sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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- Aug 15, 2011
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SU News
Silent G Prepares for Return to Cameron (DO; Dougherty)
Gbinije still doesn’t play.
Those were the words, chanted in a loud cadence by the Cameron Crazies, that Michael Gbinije heard as he warmed up in Cameron Indoor Stadium a year ago. In Gbinije’s first return to Durham, North Carolina, after transferring to the Orange after the 2011–12 season, the Blue Devils crowd was quick to point out that the forward had moved from one bench to another. That he was, in their eyes, irrelevant.
But now, with Syracuse (18-10, 9-6 Atlantic Coast) traveling to No. 4 Duke (24-3, 11-3) for a 7 p.m. game on Saturday, not even one of the country’s most passionate cheering sections can make that claim. In Syracuse’s 80-72 loss to the Blue Devils on Feb. 14, Gbinije scored 19 first-half points and Duke shot 39 percent from the field — yet he tallied just eight on five shots in the second half and the SU offense consequently stalled.
So for the Orange to have any chance at upsetting the Blue Devils for a second straight win against a Top 10 team, it needs Gbinije to pace its offense for 40 minutes.
“Mike is a big part of just about everything we do,” SU point guard Kaleb Joseph said after the Orange beat then-No. 12 Louisville on Feb. 18. “Offensively we need him to create and shoot the ball well. A lot comes down to how Mike plays. He knows that.”
Gbinije arrived at Duke as ESPN’s 29th-ranked recruit in the Class of 2011 but there was nowhere for him to play in his freshman year. Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski also brought in third-ranked recruit Austin Rivers, 35th-ranked prospect Marshall Plumlee, 38th-ranked recruit Quinn Cook and Alex Murphy, ranked No. 41.
...
After Surviving Brain Cancer, SU Hoops Manager Lenn Brown is at His Dream School (PS; Waters)
Lenn Brown knew something was wrong. Even when medical experts couldn't find anything, Brown's body kept telling him something was wrong.
In September of 2008, Brown, then just 12 years old, went to kick a ball during a soccer game and became dizzy. He wobbled off the field, but after a few minutes on the sidelines he ran back onto the field.
Two months later, Brown was warming up for a youth basketball game. In the layup line, he dribbled in for a shot, and as he tilted his head, Brown said "the sky seemed like it was on the ground and the ground seemed like it was on the sky.''
He underwent X-rays and a CAT scan, but everything came back negative. Brown was sent to a neurologist, and he passed that exam. So the neurologist ordered an MRI.
Lenn tried to lie back for the MRI, but when he did, pain shot through his head. The neurologist stopped the MRI. On a second attempt, Brown was sedated.
A few days later, the Browns returned to the neurologist's office. It was Dec. 22, 2008.
The doctor delivered the news to Brown's parents.
"Your son has a tumor in his head.''
...
Orange Players Prove the Pride and Character Matter (D&C; Roth)
It doesn't really matter what the Syracuse men's basketball team does in its final three games, facing No. 4 Duke Saturday, No. 2 Virginia Monday and N.C. State on Saturday, March 7.
This group of players has already secured the hearts of fans and will be remembered as among the most grittiest in Orange history. They've showed us that pride and character matter.
Since the school's administration imposed a self-ban on any post-season tournament play in response to a languishing NCAA investigation into infractions dating to before 2007 to 2012, Syracuse is 3-3 with victories over two ranked opponents, No. 12 Louisville and No. 9 Notre Dame.
I'll reserve calling this one of Jim Boeheim's best coaching jobs because, frankly, he can't be absolved for the predicament SU finds itself in. But we do know these players are innocent victims, paying for the transgressions of others. That's especially true for star senior forward Rakeem Christmas.
The cheers he receives Monday in the season finale at home will blow the roof off the Carrier Dome.
After the shock of the self-sanctions, Syracuse players issued a statement vowing that nothing would change in regard to "how hard we will continue to work in practice and in games." What they were defiantly saying was, "The heck with anybody who had a hand in doing this to us, we're playing for each other, our fans and the game." And they weren't kidding.
...
What We Learned: ND's Loss to Syracuse (elkharttruth.com; Hayes)
Notre Dame men’s basketball coach Mike Brey walked into the locker room after his No.9 Fighting Irish were upset by Syracuse and issued a reminder.
This team has only four guaranteed games left.
That’s two regular-season games, one Atlantic Coast Conference game and one NCAA Tournament game.
There could be more, of course, with an ACC tourney or NCAA tourney run. But only four are guaranteed. So that was Brey’s message, one of urgency, after the Irish lost 65-60 to Syracuse on Tuesday at Purcell Pavilion.
