sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to Dream Day Quest & Jubilee Day!
On August 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., Martin Luther King Jr. gave what would come to be known as his "I Have A Dream" speech. King's speech was a call to America to live up to the words of its founding documents, a longing for a dream of racial harmony, and an appeal for freedom to ring out from every part of the country. The speech was part of The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, an event calling for economic and social justice for African Americans, in which about 250,000 people of many races and creeds participated. The day is credited for helping to spur on civil rights legislation, which culminated in the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In June of 1963, President Kennedy had announced he would push for civil rights legislation, and the leaders of the march met with the President following the march. Dream Day Quest and Jubilee commemorates this day, and is the third of three annual Emancipation Days of Respect, days "created to promote unity, respect, and remembrance." The first, Humanitarian Day, takes place on Dr. King's birthday, and the second, Victims of Violence Day Wholly Day, takes place on the anniversary of Dr. King's assassination.
SU News
Could Syracuse basketball 5-star priority Jalil Bethea visit Duke, Kentucky? (itlh; Adler)
Syracuse basketball coaches are reportedly preparing to host 2024 five-star guard Jalil Bethea from the Philadelphia area on a second official visit in mid-September, and the top-20 national prospect is also officially visiting other finalists as well in the coming weeks.
The 6-foot-4 Bethea has a top five of the Orange, Alabama, Kansas, Miami and Villanova. His first in a string of official visits is expected to occur at the end of this month, when he makes a trip to Kansas.
Not too long ago, word broke that blue-blood programs Duke and Kentucky are showing some level of interest in Bethea, who is arguably the hottest prospect in the senior class due to his stellar play this spring and summer on the AAU circuit and at other showcase events.
The ‘Cuse coaching staff has prioritized Jalil Bethea pretty much as long as any of his five finalists, offering him a scholarship in late September of 2022. He took an official visit to the Hill the following month, when Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim was still in charge in Central New York.
That first-year head coach Adrian Autry and his staff have landed a second official visit from Bethea is massive, but the competition to prevail here is hefty, regardless of what the deal is with Duke and Kentucky in his recruitment.
Syracuse basketball five-star target Jalil Bethea recently discussed interest from Duke and Kentucky.
A couple of days ago, Bethea chatted about his recruiting process with David Sisk of Cats Illustrated on the network. Regarding his top five and this interest from the Blue Devils and Kentucky, Bethea said, “I really wouldn’t say it changes things, but it definitely makes me think about it more.”When asked whether he may take official visits to Duke and Kentucky, Bethea told Sisk, “maybe.”
Based on this interview, my takeaway is that both Duke and Kentucky would heavily pursue Jalil Bethea if he informs these two schools that he has high interest in them. So we’ll see how this all shakes out.
In recent years, as I’ve extensively covered Syracuse basketball recruiting, I’ve come across comments on many occasions from fellow ‘Cuse fans that speak to the frustration they have with the Orange coaching staff prioritizing a five-star player for a long time, and then a blue-blood such as Duke or Kentucky swoops in late and wins out. I get it.
I hope that’s not the case here. For one, Jalil Bethea has recently said in some interviews that his relationship with Autry and his assistants has only grown since Autry replaced the retiring Boeheim this past March.
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Dior Johnson, once a prized recruit at Syracuse, is no longer enrolled at Pittsburgh (report) (PS; Carlson)
Former Syracuse recruit Dior Johnson, at one point a New York State boys basketball star and one of the country’s most coveted high school players, is no longer enrolled at Pittsburgh, according to a report from The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Johnson committed to both Syracuse and Oregon during his high school career before ending up at Pittsburgh.
His decommitment from Syracuse led to former SU coach Jim Boeheim saying that he’d never committed to Johnson attending SU. Once Johnson decommitted, Syracuse ended up with point guard Judah Mintz, a projected pick in next year’s NBA Draft.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Noah Hiles reported, via anonymous sources, that Johnson’s departure from the Pitt program isn’t related to any new incident and that it wasn’t a choice made by the team’s basketball staff.
