sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to All Saints Day!
All Saints' Day is a Christian festival that honors saints, and also celebrates the victory of Christ over death. The definition of saints and those who are being honored on the day are often looked at differently in Catholic and various Protestant churches. In the Catholic Church, the day is seen as honoring saints that don't have their own day of celebration. Many Protestants use the day to honor all Christians, both past and present. The day takes place on November 1 in Western churches in Europe and the Americas, such as in Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, and some other Protestant churches. It is part of the Roman Rite in the Catholic Church and is a Principal Feast in the Anglican Church. It takes place a day before All Souls' Day and a day after All Hallows' Eve, commonly known as Halloween. Many Eastern churches observe the day on the first Sunday after Pentecost.
SU News
Syracuse basketball players answer weird (but maybe insightful) questions (PS; Ditota)
Amid the firestorm of serious ‘Can your team play defense this season?’ questions, Syracuse basketball players were spared the monotony of another basic query and asked the important stuff.
Like, which teammate would you select to help survive a zombie apocalypse?
Reporters Mike Waters, Chris Carlson, Brent Axe and me (Donna Ditota) polled the players during Syracuse’s October 18 Media Day in the Melo Center.
Let’s get right to it.
Chance Westry
Who was your favorite player growing up? Michael JordanIf you had to pick one teammate to select your outfit for the day, who would it be? I’m gonna go with Kyle Cuffe. JJ, too. JJ’s working on the baggy look a little bit.
What is your worst habit? I hate folding my socks. I just put ‘em in a bin and matchmake ‘em.
If you weren’t a basketball player, what job would you have and why? I would love to be an agent. Seeing Rich Paul and a lot of other guys, seeing how they control things behind the scenes, I think I would do a good job behind the scenes at putting players in good situations and negotiating.
If you had to pick one teammate to help you survive a zombie apocalypse, who would that be? I’m definitely going KC. Kyle. That’s my guy.
It’s election season. Which teammate would make the best president? I’ll go Chris (Bell). Because he’s confident in what he does.
Elijah Moore
Who was your favorite player growing up? Kobe BryantIf you had to pick one teammate to select your outfit for the day, who would it be? I would either say JC or Donnie, just because JC is from New York and I know Donnie knows a good percentage of fashion.
What’s your worst habit? I would say sometimes I lose myself in basketball. I’ll be here and I’ll lose track of time and what I gotta do.
If you weren’t a basketball player, what job would you have and why? I would try to be in fashion. But if not that, my dad has his own organization. Tri-School Athletic Association in New York City. I think i would just help him out in that and be a part of that.
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Syracuse basketball season predictions: Will revamped roster steer Orange back to NCAA Tournament? (PS; $; Staff)
Syracuse basketball is amidst its longest NCAA Tournament drought in more than 50 years.
Second-year coach Adrian Autry has hauled in some blue-chip recruits, but the Orange has been absent from college basketball’s grandest stage in March each of the previous three seasons.
Will Autry and a revamped roster, featuring seven new players, steer the Orange back to the NCAA Tournament?
Our staff tackles that question and more in our season predictions.
Regular-season record
Brent Axe: 22-9
Yes, Syracuse has a lot of new faces, but so does everyone in college basketball these days. SU the right mix to succeed with a pure point guard (Jaquan Carlos), a veteran 2-guard (JJ Starling) 3-point shooting (Chris Bell, Elijah Moore), depth (Lucas Taylor, Jyare Davis, Petar Majstorovic, Kyle Cuffe, Naheem McLeod) a dynamic center (Eddie Lampkin) and one of the best freshman talents in the country (Donnie Freeman).
The Orange won 20 games even with all the turmoil last season. They have to scratch out some impressive non-conference wins to take a step forward this season, and I say they do it.
Donna Ditota: 21-10
This is a team I know very little about. I’ve seen them play twice – in exhibition games against Division II teams. I haven’t watched a practice. All I know about the new players is what I’ve seen on video. And there are a lot of new players.
I think Syracuse will score this season. That won’t be a problem. But the issues the team has had the past few seasons need to be fixed before this program can legitimately contend for conference titles or NCAA Tournament bids. Can Syracuse guard anybody this season? The Orange struggled in the opener with keeping DII guys in front. Can they rebound? Again, this was not an area SU excelled at during the Clarion scrimmage.
