sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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SU News
SU Basketball Recruiting Map Shows How Orange Has Shifted Focus East in Past 30 Years (PS; Waters)
Where does the Syracuse basketball program go to recruit the majority of its players?
The answer depends on the time period.
In the 1980s, Syracuse struck gold in California. In the 1990s, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim and his staff went from Texas to Indiana, Alabama to Oklahoma in search of recruits. In the 2000s, Syracuse's tactics changed again as a new staff of assistants set their sights on the Eastern seaboard, establishing the Orange's dominance in the Boston-to-Washington corridor.
A look at Syracuse's recruiting over the past 30 years indicates the impact that several factors, both inside and outside of the SU basketball program, had on the program. These factors altered the recruiting philosophy of Boeheim and his assistants over the years.
"There are a lot of factors in recruiting,'' Boeheim said. "The coach, the staff, the opportunity to play, the success the program's had. There's all kinds of factors. They're different for each kid and they're always changing.''
It all starts in the mid-1980s. Up until that point, Syracuse had been an Eastern power, recruiting mainly on a regional scale. Then a confluence of events turned Syracuse into a nationally recognized program. The advent of the Big East, which was the first conference to sign exclusive television deals with network (CBS) and cable (ESPN) outlets, put Syracuse on the national stage. Pearl Washington gave Syracuse a star player that the TV cameras loved. And the Carrier Dome provided the most unique setting in all of college basketball.
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Eric Devendorf and Mookie Jones Turning Lives Around (watertowndailytimes.com; St Croix)
Less than a month removed from their college graduation and 10 days before taking the court together to once again represent Syracuse University, Eric Devendorf and Mookie Jones took time out of their busy schedules to meet fans at the Watertown Bucks game Monday night.
Devendorf and Jones — both former Orange basketball stars who left the program under disappointing circumstances and recently returned to SU to complete their degree requirements — highlighted the Bucks’ “Orange Out,” at the Alex T. Duffy Fairgrounds.
The pair signed autographs, posed for photos, and chatted with a handful of fans prior to the first pitch.
“We were happy to do it,” said Devendorf, who had a previous connection with Bucks general manager Matt McClusky. “I do try to get out and stay active in the (Syracuse) community and help support different events, and definitely trying to do stuff with the kids especially. Any time we get a chance to do stuff like this, it’s pretty neat.”
Devendorf has played for several different professional teams overseas since leaving SU after his junior season in 2009 and not hearing his name called in the NBA Draft.
The sharp-shooting guard ranks 14th on the Orange’s all-time scoring list with 1,680 points, but often made headlines for his off-the-court exploits. He was suspended twice by the school, once for striking a woman, and appeared on lists made by USA Today and ESPN to rank college basketball’s most disliked players.
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Kentucky, Syracuse, Louisville Top College Basketball Attendance Rankings (aseaofblue.com; Marcum)
Ahem, Kentucky listed first?
The Kentucky Wildcats and Syracuse Orange have once again topped the college basketball attendance rankings.
However, it was the Orange who came in at No. 1 for the 2014-15 college season, topping Kentucky by an average of 282 fans per game. A big reason why though is that Syracuse plays in a football stadium. The Carrier Dome's capacity for basketball is listed at 35,446.
Here's a look at the full rankings released today:
Right behind those two is Louisville, who was almost 2,000 more fans on average ahead of North Carolina.
As for the SEC, Kentucky, Arkansas and Tennessee are the only schools from the conference to make the top 25. Small-school programs like Creighton, Marquette and Dayton also cracked the top 25.
Other
NYS Fair Announces Final Trio of 'Throwback' Shows at the Grandstand (PS; Baker)
The New York State Fair has announced the trio of "throwback" events that will complete the 40th and final season at the grandstand.
Comedian Jim Gaffigan performs Friday, Aug. 28. Country singer Hank Williams Jr. performs Sunday, Aug. 30. R&B singer Patti LaBelle performs Thursday, Sept. 3. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets for all three shows are priced at $15 and $20. They go on sale Wednesday, July 15 at 9 a.m. via eTix.com, by phone at 800-514-3849 or at the State Fair Box Office in Geddes. For more information, see below.
The Fair also announced plans to host a monster truck rally and demolition derby on Sunday, Sept. 6.
The three shows come in addition to an opening night concert from country singer Eric Church. In all, the grandstand will host four shows and one day of motorsports this summer.
This season will be the grandstand's last. The Fair and Onondaga County haveannounced plans to move all concerts to the new amphitheater on Onondaga Lake next year. The grandstand will be demolished as part of renovations at the fairgrounds.
"From the beginning of planning for this year, we have been thinking about ways to thank fans for four decades of loyalty to the Grandstand shows," said Acting Fair Director Troy Waffner. "While we can't roll prices all the way back to the level when Charley Pride played the very first show here in 1976 for $6 and $3, we can push them back to a level where many more people can enjoy these shows by these legendary performers."
All three performers are newcomers to the State Fair.
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