He reported that the school feared public backlash from an incident last year in which Johnson pled guilty to misdemeanor charges of simple assault and strangulation following a domestic incident. He was placed on probation for a year and ordered to get counseling.
The website Public Source, a non-profit news organization that covers Pittsburgh, published a story in March in which Pittsburgh students who were victims of domestic violence questioned the university’s response, what it said about the school’s support for victims and whether the school’s handling of Johnson was an example of an athlete receiving special treatment by the school.
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https://www.si.com/college/syracuse...asketball-offer-left-keyshaun-tillery-smiling (SI; McAllister)
Syracuse basketball held its annual elite camp on Saturday, and offers were extended as a result. One such offer went out to class of 2025 New Hampton School (NH) point guard Keyshaun Tillery.
"We had the Syracuse camp, it was a fun camp actually," Tillery said. "After we broke it down, I talked to coach Autry. He gave me the offer. I had talked to him before the camp started a little bit, like at the gym, just a five minute conversation. Seeing how things were going. Then after the camp he offered me. It was great.
He was just saying how he liked how I played this summer and he wants me to keep going. Keep getting better. My reaction was I went straight into a smile. I was excited for sure."
Beyond picking up the offer, Tillery said he enjoyed the elite camp experience.
"Camp was competitive," Tillery said. "There were a lot of good 25s and 26s there. A couple 24s. Had a good team, it was fun, it was good games. Everyone took every drill serious, which I thought made the camp way better. Usually at camps people slouch off on drills. But everyone had their A-game ready and was playing hard. That was really the best part."
While a relationship from a recruiting standpoint may be in its early stages, Tillery has been familiar with Orange head coach Adrian Autry for some time.
"Coach Autry is great," Tillery said. "I've known him for a couple years because his son played with City Rocks as well. So I've always had like a non-basketball relationship with him. Just saying like 'what's up' and 'how are you doing.' He's always checking in without any Syracuse relationship. I think Syracuse is a great place. It's not too far from home, two hours. It's just a packed gym every time there's a game whether it's football or basketball. It's a packed gym and a good environment to be around, it seems."
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Syracuse Basketball: 4-star, 5-star targets who have moved to prep powers (itlh; Adler)
It has proven a busy off-season for some Syracuse basketball four-star and five-star recruiting targets who have transferred for the upcoming 2023-24 campaign to new high-school programs.
Just like in college basketball, high-school hoops is seeing a lot of movement among top-flight prospects who have moved on to new teams, and a handful of these players either hold a scholarship offer from the Orange, are or receiving some level of interest from the ‘Cuse coaching staff.
Tony McNiff, a scouting analyst with MADE Hoops, recently published a comprehensive article in which he tracked where many of the top high-school prospects have decided to transfer to ahead of 2023-24.
I’m going to take a look here at transfers with Orange recruiting connections across the 2024, 2025 and 2026 cycles.
Syracuse basketball four-star and five-star targets have new high-school homes.
2024 ClassDonnie Freeman, No. 21 nationally per MADE Hoops
The four-star power forward, who verbally committed to the ‘Cuse in May, recently said he would transfer for his senior year from St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C., to the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. The 6-foot-9 Freeman, at IMG, will compete in the country’s top high-school league, the 10-member National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (“NIBC”).
Jalik Dunkley-Distant, No. 108
The four-star guard/wing, offered by the Orange last fall, has moved from Orangeville Prep in Mono, Ontario, to the Dream City Christian School in Glendale, Ariz. Candidly, I’m not sure how much the Syracuse basketball coaching staff is recruiting the 6-foot-7 Dunkley-Distant these days.
2025 Class
Darryn Peterson, No. 3
Peterson, a five-star shooting guard who has risen to No. 2 nationally per some recruiting services, has transferred from the Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, to Huntington Expression Prep in Huntington, W.Va. The 6-foot-5 Peterson was offered by the ‘Cuse in late April.
Efeosa Oliogu, No. 9
Oliogu, a four-star wing offered by Syracuse basketball roughly a year ago, has signed on with the Atlanta-based professional league Overtime Elite. Earlier this summer, the 6-foot-6 Oliogu headed to the DME Academy in Daytona Beach, Fla., from the United Scholastic Academy in Toronto, but now he’s with Overtime Elite.