I think all the switching, experimental lineups during these scrimmage games can affect chemistry and I’m curious about what this team might look like once the season starts.
But the ACC, I believe, is better than it was a year ago. Aside from the insane travel, SU’s conference schedule is not all that imposing. It plays the two best teams once each. It plays Wake, Miami, Louisville and Clemson just once.
Nate Mink 22-9
Wins are to be had against a conference lineup that features just one game apiece against eight of the top-10 teams in the ACC media‘s preseason projected order of finish (Duke, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Clemson, Virginia, Miami, N.C. State and Louisville). And Virginia’s season has already been tossed into disarray by the sudden retirement of Tony Bennett.
SU can do some of its most important NCAA resume work in Brooklyn, where it will get chances against Texas, Maryland and either Texas Tech or St. Joseph‘s all before Christmas.
Adrian Autry has addressed years-long roster holes and has done intentional work to develop team chemistry after a year of sour personalities. The success he’s seen on the recruiting trail will follow to the basketball court.
Mike Waters: 20-11
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How Syracuse Basketball Improved its Frontcourt with Donnie Freeman & Eddie Lampkin (youtube; podcast; Locked on Syracuse)
Syracuse Orange Basketball has a new-look frontcourt this season. Adrian Autry's prized five-star recruit Donnie Freeman has the chance to live up to the hype as the best Syracuse recruit since Carmelo Anthony. Colorado transfer Eddie Lampkin should be a valuable starting center for the Cuse. Chris Bell is one of the best shooters in the ACC. Plus, the Orange brought in Jyare Davis and Petar Majstorovic, and kept Naheem McLeod as critical depth pieces in the frontcourt.
Jackson Holzer tells you how Syracuse improved its frontcourt on this edition of the Locked On Syracuse Podcast.
Kiyan Anthony Reveals Deciding Factor in CBB Decision with Syracuse, USC Among Top 3 (BR; Peters)
Kiyan Anthony is close to making his college decision, but is still deciding between Syracuse, USC and Auburn.
Making an appearance on Angel Reese's podcast, Unapologetically Angel, the son of NBA legend Carmelo Anthony revealed the deciding factor in where he decides to play college basketball.
"Just what coaches have been on me the latest and where I can go in right away and see growth, where I can develop my game and just try to win," Anthony said. "Whatever the coaches are telling me, where they can see my playing, what my role is."
Kiyan Anthony Opens Up On Family Life W/ Melo & LaLa, LeBron's Aura & His College Decision
On today's episode of Unapologetically Angel, we welcome Kiyan Anthony! Angel Reese & Kiyan talk about college decisions, life growing up, and much more! Sub...
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Anthony is considered to be a 4-star prospect by 247Sports Composite and is listed as the No. 28 player nationally, the No. 6 shooting guard in the country and the top player in the state of New York out of the Class of 2025.
He holds offers from Syracuse, USC, Florida State and others, though is still awaiting an offer from Auburn, one of the schools in his top three. According to 247Sports' Dushawn London, Anthony said in September that he planned to commit in the last week of October or the first week of November, so his decision is coming soon.
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Top analyst details scoring prowess of Syracuse basketball 4-star recruit Abdou Toure (itlh; Adler)
Abdou Toure, who received a scholarship offer from Syracuse basketball over the summer, has made massive leaps of late in ranking updates for the 2026 class by multiple recruiting services.
The 6-foot-5 Toure, a four-star shooting guard/small forward from Connecticut, picked up his offer from the Orange staff in late July of this year. The talented wing is a standout junior at Notre Dame High School in West Haven, Conn.
When On3 updated its 2026 national rankings, Toure went from No. 127 to No. 13 overall. In the most recent refresh from 247Sports, he jumped from No. 92 to No. 31 nationwide. Over at , Toure climbed from unranked by that recruiting service to No. 29 nationally.
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In a recent article, top national analyst/scout Jamie Shaw of On3 published an in-depth evaluation of Toure, who in the 2023-24 season as a sophomore at Notre Dame was named the player of the year in Connecticut by MaxPreps after averaging 21.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.0 blocks per contest.
