Midnight Madness marks beginning of men’s and women’s basketball seasons
The lights went out at the Carrier Dome Friday night, giving way to the sound of ripping motorcycle engines.
On 13 separate choppers, piloted by Syracuse police officers, rode each of the members of the 2009-10 Syracuse basketball team. Behind them rode SU men’s basketball head coach Jim Boeheim in his own squad car dressed in a full police officer uniform.
The Orange basketball season had officially begun.
The Syracuse men’s and women’s teams commemorated the start of their seasons with Midnight Madness Friday in front of 10,156 fans. The event, emceed by former Syracuse basketball player John Wallace, featured intra-squad scrimmages for both teams, a 3-point shooting contest and a slam dunk competition.
Earlier in the day, the two teams held their annual media days at the newly opened Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center.
For Orange fans, it was the first time seeing a litany of new faces on one of the most unknown SU teams in recent memory. After losing its top three scorers to the NBA Draft last year, the Orange is searching for an identity – something Boeheim said may not be a bad thing.
‘When you lose so many guys, there’s a new kind of team,’ Boeheim said at media day. ‘I like the guys, I’ve seen improvement in the little time I’ve seen them.’
The first step toward seeing that new identity came during the men’s intra-squad scrimmage. The Orange split its roster in half and showcased some of the team’s new talent, while highlighting some intriguing position battles.
The blue team was led by Scoop Jardine at point guard and featured Mookie Jones at shooting guard, Wes Johnson at small forward, DaShonte Riley at power forward and Rick Jackson at center.
The Orange squad was headed by freshman Brandon Triche at point, Andy Rautins at shooting guard, freshman James Southerland at the ‘3’, Kris Joseph at power forward and Arinze Onuaku at center.
Though the scrimmage got off to a sloppy start with several missed shots and errant passes, the teams began to work together. Triche commanded the point well and managed to work the ball around despite tough contention from Jardine.
Johnson was able to separate himself as the team’s dominant scorer, showing a slashing ability and touch from the outside that will likely make him a go-to weapon.
‘He’s already shown what he can do,’ Boeheim said. ‘We’ve had him in our system for a year and he was able to practice with us for a year. He probably played the most minutes in practice out of any player because we would rest our starters and he would never rest. I think he really understands what we do and what we’re trying to do. He’s got a good feel for the game.’
Boeheim talks point guards
With a sweet drive and a flashy grin, former Orange point guard Jonny Flynn helped bring Syracuse back to its first Sweet 16 since 2004 last season. Flynn led the team at the point, directing a high-octane offense with all the tools needed at the position.
But Flynn is now gone. After being selected as the sixth pick in June’s NBA Draft, Flynn’s departure now leaves the point guard position up for grabs between two relatively inexperienced players in freshman Brandon Triche and sophomore Scoop Jardine. Both are expected to play key roles for the Orange at point guard during the season and were a big topic during media day Friday.
‘I think that with Brandon and Scoop, we have two guys that are both point guards that’s their position,’ Boeheim said during media day. ‘I think Scoop has played off the ball, which I think is a good thing, but I think they are both good players. They are both obviously inexperienced players, but we’ve had inexperienced point guards in the past who have adjusted and played well.’
Boeheim said it will help the duo to have a veteran guard in Andy Rautins to help it in the backcourt and to have a frontcourt with three players who have all seen extensive time in Division I basketball.
Jardine redshirted last season with a stress fracture in his foot. He played in 33-of-35 games for Syracuse in 2007-08, starting 10 games. Triche, meanwhile, is a highly touted freshman out of nearby Jamesville-DeWitt High School. During practice Saturday, the two defended each other during live scoring drills, going back and forth in scoring.
Despite the inexperience, Boeheim doesn’t seem to worry about the point position this year.
‘I think what they need to do is get the ball to people,’ Boeheim said. ‘We have guys that have proven they can score at this level. We don’t need our point guard necessarily to score as much as our point guards have scored in the past, but I think with the makeup of our team, we have guys that have proven they can score inside.’
Women’s season begins
At his season opening press conference Thursday, Quentin Hillsman harped on three topics continuously – health, depth and contributions from freshman.
Syracuse’s head women’s basketball coach drilled home the point that, heading into his third full season, this is his most ‘complete team’ yet, thanks to arguably his best freshman class since being named head coach in 2006.
Carmen Tyson-Thomas, perhaps the class’s gem, highlights the crop of newcomers, along with proven winners Shakeya Leary of powerhouse Murry Bergtraum (N.Y.) High School and Elashier Hall. Hillsman regarded Tyson-Thomas as ‘one of the most explosive players’ he saw on the summer circuit.
The point guard position was also a point of emphasis for the SU head coach, as he referred to it as ‘one of the top positions we will have this year.’
‘Obviously Tasha Harris is proven, being Big East All-Rookie,’ Hillsman said. ‘And with her having a good year last year, and (Lynnae) Lampkins coming in and having a full season under her belt this year, I’m looking for her to have a productive year.’
asst. copy editor Tony Olivero contributed reporting to this article.
Published on October 18, 2009 at 12:00 pm
