Syracuse Team Report

GETTING INSIDE

It’s shaping up to be a challenging season for veteran coach Jim Boeheim, who has to replace the lion’s share of his production from the 2008-09 squad.

Jonny Flynn, Paul Harris and Eric Devendorf each decided to leave school with eligibility remaining. Fortunately, Boeheim has players on hand who appear ready to fill their new roles well.

The biggest question mark is at the point, where Flynn proved to be an indispensable player in his two years on campus. Scoop Jardine missed last season with an injury, and will get first crack at the job. He’ll face competition from top recruit and second-generation Syracuse player Brandon Triche.

Andy Rautins will take over for Devendorf at the shooting guard, and it’s here that the drop-off is the least pronounced. Rautins is a deadly long-range shooter who will stretch defenses and give the other guards room to maneuver inside.

Finally, Iowa State transfer Wesley Johnson appears poised to take over for Harris. He wowed everyone in practice last season, and put up impressive numbers as a Cyclone before deciding to leave the program for Syracuse.

Rick Jackson and Arinze Onuaku return to the frontcourt, and between that and another strong recruiting class, this looks poised to be the typical Syracuse team—not particularly deep, but very talented at the top of the rotation.

NOTES, QUOTES

• He hasn’t played a game in a Syracuse uniform, but Wesley Johnson is already drawing raves. The junior averaged more than 12 points and four rebounds in his sophomore year at Iowa State, and that was when he was hampered by an ankle injury that would ultimately require surgery.

• F Mookie Jones is looking for better health news this season than he’s had in the past. He missed most of the season a year ago with a hip injury, playing sparingly in nine games before being sidelined and ultimately getting a medical redshirt.

• The loss of Jonny Flynn, Paul Harris and Eric Devendorf marks four players in two years who have left the team for the pro ranks with eligibility remaining.

Last Year:   28-10 overall, 11-7 in the Big East; lost in regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.

Head Coach:   Jim Boeheim (career 799-288); 33rd year at Syracuse (799-288).

Quote To Note:   “Whatever you hear about him, he’s going to live up to it. He’s just a great player. He’s a do-it-all player. He can post you, he can take you on the perimeter, great mid-range game. He’s going to be something big for us this year.”—Forward Rick Jackson, in the Syracuse Post-Standard, on Iowa State transfer Wesley Johnson.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Scouting The Newcomers:   Wesley Johnson will be an impact transfer. The former Iowa State Cyclone won raves for his performances in practice a year ago, and should start on the wing in 2009-10.

Brandon Triche was a huge signing at the time, and he is even more critical now with Jonny Flynn gone. The nephew of former Orangeman star Howard Triche, he’s the kind of big guard that coach Jim Boeheim always loves. Triche will get a chance to win the starting point guard job.

James Southerland seems like he’s been around forever, since he first made the local news when he committed to Syracuse as a 16-year-old, but he is nevertheless a freshman who will fight to make the rotation as a backcourt reserve. Dashonte Riley is a freshman big man who could play in the paint.

Key Early-season Games:   Jim Boeheim has a well-earned reputation for not wanting to leave the state for his nonconference schedule, and indeed there aren’t a lot of road trips on tap for the Orange. The Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, which begins on campus and finishes in New York City, will bring challenging games against California and either Ohio State or North Carolina.

Apart from that, the only game outside of the Carrier Dome before Big East play starts is as part of the Big East/SEC Challenge, which sends the Orange to Tampa for a matchup with Florida.

Program Direction:   It’s tempting to say that the program is heading for a down year, and it’s likely that the Orange will struggle to adjust early to the loss of key cogs Jonny Flynn, Paul Harris and Eric Devendorf. But betting on Jim Boeheim to lose is a bad idea, and odds are good he’ll have the team in strong position for a return trip to the NCAA Tournament by March.

Probable Starting Lineup:   PG Scoop Jardine, SG Andy Rautins, SF Wesley Johnson, PF Rick Jackson, C Arinze Onuaku.

Roster Report:  

• G Scoop Jardine appears healthy and ready to go to start the season. He sat out 2008-09 with a stress fracture in his shin.

• C Arinze Onuaku played through painful tendinitis a year ago, and underwent knee surgery during the offseason. He also dieted and lost 15 pounds, hoping to put less stress on his body in the future.

• Freshman C Brandon Triche should already be a familiar name to the Syracuse faithful. His uncle, Howard Triche, was the captain of the 1987 Syracuse squad that lost to Indiana in the NCAA Tournament championship game.