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Schedule Analysis — 2024-25 Syracuse Basketball Preview (tinyurl; Stecschulte)
Syracuse’s non-conference schedule has a nice pace to it, as the more challenging games are separated by time for practice and home games against lower-level foes to retool, save for their early season four-team event. There are also a couple matchups with opponents who are ranked in the pre-season polls who should provide measuring sticks for the Orange to chart their progress.
After three tune-ups to start the slate, SU sets off for Brooklyn to face #19 Texas in the Legends Classic, which will be followed by a meeting with either St. Joseph’s or Texas Tech, the latter just missing out of the top 25 in the initial poll. Both Texas and Texas Tech won at least 21 games last season while appearing in the NCAA Tournament.
One of the teams ahead of Texas in both the national and SEC preseason polls is Tennessee, who will host Syracuse in the ACC-SEC Challenge. The retooled Orange will be looking for a measure of revenge against the #12 Volunteers, who handled them fairly easily in last season’s Maui Invitational.
Maryland and Georgetown also appear on the schedule during exams before the holiday break as a couple other name-brand foes. Maryland was voted tenth in the 18-team Big Ten and the Hoyas are expected to finish near the bottom of the Big East, so they are not as menacing of threats as the two ranked teams, but still serious competition.
Speaking of conference pre-season media polls, SU finished 11th in the media day results for the new-look Atlantic Coast Conference. Their first trip through the super-sized ACC features road trips to each of the three new members, including a mid-winter trip to the Bay Area for a couple late-night contests with Stanford and California and a late season trip to Dallas to face SMU, all three of whom were voted behind the Orange.
While none of the new members are ranked in the preseason polls, Duke and North Carolina both made it into the top ten, landing at #7 and #9, respectively. While both will be tough matchups, at least Syracuse will get them both on their home floor.
Four other conference representatives earned mention in the preseason poll, as Wake Forest, Miami, Clemson, and Louisville all earned points. The first and last will also travel to the JMA Wireless Dome while the middle two games will see the Orange traveling.
In all, the conference schedule is pretty reasonable. The Orange have home-and-home matchups with Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, and Boston College. The Panthers were voted seventh in the conference and the Fighting Irish just ahead of SU at tenth, while the Eagles finished last.
As such, Syracuse’s complaints should generally be limited to date and time, but there is nothing too egregious other than using their first conference bye slot to play Maryland (a scheduling decision the Orange approved) and Duke coming to the Dome for the first game after that West Coast swing. With most of the midweek conference games coming on Tuesdays and the bulk of the weekend face-offs coming during the day, the average week is pretty much split down the middle for SU.
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Syracuse basketball, led by Chris Bell and Elijah Moore, hits in bunches from deep (itlh; Adler)
If Syracuse basketball connects from the perimeter in the upcoming 2024-25 season as it did on Wednesday night in its second and final exhibition, this will prove a dangerous Orange squad both in the Atlantic Coast Conference and on a national scale.
Now, to be fair, Wednesday evening's 96-51 victory for the 'Cuse at the JMA Wireless Dome over Division II Slippery Rock University from Slippery Rock, Pa., was an exhibition. And while the Orange made around 47 percent of its 3-point attempts versus The Rock, to expect Syracuse basketball to consistently hit at that level is unrealistic, in my humble opinion.
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But still, it was encouraging to see. The 'Cuse went 2-0 in its exhibition contests, having previously defeated Division II Clarion University from Clarion, Pa., by a final of 101-73.
Now things are set to start for real, as second-year head coach Adrian Autry, his top-flight staff and their 2024-25 roster officially begin their upcoming campaign on Monday, Nov. 4, when nearby Le Moyne will pay a visit to the Hill in the Orange's season opener.
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Syracuse men’s basketball: takeaways from the exhibition games (TNIAAM; Wall)
The Syracuse Orange closed their exhibition slate with a 96-51 win over Slippery Rock University. As we prepare for the opening game against the Le Moyne Dolphins on Monday night, what can we take from the two exhibition games?
