Orangeyes Daily Articles for Friday for Friday

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Welcome to National Roller Coaster Day!

Each year National Roller Coaster Day on August 16th people flock to amusement parks for a thrill and a few excited screams, too! Take a ride on a roller coaster near you.

The day commemorates the first verticle loop roller coaster which was patented by Edwin Prescott on this day in 1898. A roller coaster consists of one or multiple cars on a track. While they are similar to railroad systems in design, the inclines and vertical loops incorporated in the structures aren’t for transportation. These elements boost the thrills rollercoaster enthusiast seek!

The oldest roller coasters are believed to have originated from the so-called “Russian Mountains.” Built-in the 17th century, these specially constructed hills of ice located near Saint Petersburg, Russia rose between 70 and 80 feet in height. Passengers faced 50-degree drops. Wooden supports supplied reinforcement.

SU News

Syracuse is taking a ton of 3-pointers. Is that a sign of things to come? (PS; Ditota)

In two games on its Italian tour, the Syracuse basketball team has taken an average of 39 shots from the 3-point line.

That number, to be sure, is inflated by the shorter shot clock. Here, the Orange are playing by international rules and the 24-second shot clock, which means more possessions and more shots in general.

But the number of 3s SU has launched thus far could still be significant. Last season, the Orange took an average of 24 3-pointers per game. The team shot a collective .333 from the 3-point line.

In two games here, SU is making 34.6 percent of its 3-point shots. Its two best shooters from last season are back (Elijah Hughes and Buddy Boeheim, who made a combined 36.3 percent of their 3s). And its two worst shooters, from a volume and percentage perspective, have gone on to play professional basketball. Tyus Battle and Oshae Brissett combined to shoot 29.8 percent from the 3-point line last year.

The additions of Joe Girard, Brycen Goodine and Quincy Guerrier add more sharpshooters to the Orange arsenal. And Robert Braswell, who played sparingly last season, can make 3-point shots.
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Syracuse Basketball: Look for Orange offense to shine this season (itlh; Adler)

The Syracuse basketball squad is young and slightly inexperienced, but this year’s team has the potential to light up the scoreboard.

In recent stanzas, the Syracuse basketball program, to put it mildly, has often struggled on the offensive side of the court. Poor 3-point shooting, a ton of isolation moves, and the lack of a dominant big man are just three reasons why the ‘Cuse frequently appeared stagnant in its offensive schemes.

Now, without getting ahead of things (because the 2019-20 term hasn’t begun, and the Orange are only two games into their exhibition tour of Italy), there’s every reason to feel confident in that SU, in the upcoming season, should possess a vastly improved offense as compared to the past few years.

Despite a current roster with only one returning starter, no seniors, five freshmen, and many guys who didn’t get all that much run in 2018-19, it’s entirely possible that ‘Cuse could collect buckets in droves in the campaign that will commence this fall.

Hitting the century mark, as the Orange did on Wednesday in its 103-54 thrashing of Oxygen Bassano in Vicenza, Italy, is always fun. But can SU can do that against top-flight Atlantic Coast Conference competition?

The line-up options that head coach Jim Boeheim will have at his disposal in 2019-20 are enticing. He’s got five guards, four forwards, and three centers, with plenty of athleticism and length on the wings and in the paint.

What’s most intriguing is that the 2019-20 crew, while young, has a variety of deep-range shooters, whether you’re talking about redshirt senior Elijah Hughes, sophomore Buddy Boeheim, or a trio of freshmen in Joseph Girard III, Brycen Goodine, and Quincy Guerrier.

Because Syracuse could prove a more legitimate threat from downtown, that will open up driving lanes for Jalen Carey, a sophomore, and others. Additionally, let’s cross our fingers that junior Bourama Sidibe can stay healthy because he’s looking solid so far. Between Sidibe and freshman Jesse Edwards, the opportunity is there for the ‘Cuse to generate some scoring from the center slot.

What’s pretty remarkable is other players who could significantly contribute haven’t even really been mentioned, such as junior Marek Dolezaj and sophomore Robert Braswell. Sure, it’s early, and this version of the Orange has a long way to go. SU’s prospects in 2019-20, though, certainly seem promising.
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The best college basketball programs since 1997 (247sports.com; Flaherty)

Trying to pick the best program in college basketball for any given time isn't easy.

When John Wooden isn't leading UCLA to 10 national titles in 12 seasons in dominant fashion, there are any number of teams that would seem to have a case, and any number of biases that can color an argument. And yet noted basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy took aim at the argument in an effort to find out which program has been the best since he began collecting numbers for his database during the 1996-97 season. Pomeroy came up with a formula to rank programs since that point, but later clarified on Twitter that it was about more than simply finding the best team in that time period.

"This is not designed to be a ranking of the best teams but a ranking of the programs most attractive to a job-shopping coach which are not exactly the same thing," Pomeroy tweeted.

And so yes, a team's placement in KenPom's usual formula mattered. But so did a team's conference — generally speaking, an ACC job is more attractive than a Mountain West job — and its ability to land top recruits. Pomeroy also noted that it was tweaked to put more emphasis on recent results; a top five finish in, say, 2001 isn't the same as finishing there last year.

So which programs floated to the top of Pomeroy's "top programs since 1997" formula?
15. Syracuse
Syracuse won a national title in 2003, but Jim Boeheim’s best team in KenPom’s formula came in 2010, when the Orange finished third nationally. That makes sense; some of Syracuse’s best teams have fallen short, while some of his lesser touted squads have made runs.
14. Maryland
Maryland captured the national title the year before Syracuse in 2002, and made the Final Four the year before that, but hasn’t made the Final Four since. Will that change this season with what looks like potentially Mark Turgeon’s best squad?
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Other

Syracuse gets its own official Monopoly game: What’s our Boardwalk and Park Place? (PS; Herbert)

Looking for early holiday gift ideas? Try Syracuse Monopoly.

That’s right, the city of Syracuse is getting its own official Monopoly game. The Cooley Group, Inc., an employee-owned print and promotional products company with several offices across Upstate New York, announced this summer that it received approval from Hasbro to create a City of Syracuse, NY 1st Edition MONOPOLY Game as a fundraiser for the Food Bank of Central New York.

Monopoly, the classic board game where players buy properties, charge rent with houses and hotels, and sometimes go directly to jail without passing “Go,” has hundreds of different editions around the world. The Cooley Group successfully created a Utica version last year.

The Syracuse Monopoly game will replace original game pieces like a car, dog, and top hat with Syracuse-inspired tokens such as a Food Bank of Central New York-branded truck and a custom car celebrating the 20th anniversary of Syracuse Nationals. And all of the properties, Community Chest and Chance cards are replaced with Syracuse locations, businesses or references.

So could SU’s Otto the Orange be a gamepiece? Could the Carrier Dome or the upside down traffic light on Tipperary Hill be a property for sale? And what’s Syracuse’s version of Boardwalk and Park Place, the two most expensive properties on the Monopoly board?

Details of the game are being kept a surprise until its release in November, but the Cooley Group says its sponsors are all represented on the game in some way or another. Sponsors include Beak & Skiff, Brooklyn Pickle, Coleman’s Pub, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Driver’s Village, Harrison Bakery, The Gem diner, the MOST, the New York State Fair, Pastabilities, Syracuse University, Varsity Pizza and Wegmans.
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