sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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- Aug 15, 2011
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Welcome to National Corn Fritter Day!
SU News
Why Are the Orange Over-Recruiting for 2016? (TNIAAM; Tahmosh)
The Orange brought in three players for two spots and are now expecting 11 scholarship players for 10 spots, unless someone leaves early. What's going on here?
You may have heard that Syracuse Basketball is in a bit of a numbers crunch when it comes to scholarships. SU came into this season with one available spot in the 2016 class, and filled it with two players: Paschal Chukwu and much to Orange Nation's delight, Tyus Battle (to go alongside Matthew Moyer, who had already committed).
So now we're in this awkward position wondering who from the roster isn't going to be here in 2016, and it can feel ... well ... a little dirty.
And this isn't the first time we've been here. Despite not actually landing Thomas Bryant, Orange fans were led to believe the center was going to be part of the equation for the 2015 class, and spent a lot of time last year debating who of Chris McCullough, Ron Patterson or B.J. Johnsonwould be leaving the team. Answer: all three!
So what's the deal here? Is Boeheim forcing players out to replace them with better guys - something Tom Crean has been accused of at Indiana?
Here are two big things to keep in mind.
1. Players leave early every year
That's not hyperbole. A player has left Syracuse early every year since 2005. That's 11 consecutive seasons of guys leaving early. Sometimes it's to the NBA. Sometimes it's by transfer. Sometimes it's just because it's time to move on. Here is a list:
2005 - Billy Edelin
2006 - Louie McCroskey, Dayshawn Wright
2007 - Mike Jones, Josh Wright
2008 - Donte Greene
2009 - Jonny Flynn, Eric Devendorf, Paul Harris, Sean Williams, Devin Brennan-McBride
2010 - Wes Johnson
2011 - DaShonte Riley
2012 - Dion Waiters, Fab Melo (updated thanks to NYSCuse)
2013 - Michael Carter-Williams
2014 - Tyler Ennis, Jerami Grant
2015 - BJ Johnson, Ron Patterson, Chris McCullough
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Tyus Battle Discusses Why He Picked Syracuse (nj.com; Schneider)
There wasn't a specific moment during Tyus Battle's official visit to Syracuse in which he realized he had found his college basketball home. But the entirety of the weekend, which came days after decommitting from Michigan in June, had him convinced — he was going to play for the Orange.
"I really enjoyed the visit when I went to Syracuse," Battle told NJ Advance Media on Tuesday, one day after committing to the New York school."The coaching staff and people there and the facilities, I just loved it."
Battle, ranked the 27th player in the class of 2016 by ESPN, played in just nine games last season as he dealt with a foot injury. He averaged 22.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game as a sophomore and was the Somerset County Player of the Year.
And just like he can't pinpoint one moment in which he knew he was going to Syracuse, there isn't just one reason Battle has committed to the Atlantic Coast Conference squad.
“Just the whole thing. Just everything. The proximity, it’s close to home. The ACC is great. Coach Jim Boeheim is is a Hall of Fame coach. Coach Hop (Mike Hopkins) is going to be the coach after Coach Boeheim, he’s a great guy. And the players are great, too.”
Battle committed to Michigan on May 11, shortly after taking an official visit to Ann Arbor. He was scheduled to visit Syracuse next, but cancelled the visit after making his verbal pledge to the Wolverines.
On June 19, Battle decommited from Michigan and took his visit to Syracuse.
“The thing is, I committed to Michigan before even taking a visit to Syracuse. During the process, I promised my mom that I would look at all my options. So I decided to open up my recruitment again and look at all my options," Battle said. "So I went there and I really enjoyed, I really loved the place and I decided that was the right place.”
Location was a major factor in Battle's decision. Michigan is a 10-hour drive from New Jersey, while Syracuse is less than half that.
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Is Tyus Battle's Latest Injury Cause for Concern? (.com; Kelly)
The Syracuse University basketball team scored a huge win on the recruiting trail this week with a commitment from prized guard Tyus Battle. But there may be some cause for concern for Jim Boeheim and Orange hoops fans alike as news has come out that Battle will sit out this weekend’s AAU tournament in Atlanta due to a new quad injury. Alone, a quad strain isn’t really much to worry about, but it continues a recent trend that could be troubling for the Orange faithful.
There is no questioning Battle’s immense talent, as a 6-foot-6 combination guard who can score in a hurry and possesses good athleticism and a strong handle. Up until last summer, Battle was pretty much a consensus top 10 recruit nationally in the class of 2016. But then, he suddenly found himself getting bit by the injury bug, causing his national ranking to fall into the 20s across basically all recruiting websites.
Excuse the pun here, but lately you seem to read more about how Tyus is being forced to “battle” injuries than you do about his on court performances. After suffering a broken wrist as a sophomore, Battle then played in just nine games during his junior season thanks to an ankle injury, and then a stress fracture in his foot. Battle tweaked his foot again, extending his rehab and, again, limiting him to only a handful of games last season.
He finally returned to the court last weekend, but now will be sidelined again thanks to the quad strain. It’s smart for him to take the weekend off and get healthy once again, and chances are the strain came from the stress his body must have felt in getting back into competitive action after such an extended time away from the court.
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Other
NY Regulators Likely to Approve New CNY Area Code in 315 Region (PS; Knauss)
Central New York is likely to get a second telephone area code by next year.
The state Public Service Commission is scheduled to vote Thursday on a recommendation to add a second area code to the 18-county region served by 315.
PSC officials declined to comment, but a source familiar with the matter indicated the second area code will be an "overlay'' that covers the same region as 315. State Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-Rome, also said he expects the PSC to approve an overlay.
The proposed order to implement an overlay was posted late this afternoon on the PSC website.
When the new area code is introduced, probably late next year, Central New York residents will be required to dial 10 digits for every call, even local calls to other 315 numbers.
Some Central New York residents and their elected officials have voiced objections to a second area code, which they describe as an unnecessary inconvenience. Griffo issued a statement today urging the PSC to put off a ruling and to research alternatives.
Griffo, who chairs the Senate energy and telecommunications committee, said it seems incongruous that Central New York needs a new area code at a time when the population is mostly stagnant or declining.
"I am not convinced that there really is a need at this time to create the headache of an additional area code in a widespread region that has only known the 315 area code for decades," Griffo said in a news release.
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