Defense and Rebounding are Concerns
The Orange played a lot of different line-ups over the two games and the broadcast last night said Adrian Autry had reasons for doing so. The staff wanted to look at the analytics of the different groups and while that can be useful to help determine match-ups based on the opponent, it does impact the communication required on the defensive end.
This is a deeper, more athletic team than last season, but if they want to make it back to the NCAA Tournament, they will need to commit to the defensive end. Last year the Orange were 10-2 when they out-rebounded opponents, so they have to be willing to expand effort on the glass. With a deeper bench, Autry has more options to keep players fresh throughout the season.
Shooting might be alright
We’ve seen lots of comments about the three-point shooting for this group and two games don’t prove anything but here’s some numbers from beyond the arc:
Chris Bell 9-16
JJ Starling: 5-10
Jaquan Carlos: 1-3
Donnie Freeman: 1-4
Eddie Lampkin: 1-2
Elijah Moore: 6-14
J’yare Davis: 2-6
Lucas Taylor: 1-5
Kyle Cuffe: 1-3
Petar Majstorovic: 0-2
The Orange made 27 3’s in the two games and last season Syracuse was 6-0 when they made 10 or more 3’s in a game, with their season-high being 12 against Cornell. Are the Orange loaded with shooters? No, but it does appear that they have a number of options this year to make open looks.
Ball is moving
Syracuse had 27 assists against Clarion and 22 assists vs The Rock last night. Last season’s team averaged 13.8 assists per game with a high of 23 (against Chaminade). The Orange look to be more balanced this year on offense, but the exhibition games have shown the willingness of players to make the extra pass and keep the defense moving.
Sam did a great breakdown of how Syracuse can use Eddie Lampkin as a facilitator which can help with the spacing and ball movement. We’ll see how they handle the pressure when the competition picks up, but it’s a positive sign to see buy-in from the players in terms of what the coaches want on offense.
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Syracuse Basketball Dominates Slippery Rock In Final Exhibition: 3 Takeaways (cbbreview.com; Watson)
Syracuse basketball completed the preseason with a dominant 96-51 win over NCAA Division II opponent Slippery Rock University, in the JMA Wireless Dome.
After a slow start that saw the Orange lead 21-16 with just over 8 minutes left in the first half, Syracuse basketball used their three-point shooting to pull away from The Rock.
The Orange then exploded the lead out to 48 points midway through the second half as they coasted to a controlling win.
Takeaway #1: Questions near the rim
Eddie Lampkin only played five minutes for the Orange in the final exhibition of the preseason.
Early in the contest without the star big man on the floor, Syracuse basketball struggled to get the ball into the paint. This led to an early onslaught of three point attempts from the Orange.
Halfway through the first half, the Orange were 2 for 7 on two-point attempts. And only three of these shots were around the rim.
Syracuse basketball was lights out from behind the arc, but they may have shown their lack of ability to get the ball inside consistently, without Lampkin on the floor.
If the Orange want to find reliable play-making in the paint, some of the less experienced big men will need to make an impact when the regular season begins.
Takeaway #2: Confidence from three
Over the two exhibition games, the Orange have proven their ability to be lethal from behind the arc.
In the Orange’s 96-51 win over Slippery Rock, Syracuse basketball shot 46.9% from behind the arc, knocking down 15 three-pointers. Last season, the most three-pointers that the Orange made in a single game was 13, in a win over Cornell.
Chris Bell was the most impactful in this category, hitting five three-pointers. Over the two preseason contests, Bell shot 9 for 16 from three.
Overall, six different players knocked down triples against Slippery Rock, including freshman Elijah Moore, who added four to Syracuse basketball’s total. Even Eddie Lampkin got in on the action, knocking down his first three for the Orange.
Although Syracuse has not yet faced a Division I opponent in the 2024-2025 season, the Orange’s range could cause problems for opponents in the regular season.
Takeaway #3: The offensive glass
A negative from the win over Slippery Rock was the offensive glass. The NCAA Division II opponent dominated the Orange, 17 to 11 in the offensive rebound category.
Syracuse basketball made up for it on the other side of the ball, as the Orange won the battle on the defensive glass 39 to 25. In the first exhibition game against Clarion, the Orange collected 10 offensive rebounds, to Clarion’s four.
