sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to The Start of Hanukkah!
Hanukkah, which is the Hebrew word for "dedication," is a Jewish celebration that lasts eight days and eight nights. It commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, where, according to Jewish belief, a miracle occurred that allowed oil to light a menorah for eight days, when there only was enough oil for one day. The holiday begins on a different day each year, as it follows the lunisolar Jewish calendar, not the Gregorian calendar. It starts on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev, which usually falls between late November and late December.
Around 200 BCE, Judea—or the land of Israel—came under the control of Antiochus III, the Seleucid King of Syria. When his son Antiochus IV Epiphanes took over, he outlawed the Jewish religion—making its adherence punishable by death—and ordered followers of the religion to worship Greek gods. In 168 BCE, his soldiers came to Jerusalem and massacred thousands of people, put an altar to Zeus in the Second Temple, and allowed pigs to be sacrificed in it. A rebellion was led by the Jewish priest Mattathias and his five sons. When Mattathias died shortly thereafter, his son Judah Maccabee became the leader, and helped drive the Syrians out of Jerusalem in two years—the rebels were victorious in 165 BCE.
SU News
For Syracuse basketball 5-star targets from Baltimore, a brutal slate ahead (itlh; Adler)
A pair of Syracuse basketball five-star targets, each of whom hails from Baltimore, suits up for arguably the best prep-school squad nationwide over the past few years.
And the Orange prospects, 2023 five-star forward Kwame Evans Jr. and 2024 five-star power forward Derik Queen, will face an immensely challenging schedule during the 2021-22 stanza.
Earlier this year, the 6-foot-8 Queen and the 6-foot-9 Evans each transferred to the powerhouse Montverde Academy out of Montverde, Fla. The ‘Cuse coaching staff offered scholarships to Evans and Queen in October, according to media reports.
Queen, a consensus top-five prospect in his class, previously played for Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore. Evans, viewed by some recruiting services as the No. 2 player across the country in his cycle, most recently competed for the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute.
Let’s examine the 2021-22 calendar for two Syracuse basketball five-star targets.
This past season, the Montverde Academy captured its fifth GEICO Nationals championship, defeating Sunrise Christian Academy from Bel Aire, Kan., in the title game.
Ahead of the 2021-22 campaign, the loaded Montverde Academy roster is ranked No. 2 in a pre-season top-20 poll of the premier independent teams, including prep-school groups, published by MaxPreps.
The Montverde Academy is part of the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference, a super league of sorts whose other participants include the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., the Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., the Sunrise Christian Academy, the La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind., the Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah, and the Legacy Early College in Greenville, S.C.
Jordan Divens, the national basketball editor for MaxPreps, recently detailed Montverde Academy’s 2021-22 docket, and we’re going to take a look at some of the team’s key match-ups.
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Syracuse Basketball: 5-star target from Brewster ‘definitely an NBA player’ (itlh; Adler)
Syracuse basketball got into the mix for 2023 five-star guard/wing Matas Buzelis relatively early on in his recruitment, offering him a scholarship about a year ago.
More recently, a who’s who of college basketball has jumped into the recruiting fray for the 6-foot-10 Buzelis, who is a junior at the powerhouse Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H.
While the Orange has done well courting Brewster Academy players to the Hill in recent years, landing the consensus top-15 Buzelis will be an uphill battle.
His other suitors include Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State, Florida State, North Carolina, Illinois, Florida, Purdue, Oklahoma, Arizona, UCLA, Maryland and Connecticut, among others.
Coaches and analysts rave about Syracuse basketball five-star target Matas Buzelis.
When Buzelis recently suited up at the 2021 National Prep Showcase at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Conn., he had coaches from Kentucky, Duke and Kansas, among others, in attendance to watch him, according to an article from college basketball insider Adam Zagoria.
“Matas is definitely an NBA player – could be like Doncic,” one high-major head coach said in the Zagoria piece, referring to Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic.
That’s some pretty hefty company for Buzelis, who is described by some recruiting Web sites as a forward, although he’s said in numerous interviews that he plays more like a point guard or shooting guard.
Given his height and length, I could only dream of Buzelis being situated at the top of the Syracuse basketball 2-3 zone. I should probably keep dreaming, though.