Darius Adams, No. 13
The five-star combo guard will spend his junior year at the La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind., a NIBC member, after suiting up for Manasquan High School in Manasquan, N.J. The 6-foot-3 Adams picked up a ‘Cuse offer in August of 2022.
Tyler Jackson, No. 21
In recent days, the five-star point guard said he would commit to Overtime Elite following a sophomore season at the Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore. The 6-foot-3 Jackson secured a Syracuse basketball offer in late April, and experts tell me he may end up officially visiting the Orange at some point.
Nikola Bundalo, No. 40
The fast-rising, four-star power forward, who has vaulted into the top 25 nationally, is spending his junior term at the Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio, after competing for Green High School in Uniontown, Ohio. Syracuse basketball offered the 6-foot-9 Bundalo in May.
Kiyan Anthony, No. 62
The four-star shooting guard, offered by the ‘Cuse last November, is suiting up in 2023-24 for NIBC member Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y., after previously playing for Christ the King Regional High School in Middle Village, N.Y. The 6-foot-5 Anthony has said he will officially visit the Orange.
Jerry Easter II, No. 69
The five-star point guard has joined Adams in the backcourt at La Lumiere. The 6-foot-4 Easter, offered by Syracuse basketball last July, was formerly a standout for the Emmanuel Christian School in Toledo, Ohio.
Nigel James, No. 86
The 6-foot James, a four-star point guard, has joined Anthony in the stacked guard rotation at Long Island Lutheran, after transferring there from the Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, Mass. James was expected to take an unofficial visit to Central New York this past weekend to participate in the Orange’s annual Elite Camp (he received an offer last Saturday, per top scout Andrew Slater).
2026 Class
Adam Oumiddoch, No. 20
The five-star shooting guard/small forward is also signed on with Overtime Elite after playing his freshman season at Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington, Va. In a recent interview, the 6-foot-6 Oumiddoch said that Syracuse basketball is on his radar.
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Syracuse Basketball: 4-star Kiyan Anthony to visit 4 teams, including ‘Cuse (itlh; Adler)
Syracuse basketball 2025 priority target Kiyan Anthony from New York City has said he plans to officially visit the Hill at some point, and he has several other schools in mind for visits, according to two media reports.
College basketball insider Adam Zagoria noted in a tweet that the four-star shooting guard will visit the Orange, Florida State, Indiana and Michigan. On3 national analyst Joe Tipton reports that Anthony will take an official visit to Florida State from October 13 to October 14, with no dates appearing to be set for the other schools.
Not too long ago, in an article by Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post, he noted that the 6-foot-5 Anthony was hoping to visit four schools – Atlantic Coast Conference members Syracuse basketball and Florida State, along with Big Ten Conference members Indiana and Michigan.
Kiyan Anthony had a breakout spring and summer on the AAU circuit, earning a lot of high praise from national analysts and scouts for his play as part of the Baltimore-based Team Melo in Nike’s EYBL league. As such, his national rankings lately have soared, and his offer sheet has significantly expanded.
Syracuse basketball offered a scholarship to 2025 four-star shooting guard Kiyan Anthony last November.
Anthony is a rising junior at the powerhouse Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y., which is part of the 10-team National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (“NIBC”). Several other Orange recruiting targets, and 2024 four-star commit Donnie Freeman, will suit up in the NIBC during the upcoming 2023-24 campaign.
Besides the ‘Cuse, Anthony’s offer list includes West Virginia, UCF, Michigan, Maryland, Dayton, Florida State, Pittsburgh, Albany, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Seton Hall, UMass, Providence, Memphis, Bryant, George Mason and Manhattan.
Assuming that Kiyan Anthony shines in the NIBC – with some of his games expected to be on national broadcasts in 2023-24 – his offer sheet and 2025 national ratings will likely climb further. At present, he is a consensus top-55 overall player and resides inside the top 40 per multiple recruiting services.