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MBB: Marquee Games in November 2024 (RX; HM)
MBB: Marquee Games in November 2024
2024-25 Big ACC TV games in November
(and a look at the football games competing with them for eyeballs)
Friday, November 8
- North Carolina at Kansas ESPN2 7 pm
Saturday, November 9
- Tennessee at Louisville ACCN Noon
Sunday, November 10
- Michigan vs Wake Forest ESPN2 1 PM
Tuesday, November 12
- Kentucky vs Duke ESPN 9 PM
Friday, November 15
- Florida at Florida State ACCN 6 PM
Thursday, November 21
- Texas vs Syracuse ESPN2 7 PM
- Tennessee vs Virginia CBSSN 9:30 PM
Friday, November 22
- LSU vs Pitt CBSSN 2:30 PM
- Okla. St./FAU vs Miami ESPN/2/U 2/5 PM
- Texas Tech/St. Joe’s vs Syracuse ESPNU 7/9 PM
- Baylor/St. John’s vs Virginia CBSSN 7/9:30 PM
- Duke at Arizona ESPN2 10:30 PM
Sunday, November 24
- Wisconsin/UCF vs Pitt CBSSN 3/5:30 PM
Monday, November 25
- Michigan vs Virginia Tech FS1 6 PM
- Dayton vs North Carolina ESPN2 11:30 PM
Tuesday, November 26
- Auburn/Iowa St.vs North Carolina ESPN/U 8:30/11 PM
- Kansas vs Duke ESPN 9 PM
- Rutgers vs Notre Dame TBS 10:30 PM
Wednesday, November 27
- Indiana vs Louisville ESPN Noon
- South Carolina/Xavier vs Virginia Tech FS1 6/8:30 PM
- TBD vs North Carolina ESPN/2 TBD
syracuse.com on Instagram: "Which member of the Syracuse Orange men's basketball team would make a good president? SU team members gave their thoughts. Tap the link in our bio for complete coverage of Syracuse basketball. : Donna Ditota, Brent Ax
133 likes, 1 comments - syracusedotcom on October 31, 2024: "Which member of the Syracuse Orange men's basketball team would make a good president? SU team members gave their thoughts. Tap the link in our bio for complete coverage of Syracuse basketball. : Donna Ditota, Brent Axe, Chris...
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Syracuse Men's Basketball on Instagram: "Throw it up to the big man ⬆️ ⬆️"
937 likes, 15 comments - cuse_mbb on October 31, 2024: "Throw it up to the big man ⬆️ ⬆️".
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Syracuse Men's Basketball on Instagram: "Let it fly "
979 likes, 6 comments - cuse_mbb on October 31, 2024: "Let it fly ".
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Other
A chicken wing pizza from Sami's in Bridgeport, our 43rd stop on the CNY Pizza Tour. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)
CNY Pizza Tour, stop #43: Finally, a chicken wing pizza that’s actually good (PS; $; Miller)
The problem with Buffalo chicken pizza is that it’s a gimmicky hybrid of two perfect foods.
I‘ve had a lifelong bone to pick with chicken wing pizza, because it‘s almost always wingless. It’s usually an anomaly of rubbery pre-diced chicken breast from a bag and a sauce situation that leaves the crust soggy and my tastebuds craving a Listerine chaser.
Yet somehow, so many Central New York pizzeria owners insist Buffalo chicken pizza is among their best-sellers.
At Sami‘s in Bridgeport, just over the Madison County line on Route 31, it ranks in the top three.
“No thanks,” I responded after asking owner Jeff Huseinovic what pizza I should enjoy for the 43rd stop on our CNY Pizza Tour. “I’ll have real pizza for lunch and real chicken wings for dinner tonight.”
“But this IS real chicken wings. You will love it, my friend,” he said.
Say what?
While filling the front-counter display with eight pizzas that’ll be picked apart for individual slice sales, Jeff pointed to this pizza that I’ve shunned for decades. It was full of chopped dark meat partially covered with a moderate amount of sauce on a bed of evenly melted cheese.
