sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to Call a Friend Day!
Friends and family are seen throughout the holiday season, but some live far across the country and are not able to be visited. Today is dedicated to calling a friend that lives far away that won't be seen during the holidays. With the rise of social media, email, and texting, conversations with friends by phone happen less and less. Today is a day for talking over the phone and making a connection with the human voice.
How to Observe Call a Friend Day
Make a phone call to one or more friends that you won't be seeing over the holidays. Call them up just to say "hello," or spend the whole day on the phone having long conversations about the past year and hopes for the future.
SU News
Syracuse forward Maliq Brown is putting up numbers that no SU player has reached in 25 years.dnett@syracuse.com
Brown on pace to reach mark no SU player has achieved in 25 years (Mike’s Mailbox) (PS; $; Waters)
This week’s Mailbox is a little like your refrigerator in the days after Christmas.
The Mailbox is filled with a variety of goodies. They may be leftovers in a sense, but aren’t leftovers one of the best things about the holidays?
And, this week, we’ve got a question that resulted in finding out that a current Syracuse player is on a truly historic pace. With that tease, let’s get to it.
(If you have a question; follow-up or otherwise, for the Mailbox, email it to mwaters@syracuse.com).
Q: Maliq Brown’s biggest strength has been his ability to give Syracuse extra possessions, either by forcing turnovers or crashing the offensive glass. This value is captured in a unique statistical feat he’s currently maintaining. He’s averaging over two steals and two offensive rebounds per game. Has any other Syracuse player accomplished that over a full season?
Sam H.
Mike: This is one of the many reasons why I love Mike’s Mailbox. I never would have come up with this statistical combination, and yet it really does encapsulate what Maliq Brown brings to the Orange.
Brown, a 6-foot-8 sophomore, is averaging 7.9 points and 5.4 rebounds. But, as Sam notes, Brown’s work both defensively and on the offensive boards provides extra possessions for the Orange.
Brown is averaging 2.4 offensive rebounds and 2.1 steals per game.
If he can keep up that productivity, he will become the first Syracuse player in 25 years to post more than two offensive rebounds and two steals per game.
The last Syracuse player to turn the trick was Todd Burgan in the 1997-98 season.
Burgan was a senior that year. The 6-foot-7 forward led the team in scoring at 17.6 points per game. But he also averaged 2.6 offensive rebounds and 2.0 steals per game.
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Syracuse’s non-conference basketball schedule is over. It’s a big difference from last year to this year (PS; $; Ditota)
As Syracuse gets ready to dive deep into ACC men’s basketball action with its Saturday home game against Pittsburgh, it’s instructive to compare where the Orange was at this point last season to where they are now.
SU has a new coach. It has a new defensive style of play. And the non-conference portion of the season was among the nation’s more challenging.
All of that, and more, differentiates the Orange from a season ago at this point.
Syracuse is 8-3 with an asterisk. The Orange defeated Division II Chaminade in Hawaii, but the NCAA does not count that win when it considers a team’s record for the postseason. So, 8-3 it is.
SU coach Adrian Autry said the key to his team is its depth. He wants his players to understand how hard they need to work when they’re summoned into the game.
“I think we’ve made some strides,” he said. “I think we’ve made big strides from day one to now. We’re improving. I like where we’re at. I think we’re starting to really dig into who we are and how we’re going to win. I think they’re really starting to understand how we’re going to do it -- which is committing.”
There are a few glaring differences from last season.
LET’S START WITH THE DEFENSE
The Orange, as everybody who follows the team knows, has switched from the 2-3 zone that defined the Jim Boeheim era to an aggressive man-to-man defense under Adrian Autry. SU still uses the zone, though at this point it is primarily deployed on out-of-bounds plays.
The man defense has affected the Orange in a number of ways. The biggest is that SU’s defense is just better than it was a season ago at this time. (KenPom.com allows you to manipulate stats on its website to see where a team stood on, say, Dec. 20, 2022.)
SU’s defense, right now, ranks 59th nationally in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency stats. Last year at this time, SU’s defense ranked 94th. Syracuse went on to finish 185th in defensive efficiency last season, its worst of the KenPom era.
