 (cnycentral.com; Tamurian)
It's what makes Eric Devendorf such an incredible part of the Central New York community.
And true to his nature, Eric is quick to deflect any praise to his own generosity and thank his partners on his turkey drive effort.
He thanks Printing and Promotable Solutions, the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation, Tops Friendly Markets and more in our community.
You can sign up for the Turkey Drive here.
It's a humility we can all learn from, an initiative to help others that we can only hope inspires any and all in Central New York.
Devendorf is holding a Turkey Drive on Tuesday November 24, just two days before Thanksgiving. The event will be held at 4596 Nixon Park Drive in Syracuse from 4:00-7:00 p.m. that day.
To keep people safe in this pandemic, it's a true drive-thru setup with Eric and his team placing the Thanksgiving Dinner in your car or trunk to limit contact.
It's this pandemic of course that means our town needs Eric's leadership more than ever.
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Local Coach Sending "Kids" to College (sprectrumlocalnews.com; Larson)
It's still pretty early on a cold, November Saturday morning. But, instead of sleeping in, or grabbing some coffee, Peter Dourdas grabs his ball bag, and heads off to work.
He's at the Hebrew Day School in DeWitt, where Peter is a teacher, kind of. Instead of a classroom, he works in a gymnasium.
Peter is a basketball coach, the former coach of the Syracuse Stallions, who now primarily works with individuals. In fact, you might call him the "trainer to the stars."
"Oh, Brandon Triche, Arinze Onuaku, Scoop Jardine," said Dourdas, rattling off a number of former Syracuse basketball players with whom he's worked.
What You Need To Know
- Local basketball coach Peter Dourdas estimates he's helped 150 boys and girls earn some sort of college scholarship over the years
- Dourdas has also worked with more than 100 Division 1 players, including former Syracuse stars like Brandon Triche and Eric Devendorf
- After playing professionally in Greece, Dourdas returned to CNY and found his passion for coaching
- Dourdas founded his company called "Elite Basketball", and is working on a patent for a shooting glove
"It's all about fundamentals, it's not playing 50 AAU games a year," Dourdas said. "Like Kobe Bryant said, 'you've got to love the boring things in basketball'. It's not easy, it's challenging, it's repetition, it gets boring. But, that's how you become great."
And it's not just boys, Dourdas says about 60 percent of his current students are girls.
"Off the record, the girls are smarter," quipped Dourdas with a chuckle.
That's a hard lesson for a boy dad.
"They just want it more at a younger age," he continued. "They listen, they follow directions, they're great, great to work with."
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Orange Watch: Syracuse basketball season already changing course - The Juice Online (the juice; Bierman)
Item: Only a week ago Jim Boeheim was detailing the technology and protocols the university and basketball program put in place to err on the side of caution during the ongoing pandemic. The specific strategy centers on maintaining as safe and healthy an environment as possible on a college campus during the current period of an exponential rise nationally in positive coronavirus test results. Then came Sunday’s attention-grabbing news that the now 76-year old Boeheim himself tested positive for COVID-19, immediately halting basketball operations. Some 30 basketball programs have also paused organized team activities around the country, which will necessitate a change for the upcoming regular season and March Madness.
Unlike the smaller composition and financial options that provide professional sports leagues and entities an ability to control their playing environments, those in college administration can only go so far with their financial resources and facilities while stressing the mandate to their athletes and staff to follow specific health and safety protocols, encourage responsible behavior in everyday life, and hope for the best.
Even with detailed plans and precautions, the contagiousness of this disease mandates total flexibility whether that’s playing/coaching shorthanded or postponing or canceling games.
FBS football has had 24 games altered the last two weeks, and as of Thursday there’s already 12 more games that have been halted this week (Syracuse football has done a remarkable job with testing, and thanks to a little bit of luck with its opponents health has been one of only two ACC teams – Boston College is the other- not to miss a scheduled game this season).
Similar to how the ACC built in two open weeks for each of the 15 football teams to allow for the flexibility of postponing games to a new date, the basketball schedule has seven Syracuse games to be played either on a Tuesday or Wednesday from late December through February to allow maneuverability should it be needed.
As of now, Syracuse is scheduled to face Bryant in its opener in two weeks (Nov. 27-3:00 p.m. ET/ACC Network), with the Big Ten Challenge game at Rutgers to be played next on Dec. 8. SU has been looking to finalize a home game in-between, but contract negotiations have been tedious this year as it relates to coronavirus testing/protocol language, delaying official announcements.
Now with Boeheim out and practice stopped, so much is unknown as to exactly how the schedule will end up materializing and how the two-games per week conference format will play out.
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2020 NBA Draft Picks (RX; HM)
2020 NBA Draft Picks
The NBA draft is now in the books for 2020. Which ACC alumni were selected, and how high?