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(youtube; podcast; Roc Sports Now)
Syracuse Basketball under Jim Boeheim seemed to miss out on some of Rochester's top talents (5 players currently in NBA) - and it's time CUSE started embracing the ROC.
Syracuse Basketball: Brooklyn PG, top-25 player, excited by offer, will visit (itlh; Adler)
Deron Rippey Jr., a fast-rising 2026 point guard from New York City, is “excited, honored and blessed” by his recent scholarship offer from Syracuse basketball, his dad, Deron Rippey Sr., told me in a phone interview.
The 6-foot-1, 170-pound Deron Rippey Jr., who is from Brooklyn, N.Y., was a standout in early July during the annual Peach Jam tournament on the Nike EYBL circuit, as he competed for the 15U squad of the New York City-based New Heights Lightning and tallied a whopping 30 points in one game.
Rippey is a rising sophomore at the Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J. The vast majority of recruiting services have yet to publish their inaugural 2026 national rankings, but several national analysts told me that Rippey projects as a top-25 overall player, if not higher than that.
College coaches can’t initiate direct communication with 2026 prospects until the contact period for this class opens up next June 15, however, Deron Rippey Sr. says he has been communicating with Syracuse basketball assistant coach Allen Griffin.
In recent days, Griffin extended a ‘Cuse scholarship offer to Deron Rippey Jr., who to my knowledge is the third 2026 player to get an Orange offer, along with five-star shooting guard Jordan Smith Jr. out of St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, Va., and four-star small forward Maximo Adams with Junipero Serra High School in Gardena, Calif.
Syracuse basketball recently offered 2026 NYC point guard Deron Rippey Jr.
Besides the ‘Cuse, Deron Rippey Sr. says that his son’s offer sheet also includes Oklahoma State, St. John’s, Fordham, Hofstra, TCU, Long Island University, Binghamton, Mike Hopkins-led Washington, Texas A&M and George Washington.
Once school starts back up for Deron Rippey Jr., his dad says that they will work on scheduling an unofficial visit to Syracuse basketball, as well as possibly St. John’s and George Washington.
Deron Rippey Sr. adds that he could envision the Orange coaching staff watching his son during an upcoming open gym at Blair.
The ‘Cuse was to hold its annual Elite Camp this weekend, and Deron Rippey Jr. might have participated in it, but he was committed to the CP3 Rising Stars National Camp in Winston-Salem, N.C., according to his dad.
Since his son started playing basketball, Syracuse is one of the schools that they talk about, given they’re from Brooklyn and numerous former Orange players hail from New York City, Deron Rippey Sr. says.
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Former Syracuse basketball stars host Legends Hoops Camp, inspiring youth with love for the game (cnycentral.com; Thomas)
Former Syracuse Men's Basketball stars teamed up on Saturday.
Eric Devendorf's 'ED23HOOPS' and Tyler Lydon hosted the highly anticipated Legends Hoops Camp at the Solvay Community Center.
CNY Central
"I want to see the community to see my commitment to youth development on and off the court", says Devendorf. "I want to show my kids the importance of teamwork, and sportsmanship, and share my love for the game."
Those who attended got the opportunity to work with Devendorf and Lydon, two players who made their mark at Syracuse University and beyond.
"It's great. Obviously, we've spent a lot of time in the community anyway as a player. It's super cool to come back in this aspect now and really get to interact with a lot of the kids.", Lydon says. " Because when you're playing, you don't always get to spend a ton of time with the kids. But now I get a chance to come back to the community and say hi to a lot of the former fans. Obviously, they bring their kids to the event to help them get better, so it's a cool experience for me".
Both boys and girls, ranging from ages eight to fifteen, learned skill-building exercises, and drills and engaged in friendly competitions.
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ACC Preview #5 - Syracuse (DBR; King)
- ACC Preview #1 - UNC
- ACC Preview #2 - NC State
- ACC Preview #3 - Wake Forest
- ACC Preview #4 - Virginia
Let’s discuss!
You might find a couple of Jim Boeheim lifers who didn't think he needed to retire, but for the most part, we think everyone agrees: it was time. Past time.