One of the biggest differences in SU’s defense is its ability to limit the amount of 3-point shots teams are taking and in the percentage of shots those opponents are making.
Opposing teams are shooting just 29.3% from the 3-point line this season. Last year, teams made 34.3% of their 3-pointers against SU. The bigger difference has come in the volume of 3s teams are taking this year compared to last year.
This season, opponents are taking about 38% of their shots from the 3-point line. Last year, opponents took nearly half of their shots from the 3-point line.
“Overall, I think our defense has definitely improved,” SU guard Justin Taylor said. “We’ve been working our way back into it and I think we’re close to top 50 defense-wise in the country. We’re trying to get better every day. It’s a team effort. It’s just working together collectively.”
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Syracuse Basketball: ‘Cuse statistical leaders, where team stacks up in the ACC (itlh; Adler)
Syracuse basketball recently finished its non-conference docket, going 9-2, and now the Orange is ready for full-on Atlantic Coast Conference competition during the 2023-24 campaign.
The ‘Cuse (9-3 overall, 0-1 in the ACC) has played one league game to date, losing to Virginia on the road back in early December.
The Orange will next host long-time Pittsburgh this Saturday afternoon on the Hill, and then Syracuse basketball will travel to No. 16 Duke in early January.
Given that the ‘Cuse has wrapped up its non-conference slate, I wanted to examine who the team’s statistical leaders are at this juncture, as well as look at where the Orange and its players reside in the ACC when I wrote this article.
Let’s review some statistical categories for Syracuse basketball and its players.
Syracuse Basketball LeadersPoints per game, sophomore point guard Judah Mintz, 19.8
Minutes per game, sophomore guard J.J. Starling, 34.4
Rebounds per game, sophomore wing Justin Taylor, 5.8
Assists per game, sophomore point guard Judah Mintz, 3.7
Blocks per game, junior center Naheem McLeod, 1.8
Steals per game, sophomore point guard Judah Mintz and sophomore big man Maliq Brown, 2.2
Turnovers per game, sophomore point guard Judah Mintz, 2.8
Field-goal shooting percentage, sophomore big man Maliq Brown, 75.9
Free-throw shooting percentage, sophomore point guard Judah Mintz, 78.3 (note: sophomore big man Maliq Brown is at 85.7 percent, but he’s taken way fewer attempts from the charity stripe)
3-point shooting percentage, sophomore point guard Judah Mintz, 37.8
Within The ACC (Individual)
Sophomore point guard Judah Mintz, No. 4 in points per game
Sophomore wing Justin Taylor, tied for No. 20 in rebounds per game
Sophomore point guard Judah Mintz, No. 10 in assists per game
Sophomore point guard Judah Mintz and sophomore big man Maliq Brown, tied for No. 3 in steals per game
Sophomore forward Chris Bell, No. 9 in 3-point shooting percentage (note: sophomore point guard Judah Mintz didn’t qualify based on how many shots he’s taken from beyond the arc this season)
Sophomore forward Chris Bell, No. 9 in 3-point shots made per game
Junior center Naheem McLeod, No. 5 in blocked shots per game
Junior center Naheem McLeod, No. 9 in offensive rebounds per game
Sophomore big man Maliq Brown, tied for No. 10 in offensive rebounds per game
Sophomore wing Justin Taylor, No. 9 in defensive rebounds per game
Sophomore guard J.J. Starling, No. 2 in minutes per game
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The Juice Online - Three adjustments Syracuse should make heading into ACC play (r1vals; Stechschulte)
The Christmas break provided a couple days off to the world of college basketball. Once the four games of the Diamond Head Classic wrapped on Christmas Eve, the world of Division I hoops hit the pause button for two days. The games stopped, as did the entire statistical world surrounding college basketball, including computer ratings.
Syracuse went into their holiday break with a 9-3 record, including victories in four straight and six of seven games overall. That recent hot stretch included a home win over LSU, a road conquest of Georgetown, and a neutral-site victory over Oregon.
My preseason preview noted that the Orange would be in good shape if they survived their non-conference slate at 7-4. Removing their lone conference game, a loss at Virginia, leaves SU two games ahead of that schedule. And that non-conference resume includes wins over those three name-brand opponents mentioned above.