“Yes, real chicken wings. Don‘t hold everyone else’s mistakes again me,” he said. “Get what you like, my friend, but if you like chicken wings, you’ll like this pizza.”
I don’t like chicken wings, Jeff.
I freakin’ LOVE chicken wings.
Jeff opened Sami‘s 23 years ago, naming it after his youngest son. It‘s remained a family business ever since. He works alongside a cousin from his mother’s side and a cousin from his father’s side. (Sami is all grown up now and is not part of the pizza business; he pursued a career in finance.)
The lunchtime crowd here is a mix of construction workers, employees from nearby medical offices and gamblers from the Pointe Place Casino next door.
Whoever walks through the door knows the place, and they know Jeff. They’re ready to be entertained. Jeff talks to everyone, telling them they’re his favorite customer while reminding everyone that all the food here is “made with love.”
He doesn‘t stop talking. When he’s not talking to his customers, he’s constantly yapping to his employees, often times in his native Albanian.
He even talks to the pizzas.
“Oh, my beauty. You‘re so beautiful. It’s going to be OK. He’s going to love you,” he whispered to my wing pizza midway through its oven time.
OK, let’s grab a wing on a slice ...
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Courtesy of Monica Browning Photography. Staging was done by the Icon Companies.
House of the Week: The Sanctuary in Manlius offers luxury apartments at site of former church (PS; $; Croyle)
Grazi Zazzara Jr., president of Syracuse’s Icon Companies, says that his company asks a simple question when they begin a new redevelopment project.
“What would we want if we lived here?”
His latest project is The Sanctuary, at 4600 Enders Road in Manlius, a 19-unit apartment building built at the site of the former Eastern Hills Bible Church, one he thinks will appeal to both “empty nesters” and young professionals just starting out.
It is his fourth multi-family redevelopment, joining Corbett Corner and Hudson Lofts in downtown Syracuse and the Courtyard at Cazenovia in Madison County.
The Sanctuary offers refined apartment living in Manlius
Each of these projects Zazzara describes as a “win-win” for both his company and the community.
They take old office buildings, or other structures, which would normally sit empty, and “beautifies and transforms” them into unique apartments.
According to The Post-Standard’s archives, the groundbreaking for the Eastern Hills Bible Church was on Nov. 19, 1967. After they moved to a new location just down the road, Zazzara purchased the 3.4-acre property in 2022.
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Errors by Syracuse city workers likely set off alarms about lead levels in water, officials say (PS; Boyer)
The dramatic spike in Syracuse’s drinking water lead levels earlier this year could be a false alarm because city staff made mistakes and failed to follow test procedures, syracuse.com | The Post-Standard has learned.
Those mistakes included gathering samples from outdoor hoses, instead of following federal testing guidelines, officials told syracuse.com.
The city’s review of water testing conducted during the first half of 2024 found that department employees did not follow required sampling protocols, Chief Policy Officer Greg Loh said.
City officials believe this is a likely explanation for the elevated lead samples that drew national attention from media and environmental organizations.
Loh said two employees are now on paid administrative leave pending an investigation. He declined to identify the employees and said he could not discuss specifics of how testing protocols were not followed.
Onondaga County officials briefed by the city on Wednesday said the employees collected some water samples from garden hoses outside of homes instead of the EPA-required collection from drinking water taps, county spokesman Justin Sayles said. Public health officials say garden hoses are not safe to drink from because they can easily leach chemicals into the water, especially when exposed to warm sun.
The city in August reported historically high lead levels, with more than 25% of homes tested showing lead levels above the federal standard of 15 parts per billion. The average lead level among tested homes was more than 5 times the federal limit. Those tests took place in the first half of the year.
Subsequent testing in the second half of the year showed much lower levels.
In that second round, 115 properties fell below the 15 parts per billion level. Loh said resampling at 24 of the 27 properties with elevated levels in the first half of the year has resulted in just two above the action level.
“These findings further indicate that first half 2024 sampling results were outliers,” he said.
Before the city released new testing results, the Natural Resources Defense Council earlier this month issued a statement saying Syracuse’s lead samples were worse than those in the infamous Flint, Michigan, environmental disaster. That led to a coalition of community advocates calling for Syracuse to declare a state of emergency.
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