| Round 1 | |||
| Pick(Ovr) | Player's Name | College, if any | POS |
| 1 (1) | Anthony Edwards | Georgia | SG |
| 2 (2) | James Wiseman | Memphis | C |
| 3 (3) | LaMelo Ball | USA | PG |
| 4 (4) | Patrick Williams | Florida State | SF |
| 5 (5) | Isaac Okoro | Auburn | SF |
| 6 (6) | Onyeka Okongwu | USC | C |
| 7 (7) | Killian Hayes | France | PG |
| 8 (8) | Obi Toppin | Dayton | PF |
| 9 (9) | Deni Avdija | Israel | SF |
| 10 (10) | Jalen Smith | Maryland | PF |
| 11 (11) | Devin Vassell | Florida State | SG |
| 12 (12) | Tyrese Haliburton | Iowa State | PG |
| 13 (13) | Kira Lewis Jr | Alabama | PG |
| 14 (14) | Aaron Nesmith | Vanderbilt | SF |
| 15 (15) | Cole Anthony | North Carolina | PG |
| 16 (16) | Isaiah Stewart | Washington | C |
| 17 (17) | Aleksej Pokusevski | Serbia | PF |
| 18 (18) | Josh Green | Arizona | SG |
| 19 (19) | Saddiq Bey | Villanova | PF |
| 20 (20) | Precious Achiuwa | Memphis | PF |
| 21 (21) | Tyrese Maxey | Kentucky | SG |
| 22 (22) | Zeke Nnaji | Arizona | PF |
| 23 (23) | Leandro Bolmaro | Argentina | SG |
| 24 (24) | RJ Hampton | USA | PG |
| 25 (25) | Immanuel Quickley | Kentucky | PG |
| 26 (26) | Payton Pritchard | Oregon | PG |
| 27 (27) | Udoka Azubuike | Kansas | C |
| 28 (28) | Jaden McDaniels | Washington | PF |
| 29 (29) | Malachi Flynn | San Diego St | PG |
| 30 (30) | Desmond Bane | TCU | SG |
| Round 2 | |||
| Pick(Ovr) | Player's Name | College, if any | POS |
| 1 (31) | Tyrell Terry | Stanford | PG |
| 2 (32) | Vernon Carey Jr | Duke | C |
| 3 (33) | Daniel Oturu | Minnesota | C |
| 4 (34) | Theo Maledon | France | PG |
| 5 (35) | Xavier Tillman | Michigan State | C |
| 6 (36) | Tyler Bey | Colorado | PF |
| 7 (37) | Vit Krejci | Czech Republic | PG |
| 8 (38) | Saben Lee | Vanderbilt | PG |
| 9 (39) | Elijah Hughes | Syracuse | SG |
| 10 (40) | Robert Woodard II | Mississippi St | SF |
| 11 (41) | Tre Jones | Duke | PG |
| 12 (42) | Nick Richards | Kentucky | C |
| 13 (43) | Jahmi'us Ramsey | Texas Tech | PG |
| 14 (44) | Marko Simonovic | Montenegro | C |
| 15 (45) | Jordan Nwora | Louisville | PF |
| 16 (46) | CJ Elleby | Washington St | SG |
| 17 (47) | Yam Madar | Israel | PG |
| 18 (48) | Nico Mannion | Arizona | PG |
| 19 (49) | Isaiah Joe | Arkansas | SG |
| 20 (50) | Skylar Mays | LSU | SG |
| 21 (51) | Justinian Jessup | Boise State | SG |
| 22 (52) | Kenyon Martin Jr. | USA | SF |
| 23 (53) | Cassius Winston | Michigan State | PG |
| 24 (54) | Cassius Stanley | Duke | SG |
| 25 (55) | Jay Scrubb | USA | SG |
| 26 (56) | Grant Riller | Charleston | PG |
| 27 (57) | Reggie Perry | Mississippi St | C |
| 28 (58) | Paul Reed | DePaul | PF |
| 29 (59) | Jalen Harris | Nevada | SG |
| 30 (60) | Sam Merrill | Utah State | SG |
Other
Lights on the Lake, Gingerbread Gallery at the Erie Canal Museum: 11 things to do in CNY (PS; Croyle)
It is the final weekend before Thanksgiving and, in between getting things ready for the holiday, there is plenty of fun things to do around Central New York.
Two of the area’s favorite holiday traditions, the Lights on the Lake drive-thru light show at Onondaga Lake Park and the Gingerbread Gallery at the Erie Canal Museum, begin their run.
Both have new COVID protocols this year.
Know of an event you would like to see on this list? Email us at features@syracuse.com.
Cars enter the "Under the Sea" section of Lights on the Lake in Onondaga Lake Park on Friday, Nov. 15, 2019, at Onondaga Lake Park in Liverpool, N.Y. Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.comScott Schild | sschild@syracuse.
Lights on the Lake
One of Central New York’s most popular holiday attractions returns for 2020. Lights on the Lake, a two-mile drive-thru show at Onondaga Lake Park features towering holiday displays, the “larger-than-life” Land of Oz, and a fairy tale magic grand finale. Visitors get in the mood while listening to holiday musical favorites on Sunny 102 radio. Admission this year is by online sales only. Vehicle passes must be purchased in advance. Visit lightsonthelake.com for more information.
Where: Onondaga Lake Park, 106 Lake Drive, Liverpool
When: Open daily from 5-10 p.m. through Jan. 10.
How much: Vehicles of 16 people are less cost $6 on Monday and Tuesday. $10 on Wednesday and Thursday. $20 on Friday-Sunday. $24 for mini-bus and $75 for motorcoaches.
Gingerbread Gallery at the Erie Canal Museum
The annual Gingerbread Gallery at the Erie Canal Museum, one of Syracuse’s oldest holiday traditions, opens for its 35th year on Friday, Nov. 20. The museum’s Weighlock Gallery is transformed into a festive canal town with gingerbread creations on display, created by local professional and amateur bakers. This year, six tickets will be available for every ten-minute slot so that the Gallery does not exceed 25 people at any time. Visit eriecanalmuseum.org/gingerbread for ticket information.
Where: 318 Erie Boulevard East, Syracuse
When: Open daily from Nov. 20 – Jan. 10, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Must have tickets.
How much: $10 for adults, $7 for seniors, $4 for children (3-17). Babies are free.
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