Okay, you got me. This is the part where we dive into what those victories over the Tigers, Hoyas, and Ducks really mean for Syracuse’s future and their hopeful return to the NCAA Tournament. And, yes, that early mention of computer ratings means digging through numbers.
The Orange went into this little break at #83 in the NET rankings, #86 at KenPom.com, and #87 at T-Rank.
The NET lists Oregon at #68 in the country, LSU at #154 and Georgetown at #205. KenPom.com has them #48, #104, and #183, respectively. T-Rank ranks the Ducks at #49, the Tigers #117, and the Hoyas down at #177.
What do all those numbers mean? Well, the latter two of those three victories are much more store brand than name-brand. After all, KenPom.com has other Syracuse opponents Cornell at #121, Colgate at #154, and Canisius at #178.
The NET has Cornell at #93, Colgate #148, and Canisius #137. T-Rank lists them at #124, #154, and #156, respectively.
As such, there should not be flowers tossed the way of the Orange for the victory over Georgetown and probably just a handful of blooms airborne as a result of their win over LSU. The win over Oregon looks pretty good, but that view might go a little awry when the phrase “seven available scholarship players” comes up again. With those numbers, including that “seven,” no one will give SU much credit for those three victories.
If we turn toward the future based on what we have seen in the past, the view does not appreciably improve. SU will see no one other than conference opponents unless they make a postseason tournament… which means they may not see anyone not from the ACC until next season.
The NET rankings have Syracuse standing 11th among ACC teams, trailing Boston College and Wake Forest. They had previously been in front of those two squads following with their win over Oregon, but the Orange have since been passed by them.
Other rating systems view SU similarly. Ken Pomeroy ranks them 10th among ACC teams, one spot ahead of Boston College (and 25 spots behind Wake Forest). T-Rank slots them 11th in the conference.
In other words, Syracuse is going to need to do some good work to get better and compete in the ACC. In fact, a glance at the individual player stats at T-Rank lead to some suggestions.
1. Dump the mid-range offense.
T-Rank has the Orange as one of the worst shooting teams in the nation between the three-point line and what they list as “close 2’s”. SU shoots 27.6 percent on other 2-pointers with every player aside from Naheem McLeod and J.J. Starling being a culprit. McLeod is 1-of-2 on the season, Starling is just above 40 percent, and every other player on the roster shoots 28.6 percent or less from the mid-range....
Class of 2025 recruit London Jemison schedules official visit to Syracuse for this weekend (PS; $; Waters)
London Jemison, a Class of 2025 recruit, will take an official visit to the Syracuse University campus this weekend, according to a source.
He will be on hand as Syracuse hosts Pittsburgh in the Orange’s ACC home opener on Saturday at the JMA Wireless Dome.
Jemison is a 6-foot-8 wing who attends St. Thomas More Prep in Oakdale, Conn. He is rated No. 102 in the ’25 class by https://n./content/athletes/london-jemison-301086?view=pv. The 247Sports.com site lists him at No. 124 in the class.
Jemison’s national rankings belie his potential as an athletic forward who can stretch the floor with his outside shooting ability.
After playing for Expressions Elite, a Boston-based AAU squad, in the Nike EYBL summer circuit, Jemison received scholarship offers from several high-major college programs within a span of a month.
Syracuse offered Jemison a scholarship last September. Just before and after the Orange’s offer, Jemison also earned offers from Virginia, Villanova, Providence, Temple and Xavier. In December, Notre Dame came forward with an offer.
Jemison, a native of Bloomfield, Conn., previously played at Northwest Catholic High School in West Hartford, Conn., before transferring to St. Thomas More.
Keeping Up With The 315 12-22-23 (ESPN; radio; The 315)
Brian Higgins leaves you with his final thoughts on Syracuse football and men’s basketball before a short vacation. #The315 returns on Friday!
Simulation Basketball Association | Oklahoma vs Syracuse | Week 2 Full Game Highlights (youtube; simulation; Mulaverse Gaming)
Explore the Mulaverse, a realm where your journey unfolds and your story takes shape through our distinctive simulation-style gameplay, leveraging beloved video games. Dive into the world of The SBA (Simulation Basketball Association) NBA2k CPU vs CPU Simulation Basketball League progressing through college/overseas play, all the way to the grand stage of the SBA. Join us on this incredible path!