The loss stung, but sometimes lessons do that. Here are five things we learned about the Irish:
1. They’re not robots
As strong as Notre Dame has been this season in shooting the ball, hitting 51.3 percent from the field, they’re human. They had as poor a shooting night as a team can possibly have, in part due to the pesky nature of Syracuse’s zone defense. Notre Dame hit only 17 of 49 shots, including a horrendous 3 of 22 from three-point range. Jerian Grant (0-for-6), Steve Vasturia (0-for-6), Demetrius Jackson (0-for-2) and V.J. Beachem (0-for-1) were a combined 0-for-15 from three. Pat Connaughton hit 3 of 7 threes.
...
ACC News
ACC Night in Review: Virginia Rolls, Duke and Miami Survive (PS; Stevens)
Angel Rodriguez carried Miami past Florida State.
Jahlil Okafor and Quinn Cook helped Duke edge Virginia Tech in overtime.
Virginia had little trouble ripping Wake Forest.
That, plus a look at Saturday's games, in the ACC night in review.
NIGHT TO REMEMBER
Angel Rodriguez, Miami
He was not the highest-scoring guard in Wednesday's Florida State-Miami game (that would be the Seminoles' Xavier Rathan-Mayes, who had 35 in an 81-77 loss), but Rodriguez offered a reminder of both how good he can be and how valuable he is to the Hurricanes.
Rodriguez had 25 points, four rebounds and five assists for Miami, which led by 18 with less than five minutes to play before holding on in the final seconds. It was one of Rodriguez's best games since early in the season, when he spearheaded the Hurricanes' strong start.
If Miami --- a borderline tournament team if ever there was one --- is going to make a push to earn an at-large bid, it will need Rodriguez to replicate his performance against the Seminoles in upcoming meetings with North Carolina and Pittsburgh.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
34
Points for Wake Forest in its 70-34 loss to Virginia, the fewest it has ever scored at the Joel Coliseum. In fact, the Demon Deacons (12-16, 4-11) had not scored that few points in a game since a 44-34 loss at North Carolina on Jan. 8, 1959.
...
36
Point margin of victory for Virginia, its largest against Wake Forest since an 80-16 victory in 1914. It was also the Cavaliers' first victory at Wake Forest since 2000, snapping a 10-game skid in Winston-Salem.
Silent G Prepares for Return to Cameron (DO; Dougherty)
Gbinije still doesn’t play.
Those were the words, chanted in a loud cadence by the Cameron Crazies, that Michael Gbinije heard as he warmed up in Cameron Indoor Stadium a year ago. In Gbinije’s first return to Durham, North Carolina, after transferring to the Orange after the 2011–12 season, the Blue Devils crowd was quick to point out that the forward had moved from one bench to another. That he was, in their eyes, irrelevant.
But now, with Syracuse (18-10, 9-6 Atlantic Coast) traveling to No. 4 Duke (24-3, 11-3) for a 7 p.m. game on Saturday, not even one of the country’s most passionate cheering sections can make that claim. In Syracuse’s 80-72 loss to the Blue Devils on Feb. 14, Gbinije scored 19 first-half points and Duke shot 39 percent from the field — yet he tallied just eight on five shots in the second half and the SU offense consequently stalled.
So for the Orange to have any chance at upsetting the Blue Devils for a second straight win against a Top 10 team, it needs Gbinije to pace its offense for 40 minutes.
“Mike is a big part of just about everything we do,” SU point guard Kaleb Joseph said after the Orange beat then-No. 12 Louisville on Feb. 18. “Offensively we need him to create and shoot the ball well. A lot comes down to how Mike plays. He knows that.”
Gbinije arrived at Duke as ESPN’s 29th-ranked recruit in the Class of 2011 but there was nowhere for him to play in his freshman year. Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski also brought in third-ranked recruit Austin Rivers, 35th-ranked prospect Marshall Plumlee, 38th-ranked recruit Quinn Cook and Alex Murphy, ranked No. 41.
...
After Surviving Brain Cancer, SU Hoops Manager Lenn Brown is at His Dream School (PS; Waters)
Lenn Brown knew something was wrong. Even when medical experts couldn't find anything, Brown's body kept telling him something was wrong.
In September of 2008, Brown, then just 12 years old, went to kick a ball during a soccer game and became dizzy. He wobbled off the field, but after a few minutes on the sidelines he ran back onto the field.
Two months later, Brown was warming up for a youth basketball game. In the layup line, he dribbled in for a shot, and as he tilted his head, Brown said "the sky seemed like it was on the ground and the ground seemed like it was on the sky.''