Boeheim’s program had gotten musty. The offense was mediocre and Syracuse’s famous 2-3, Boeheim’s bread and butter, just didn’t work anymore. It worked fine when he had aggressive, long-armed defenders who could push the offense out and contest perimeter shots, and before three point shooting was revolutionized and guys started reliably chunking up 30 footers.
But over the last several years, he didn’t have the defenders to make it work properly. The 2-3 still gave SU a puncher’s chance, but since joining the ACC in 2013, which was the high water mark for the Orange in the new league, Boeheim’s record really fell off. Check it out:
- 2013-14: 28-6
- 2014-15: 18-13
- 2015-16: 19-9
- 2016-17: 19-15
- 2017-18: 23-14
- 2018-19: 20-14
- 2019-20: 18-14
- 2020-21: 18-10
- 2021-22: 16-17
- 2022-23: 17-15
Any way you look at it, there was a significant decline and with Boeheim now 78, the odds of anything changing much were vanishingly small. Boeheim is still healthy and sharp and doesn’t look 78. His program didn’t age as well though. Syracuse used to be a load for anyone; it was the pride of central and upstate New York.
Well, not lately.
So Boeheim stepped aside before he became a latter day Joe Paterno (minus a Jerry Sandusky, thankfully) and turned the program over to young Autry.
Well, comparatively young anyway: at 51, clearly he’s no Jon Scheyer. But Jim Boeheim became head coach two years after Autry was born. And keep in mind that Boeheim got to Syracuse in 1962 as a freshman walk-on and, other than some brief and mostly pointless meanderings around the Eastern League, he’s been there ever since.
Trivia: Autry was born in Monroe, NC and his family moved to Harlem when he was about five.
Autry is smart enough to know that he has to shake things up. This can’t be one of those transitions where the assistant promises to keep everything the same as his predecessor - in other words, he can’t be Bill Guthridge at UNC - because Syracuse needs an overhaul and a serious spring cleaning and Autry clearly gets it. For one thing, he’s already said he plans to play a lot more man-to-man.
The irony of that is that Syracuse finally has the sort of defenders who might make the 2-3 work again, or at least better than it has the last few seasons.
Personnel
The losses: Joe Girard, Jesse Edwards, Symir Torrence and John Bol Ajak are gone but only Girard and Edwards, who both transferred, matter much and both are flawed. Girard, who is not at Clemson, can’t do much about his size but his shooting, which was his calling card, was erratic. Edwards was foul prone for most of his time with the Orange. He really improved last year but he’s not a phenomenal talent or anything. And he’s got bad luck, bad judgement or both: he chose West Virginia just as coach Bob Huggins was about to pull the grenade pin on his long and productive career over the summer with a disastrous radio interview and following that up with a DWI.
Returnees
Autry gets the following players back: 6-5 sophomore Judah Mintz, 6-9 junior Benny Williams, 6-8 sophomore Maliq Brown, 6-6 sophomore Justin Taylor, 6-6 sophomore Qadir Copeland, 5-10 junior Niko Ruffin and 6-11 junior Mounir Hima.
Getting Mintz back was a break. He checked out the draft before deciding to return. It was a good decision. He would have been drafted, but would he have stuck? Hard to say. He’s talented, but everyone up there is talented. He’s smart to improve his skills.
Mintz put up 16.3 ppg as a freshman, which nearly led the team (Girard got 16.4) and averaged 4.6 assists. Oh, and nearly two steals an outing as well. He’s going to be tough to deal with.
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Other
The sausage sandwich from PZO's is obscured by a heaping helping of peppers and onions on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, on Restaurant Row at the New York State Fair. Samantha House | shouse@syracuse.com
We ate 100+ things at the 2023 NYS Fair: A mammoth guide to the best food and drinks (PS; Staff)
More than two dozen syracuse.com reporters swarmed the New York State Fair for a few hours on opening day Wednesday, tasked with finding the best food and drink the event has to offer.
We went in search of specific types of food: Where can you find the best sandwiches? Or pizza? What if you’re in the mood for seafood? Or something sweet? Where can you get fair food if you’re vegan or vegetarian? What if you want something you’ve never tried before, or something new to the fair this year? And what are the wildest cocktails you’ll find on the fairgrounds?