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Three developers have proposed turning the upper floors of the former Syracuse Bread Co. building at 200 Maple St. in Syracuse into market-rate apartments and the ground floor into commercial space.Rick Moriarty | rmoriarty@syracuse.com
Transformation of Syracuse bakery to include studio apartments with rents below $1,000 (PS; $; Moriarty)
A plan to turn a 111-year-old former Syracuse bread factory into apartments could get under way next year, one of the project’s developers says.
Rents for the apartments are still being finalized. But prices for studio apartments could start at around $700 to $800, according to Architect Jason Evans, one of the three developers behind the Syracuse Bread Factory project.
“We’re trying to keep it affordable,” he said.
Evans said the team is completing an environmental review of the site at 200 Maple St. and finalizing the financing of the nearly $17 million project.
He said the team is hoping to begin construction next summer or fall, with completion expected in the spring of 2026.
“There’s a lot of excitement around this and the need for this type of space,” said Evans of the plan that was first proposed two years ago.
The exact number of apartments that would be built in the old factory has not been set. But Evans said tentative plans are for 25 studio, one- and two-bedroom units on the upper floors and 27,500 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor. The largest of the apartments would be two-story, two-bedroom units.
Rendering shows what the former Syracuse Bread Co. building at 200 Maple St. in Syracuse will look like after its transformation into apartments and commercial space. Developers Jason Evans, Matthew Rayo and Randall Hadzor have submitted plans to the city to redevelop the century-old building.Syracuse Bread Factory LLC
The development team is not looking to take advantage of low-income state tax credits, but Evans said their goal is to make the apartments affordable for people with incomes below the area’s median income. Rents will start at $700 to $800 for studio apartments and go up to around $2,000 for the larger two-bedroom units, he said.
Designed by famed Syracuse architect Ward Wellington Ward, the 64,400-square-foot two- and three-story building was built in 1912 and is one of only four Ward-designed commercial buildings still in existence.
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Dessert from the Rooftop Lounge in downtown Oswego. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com) Charlie Miller
CNY’s best desserts of 2023: Sweet memories (PS; $; Miller)
This is the time of year when we loosen our belts, sit back and think back on all the meals we critiqued in 2023. At the end of each one came a culinary-induced catnap usually brought on by a dessert or two.
Over the past year, our food writers (Jared Paventi, Danielle Benjamin and Charlie Miller) introduced you to more than 75 restaurants. If those places served sweets, we tried them. We wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we didn’t. Right?
The following are our favorite meal-enders from spots we visited in 2023. Now, don’t get bent out of shape, saying “How could you leave (insert restaurant name here) off this list?” Remember, these are places we wrote about for syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. We don’t review every restaurant in Central New York every year.
Turtle Ice Cream Cake: The Rooftop Lounge
Address: 189 W. First St., Oswego; (315) 207-2078From Charlie Miller: The desserts served at The Rooftop Lounge are made in the neighborhood and plated here. The cheesecakes and layer cakes come from next door at Chelle’s Bakeshop. The ice cream cakes are put together at Man in the Moon Candies. Our server recommended either the Turtle Ice Cream Cake or the Peanut Butter Explosion Cake, so we got both. Both are ultrasweet works of culinary art. Both are similar, but the Turtle took this race. The foundation here is a pecan cone crust, not your predictable crushed graham crackers. It’s filled with white chocolate, fudge, chocolate custard, dulce de leche (caramelized milk) and vanilla custard.
Olive Oil Cake: Abbiocco
Address: 344 S. Warren St., downtown Syracuse (formerly A Mano); (315) 303-1630All four of the desserts here are made here, just as they were at A Mano, the previous restaurant at this location run by the same family. The Lemon Olive Oil Cake ($12) is among the most popular desserts here. It’s topped with whipped Italian cream cheese, candied pistachios and Luxardo cherries. Because the recipe calls for olive oil instead of butter or vegetable oil, the end result is an extra moist cake that doesn’t dry out so quickly. The leftover slice proved that.
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