After impressive performances in various AAU events over the summer, Buzelis has emerged as one of the hottest prospects within the 2023 class.
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X-Factor: Paolo Banchero remains crucial for Duke men's basketball heading into ACC-Big Ten Challenge (dukechronicle.com; Liu)
After taking down top-ranked Gonzaga in Friday night's high-profile matchup in Las Vegas, the Blue Devils are right back at it Tuesday at Ohio State in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. As always, the Blue Zone has you covered with a player from both sides that could swing the matchup in his team's favor:
Duke: Paolo Banchero
Paolo Banchero has been an incredible piece for the Blue Devils in more ways than expected this season, as his on-court presence not only gives Duke a steady and reliable offense but also a raised level of intensity on both ends of the court. In addition to his being able to outsize and outperform most opponents, Banchero's presence on the floor has also appeared to maximize the entire team's confidence and overall play. Just watch Duke play with and without him during its top-10 matchups against Kentucky and Gonzaga, as well as Friday night's incredible first-half performance that allowed the Blue Devils to take a comfortable lead early on. Banchero's impact from day one has been undeniable, and that is a big part of what has made the squad such a complete and energetic one.Tuesday's matchup in Columbus will be an interesting one to watch, as it will feature a duel between Banchero and E.J. Liddell, Ohio State’s power forward and leading scorer. With Liddell’s presence in the paint, Banchero’s versatile scoring will also play a crucial role in deciding the game's outcome.
Ohio State: E.J. Liddell
Even with a deeper rotation than last year, all eyes for the Buckeyes are consistently on Liddell, the team's leading scorer who is responsible for nearly 30% of Ohio State's scoring in his 28.7 minutes per game. Coming back to Columbus after a stellar sophomore season, the returning First Team All-Big Ten power forward has fully elevated his game, as his field goal and three-point percentages are both at career highs. Liddell has also improved his protection under the rim, as he is averaging a career-high 3.8 blocks per game, making life more difficult for opponents in the paint than ever before. The junior's clutch scoring can also be a factor, as his steady scoring late in Ohio State's opening matchup against Akron helped the Buckeyes avoid a significant upset.That being said, Liddell is both a leader and a key contributor for Ohio State, and he can be relied upon in crunch time and to put up a significant amount of points on a nightly basis. Perhaps one of his key strengths lies in his ability to play off-ball, a strength that helps bolster the Buckeyes' transition offense. Duke will have to maximize its defensive efforts to slow down the ball movement inside the paint and to limit Liddell in that regard.
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UVA men’s basketball ready to face high-scoring Iowa in ACC/Big Ten Challenge (nbc29.com; Shiers)
The Virginia men’s basketball team will be back on its home court tomorrow night, as the Cavaliers take on Iowa in the ACC Big Ten Challenge.
UVA has a record of 5-2 overall, but they’ve won four games in a row, and are limiting opponents to 47.5 points per game during the win streak.
The Hawkeyes have started the season with six-straight wins, and they are in the ‘Others Receiving Votes’ category in the AP Top 25.
Iowa is currently the number-one scoring team in the nation, averaging more than 97-points per game.
UVA head coach Tony Bennett says, “I know they’re a very gifted offensive team, and they’re really good. All you can do is try to make those shots as contested as possible. It gets to the anticipation factor, of trying to get to shooters quick, and playing it that way.”
Sophomore guard Reece Beekman adds, “We know they have a very good offense, and they’re scoring a lot of points. Us being a defensive team, we’re going to take pride in getting stops, and just having an overall good game.”
Virginia and Iowa are scheduled to tip-off on Monday at seven o’clock at John Paul Jones Arena.
Big Ten/ACC Challenge: Notre Dame at No. 14 Illinois men's basketball info box (ndinsider.com; Noie)
2021 BIG TEN/ACC CHALLENGE
MEN’S BASKETBALL
WHO: Notre Dame (3-2) vs. No. 14 Illinois (4-2).WHERE: State Farm Center (15,544), Champaign, Illinois.
