Week 1.5 of season-specific reminiscing— 2001-2002

[HOFCeluck]

Well we got revenge on Michigan State and Deshaun Williams punched a popular radio DJ in the face. I think that’s it.

I’m just kidding. She was never popular.

 

[Trueblue25]

My first season as a fan!

 

[cusefan88]

The Shumpert goggles.

 

[HOFCeluck]

The Shumpert goggles.

Ooooo that’s good one. I learned what a corneal abrasion was that season.

 

[OrangeDW]

We were 16-2 and #8 in the country!

 

[Cusefan0307]

We were 16-2 and #8 in the country!

And then Deshaun __________ Preston's girlfriend.

 

[OrangeDW]

And then Deshaun __________ Preston's girlfriend.

I can’t imagine a player having a more disruptive year off the court than Deshaun had that year. That rumor, plus I think he had a DUI, punching Otto, fights with bouncers, falling asleep in court...what a clown show.

Have to think it was a large factor in his play always falling off a cliff after the first 15-20 games or so. He’d lose explosiveness and shoot worse and worse as the year went on as a soph and junior.

 

[OttoMets]

That pre-season NIT was actually a good memory. Aggressive man defense down the stretch to beat Wake and MSU.

Then came the no-defense games against North Carolina State and Georgia Tech with Bernie as the coach.

I don't think I've ever thrown so many beer cans at a TV as I did that season.

I also traveled up to the Dome for either the Georgetown or BC game at the end of the year (forget which, but it was not the one with the Boeheim court-naming ceremony) with my freshman roommate because McNabb was supposed to be there and he's a huge Eagles fan. He brought a McNabb bobble-head to the game with him, went and bothered McNabb in his seats, and got him to sign the bobble-head. So at least one of us went home a winner.

But really, what a downer of a season. And without Shumpert, the next year looked even worse until Deshaun miraculously flunked out of school days after being acquitted for punching Otto. (I still maintain this timing can't have been a coincidence.)

 

[gilardino]

Playing for our tourney lives on senior day with McNabb in the house. Cuse losing to BC 63-61, and Williams decides to go 1 on 3. Duany at end of game does not even shake hands, he was that distraught. Lost 65-61

awful team

 

[Ryand877]

Playing for our tourney lives on senior day with McNabb in the house. Cuse losing to BC 63-61, and Williams decides to go 1 on 3. Duany at end of game does not even shake hands, he was that distraught. Lost 65-61

awful team

Yep. I remember we had three Sunday home games in a row at the end of the season. Pittsburgh, G-Town(the game the court was dedicated to JB), and Boston College. I was bummed after that BC game too. Not too long before that we had won at Notre Dame( I think) and people thought we had figured it back out. Not so much. We lost to Nova badly first round of BET and that was all she wrote.

 

[gilardino]

Yep. I remember we had three Sunday home games in a row at the end of the season. Pittsburgh, G-Town(the game the court was dedicated to JB), and Boston College. I was bummed after that BC game too. Not too long before that we had won at Notre Dame( I think) and people thought we had figured it back out. Not so much. We lost to Nova badly first round of BET and that was all she wrote.

however the following season made me forget that awful season

 

[gilardino]

Bily Edelin also kicked out of school for the year, and Mark Konecy, what happen to him?

 

[gilardino]

That Pitt loss was bad as well, my god

 

[kirbivore]

My first season as a fan!

started at the bottom now you're here

 

[Cusefan0307]

We won 3 out of 4 before Georgetown. I remember being excited going to the dome that day that we were going to end that season strong. Then Deshaun was awful in that Georgetown game. I remember we lead for a good portion of that game and Shumpert was making shots and playing well and Deshaun would come down 1 on 2 or 3 and shoot 16 footers on the break. Pretty sure he was about 5 for 20 that game.

 

[Eric15]

Well we got revenge on Michigan State and Deshaun Williams punched a popular radio DJ in the face. I think that’s it.

I’m just kidding. She was never popular.

Dang, President Xi Jinping over here stealing my intellectual property.

I'm kidding, more season reminiscing the better.

 

[OrangeDW]

That pre-season NIT was actually a good memory. Aggressive man defense down the stretch to beat Wake and MSU.

Then came the no-defense games against North Carolina State and Georgia Tech with Bernie as the coach.

I don't think I've ever thrown so many beer cans at a TV as I did that season.

I also traveled up to the Dome for either the Georgetown or BC game at the end of the year (forget which, but it was not the one with the Boeheim court-naming ceremony) with my freshman roommate because McNabb was supposed to be there and he's a huge Eagles fan. He brought a McNabb bobble-head to the game with him, went and bothered McNabb in his seats, and got him to sign the bobble-head. So at least one of us went home a winner.

But really, what a downer of a season. And without Shumpert, the next year looked even worse until Deshaun miraculously flunked out of school days after being acquitted for punching Otto. (I still maintain this timing can't have been a coincidence.)

Georgetown was the court naming ceremony. BC was senior day. Both incredibly disappointing losses.

 

[Trueblue25]

We had a player that punched otto?

 

[OrangeDW]

We had a player that punched otto?

He allegedly punched a female at a bar, who happened to be the person in the Otto costume that season.

DeShaun Williams arrested, suspended

 

[OttoMets]

Yep. I remember we had three Sunday home games in a row at the end of the season. Pittsburgh, G-Town(the game the court was dedicated to JB), and Boston College...

Yes! That was one of those years when the schedule came out and it looked perfect for big games and crowds to close the year (you know like the opposite of all these ACC seasons with mid-week senior nights). But then the team was unwatchable and it didn't matter.

 

[OttoMets]

... Deshaun would come down 1 on 2 or 3 and shoot 16 footers on the break. Pretty sure he was about 5 for 20 that game.

2001-02gamesummaries (PDF) - Syracuse University Athletics
You're good, you. 4 for 15, pretty close.

But at least he only turned it over 6 times.

 

[Cusefan0307]

2001-02gamesummaries (PDF) - Syracuse University Athletics
You're good, you. 4 for 15, pretty close.

But at least he only turned it over 6 times.

Well my memory clearly failed me because I didn’t remember Shumpert going 4-17. I do remember Forth having a great game and saying to myself after that he was going to be a great offensive big man the next year after that performance.

 

[OttoMets]

Well my memory clearly failed me because I didn’t remember Shumpert going 4-17. I do remember Forth having a great game and saying to myself after that he was going to be a great offensive big man the next year after that performance.

Here's a 2001 memory: being in the Nottingham Road Peter's around Christmastime and bumping into: Shumpert, Deshaun, some girl, and Craig Forth.

Craig Forth was holding a gallon of skim milk and looked like the most miserable guy on the face of the Earth.

This was before I knew about the Shump/Deshaun stuff, I don't even know if it was the same girl, but in hindsight that memory has always amused me.

Hey, when you've got no car and need milk, sometimes you've gotta tolerate some bad shopping companions.

 

[Eric15]

In maybe 2006ish back before I went to bed at 9:30 every night, we were out at some bar in Armory Square and Shumpert was there. I feel like he was really hoping for people to recognize him, but for some reason not many people did. So my buddy and I went up to him to be nice and said "hey Shump, can we get a picture with you?" and the guy that was with him said "nah, no pictures" like it was Lebron or something. I guess when you play for Fortitudo Pallacanestro in Bologna, Italy that means you're too cool for school.

 

[HOFCeluck]

For some reason I only remembered that Nicole Wilcox was co host of the morning show on Hot107.9 and not that she was Otto the Orange that year. Seems like an important detail to forget but TBH wish I forgot more of the 2002 season.