All told, we ate and drank more than 100 items in the first few hours of the fair. And we want to tell you about it. So here it is, our guide to eating and drinking your way across the Great New York State Fair.
11+ ways to do breakfast at the Fair
They say it’s the most important meal of the day. Well if you’re having breakfast at the fair ahead of a day of rides, games, music and animals, reporters Donna Ditota and Darian Stevenson have you covered. See how to best start the day, whether it’s with syrupy waffles or a hearty plate of bacon, eggs and potatoes from Restaurant Row.7 vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options that don’t suck
Strong Hearts, a longtime vegan stalwart at the fair, is no longer at the fairgrounds. Worry not, you animal-free eaters. Reporters Glenn Coin and Melissa Newcomb found sandwiches, shakes and even some stuff on a stick that’ll meet your needs.7 seafood spots for fried fish, clams, lobster and ...shark?
We’re hundreds of miles from the nearest ocean here in Central New York, but there’s fish aplenty at the fairgrounds. Don’t go looking for fresh sushi, but reporters Johnathan Croyle and Rick Moriarty found plenty of fresh and fried seafood, from lobster to tuna and even a shark.8 heartiest sandwiches at the Fair
It’s just two slices of bread and some filling, right? Wrong. Chris Carlson and Samantha House dove in on the sandwiches (and some wraps and empanadas) of the fair.10 walkable foods and things on a stick
Need something you can take with you as you go explore the fair? Brenda Duncan and Sharon Dellinger strolled the fairgrounds with one hand full of food, and the other free for taking pictures or waving hello.8 pieces of pretty good pizza (and 1 bonus)
Sure, it’s not a traditional fair food (it’s not deep fried or sweet), but there are some not-so-bad pizza options for a busy day at the fair. Nate Mink, Rylee Kirk and Timia Cobb’s rounded up eight good slices, and even concocted their own, ninth, bonus slice of “pizza fritte.”...
Peanut Butter Paradise at the NYS Fair
This was the top award-winner for sweets at the State Fair of Texas. A Syracuse vendor is bringing it to the New York State Fair, using only local ingredient...
youtu.be
How 2 guys took an award-winning dessert from Texas and ‘made it better and cheaper’ for the NYS Fair (PS; Miller)
Few could argue that the Peanut Butter Paradise was the tastiest dessert at last year’s State Fair of Texas. After all, Nicole Sternes and Chris Easter sold 20,000 of the dressed-up deep-fried cinnamon rolls in the first 16 days of the fair, and picked up a Big Tex Choice Award for the best ‘sweet’ along the way.
Tommy Centore of Syracuse took notice. He saw this Lone Star couple sold two Peanut Butter Paradises every minute the fair was open. He also couldn’t believe that customers were paying $20 for a medium-sized treat.
“I needed to figure out how we could do something like that here,” he said in mid-July, a month before our Fair opened. “But I wanted to make it better and cheaper.”
Centore has run a few stands at the New York State for more than two decades, and each year he introduces something sure to turn heads at his main stand, Tommy C’s on the Colonnade near the wine slushie stands just west of Chevy Court. Many of his novelties are based on fads from around the country but customized to appeal to Central New Yorkers.
Last year it was the pulled pork sandwich mixed with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups based on a temporary craze from Kansas; the year before it was the Double Butter Burger, a Wisconsin favorite.
The Texas version of the Peanut Butter Paradise is a cinnamon bun dipped in batter, deep fried, injected with caramel, smeared with peanut butter and sprinked with chopped Butterfinger bars, Reese’s Pieces and topped with a peanut butter cup.
The Texans use Duchess Honey Buns, a prepackaged roll sold in boxes of 12 for $6.88. Centore is buying his cinnamon rolls from The Mixing, a new bakery/diner at 103 Bennett Road in Camillus, the former spot of Second Chance Diner. Kaehla Gardner makes a fresh batch of her homemade cinnamon buns each morning and hands them off to Centore.
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