WHEN: Monday at 9 p.m. EST (South Bend time)
TV: ESPN2
RADIO: WSBT (960 AM)
ONLINE: Follow every Notre Dame game with live updates from Tribune beat writer Tom Noie at twitter.com/tnoieNDI
NOTING: This is Notre Dame’s first game this season against a ranked opponent. The Irish snapped a 28-game losing streak to ranked teams with a win in March over then-No. 11 Florida State. … The annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge commenced in 1999 with the Atlantic Coast Conference leading 12-7-3. The Big Ten has won the Challenge each of the last two years after a tie in 2018. The ACC won it in 2016 and 2017. … Notre Dame is 4-4 in the Challenge. The Irish are 3-1 at home (wins over Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, loss to Ohio State) and 1-3 on the road (win at Ilinois in 2016, losses to Iowa, Maryland and Michigan State). … Illinois is 9-13 all-time in the series, 5-4 at home. … Illinois returns three starters off last year’s team that went 24-7 overall, 16-4 and second place in the Big Ten before earning one of four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament. … Illinois was picked this season by the league media to finish third behind Michigan and Purdue. It started the season ranked No. 11. … Illinois leads the all-time series 27-15, 11-2 in Champaign, where Notre Dame has not lost since Dec. 18, 1954 when Illinois called Huff Hall home. ... The Irish have won the last three meetings dating back to a second round NCAA tournament game in 2003 at the long-since-gone RCA Dome in Indianapolis. … Notre Dame last won in State Farm Center, 84-79, on Dec. 2 2015. … Irish coach Mike Brey has won the last two games against Illinois coach Brad Underwood dating back to Underwood’s days as head coach at Stephen F. Austin, whom Notre Dame beat in the second round of the 2016 NCAA tournament on a Rex Pflueger tip-in. … Notre Dame ranks 12th in the ACC in scoring offense (70.8), sixth in scoring defense (62.4), 10th in field goal percentage (.442), ninth in field goal percentage defense (.417), 10th in 3-point field goal percentage (.320), 15th - last – in 3-point field goal percentage (.427), 10th in assists (12.6), 14th in steals (5.0) and 11th in assist-turnover ratio (1.07). … Irish power forward Nate Laszewski is tied for first in the ACC in rebounds (10.4). Fellow power forward Paul Atkinson is third in field goal percentage (.643) and guard Dane Goodwin is third in free throw percentage (.938). … This is the fourth of five straight away from home for Notre Dame, which went 1-2 in last week’s Maui Jim Maui Invitational in Las Vegas.
Miami vs. Alabama: The Crimson Tide rolled over the Hurricanes in the second half, and won 94-64. Miami led for almost the entire first half, but Alabama made 13 three-pointers and outscored the Canes 63-34 in the second half. Kameron McGusty had a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Isaiah Wong added 14 points, three rebounds, three assists.
Other
Chris Uyehara, owner and distiller at Last Shot Distillery in Skaneateles, with a bottle of Last Shot's Skaneateles Whiskey, made with a grain called triticale. (Don Cazentre photo)SYR
Skaneateles distiller wins Discovery Channel’s ‘Moonshiners’ competition (PS; Herbert)
A Central New Yorker distiller is the winner of a Discovery Channel competition.
Chris Uyehara, co-owner of Last Shot Distillery in Skaneateles, won “Moonshiners: Master Distiller” Wednesday night. Uyehara, who was raised in Hawaii and has Japanese ancestry, beat out two other finalists to be named “master distiller” on “Whiskeys of the World” with his Japanese-style whiskey; the others were American style and a Scotch.
Uyehara told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard that his entry uses four types of malted grain, including malted barley.
“It has a little of the character of malt candy, like Whoppers,” he said.
Curious drinkers can find Uyehara’s Four Grain Japanese-style malted whiskey at the distillery tasting room and shop, 4022 Mill Road just outside the village. His initial batch was 280 bottles, and he has about that same amount aging in new oak barrels for the next bottling.
Uyehara opened Last Shot with partner John Menapace and Menapace’s daughter Kate in 2015. It’s in the same building as the Skaneateles Brewery.
Last Shot is a small-batch spirit maker, with products like Bourbon, Gin, Vodka and two clear whiskeys, Moonshine and Lightning. Its Distillers Reserve Skaneateles Whiskey is similar to rye, but is made with a locally grown grain called triticale. It also makes two creamy liqueurs, a Chocolate Creme Brulee made with bourbon and Orange Cream Lightning, made with the Lightning whiskey.
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