He underwent X-rays and a CAT scan, but everything came back negative. Brown was sent to a neurologist, and he passed that exam. So the neurologist ordered an MRI.
Lenn tried to lie back for the MRI, but when he did, pain shot through his head. The neurologist stopped the MRI. On a second attempt, Brown was sedated.
A few days later, the Browns returned to the neurologist's office. It was Dec. 22, 2008.
The doctor delivered the news to Brown's parents.
"Your son has a tumor in his head.''
...
Orange Players Prove the Pride and Character Matter (D&C; Roth)
It doesn't really matter what the Syracuse men's basketball team does in its final three games, facing No. 4 Duke Saturday, No. 2 Virginia Monday and N.C. State on Saturday, March 7.
This group of players has already secured the hearts of fans and will be remembered as among the most grittiest in Orange history. They've showed us that pride and character matter.
Since the school's administration imposed a self-ban on any post-season tournament play in response to a languishing NCAA investigation into infractions dating to before 2007 to 2012, Syracuse is 3-3 with victories over two ranked opponents, No. 12 Louisville and No. 9 Notre Dame.
I'll reserve calling this one of Jim Boeheim's best coaching jobs because, frankly, he can't be absolved for the predicament SU finds itself in. But we do know these players are innocent victims, paying for the transgressions of others. That's especially true for star senior forward Rakeem Christmas.
The cheers he receives Monday in the season finale at home will blow the roof off the Carrier Dome.
After the shock of the self-sanctions, Syracuse players issued a statement vowing that nothing would change in regard to "how hard we will continue to work in practice and in games." What they were defiantly saying was, "The heck with anybody who had a hand in doing this to us, we're playing for each other, our fans and the game." And they weren't kidding.
...
What We Learned: ND's Loss to Syracuse (elkharttruth.com; Hayes)
Notre Dame men’s basketball coach Mike Brey walked into the locker room after his No.9 Fighting Irish were upset by Syracuse and issued a reminder.
This team has only four guaranteed games left.
That’s two regular-season games, one Atlantic Coast Conference game and one NCAA Tournament game.
There could be more, of course, with an ACC tourney or NCAA tourney run. But only four are guaranteed. So that was Brey’s message, one of urgency, after the Irish lost 65-60 to Syracuse on Tuesday at Purcell Pavilion.
The loss stung, but sometimes lessons do that. Here are five things we learned about the Irish:
1. They’re not robots
As strong as Notre Dame has been this season in shooting the ball, hitting 51.3 percent from the field, they’re human. They had as poor a shooting night as a team can possibly have, in part due to the pesky nature of Syracuse’s zone defense. Notre Dame hit only 17 of 49 shots, including a horrendous 3 of 22 from three-point range. Jerian Grant (0-for-6), Steve Vasturia (0-for-6), Demetrius Jackson (0-for-2) and V.J. Beachem (0-for-1) were a combined 0-for-15 from three. Pat Connaughton hit 3 of 7 threes.
...
ACC News
ACC Night in Review: Virginia Rolls, Duke and Miami Survive (PS; Stevens)
Angel Rodriguez carried Miami past Florida State.
Jahlil Okafor and Quinn Cook helped Duke edge Virginia Tech in overtime.
Virginia had little trouble ripping Wake Forest.
That, plus a look at Saturday's games, in the ACC night in review.
NIGHT TO REMEMBER
Angel Rodriguez, Miami
He was not the highest-scoring guard in Wednesday's Florida State-Miami game (that would be the Seminoles' Xavier Rathan-Mayes, who had 35 in an 81-77 loss), but Rodriguez offered a reminder of both how good he can be and how valuable he is to the Hurricanes.
Rodriguez had 25 points, four rebounds and five assists for Miami, which led by 18 with less than five minutes to play before holding on in the final seconds. It was one of Rodriguez's best games since early in the season, when he spearheaded the Hurricanes' strong start.
If Miami --- a borderline tournament team if ever there was one --- is going to make a push to earn an at-large bid, it will need Rodriguez to replicate his performance against the Seminoles in upcoming meetings with North Carolina and Pittsburgh.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
34
Points for Wake Forest in its 70-34 loss to Virginia, the fewest it has ever scored at the Joel Coliseum. In fact, the Demon Deacons (12-16, 4-11) had not scored that few points in a game since a 44-34 loss at North Carolina on Jan. 8, 1959.
...
36
Point margin of victory for Virginia, its largest against Wake Forest since an 80-16 victory in 1914. It was also the Cavaliers' first victory at Wake Forest since 2000, snapping a 10-game skid in Winston-Salem.
