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#23 Syracuse
Orange
Big East
2004-05: 27-7,
11-5, 3rd
2004-05 postseason:
NCAA
By
Joel Welser
Syracuse has lost tons of
talent after their upset at the hands of Vermont in last year’s
tournament. Yet, Terrance Roberts, Louie McCroskey, Demetris
Nichols and Darryl Watkins are now upperclassmen and ready to
play a bigger role for the Orange.
Who’s Out: The
frontcourt loses Hakim Warrick and Craig Forth. The backcourt
loses Josh Pace and Billy Edelin. Warrick, the conference
player of the year, averaged 21.4 points and 8.6 rebounds.
Forth added 4.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per
contest. Josh Pace turned into a great wing for his senior
campaign. Pace started all 34 contests, averaging 10.8 points,
5.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists. Billy Edelin never returned to
earlier form last year and averaged just 4.0 points in 20
outings and will not return to Syracuse for the upcoming
season. Sophomore Dayshawn Wright won’t be eligible for the
first semester due to academics, but the sophomore hopes to make
a big impact after Decemeber.
Who’s In: Eric
Devendorf is the star of the class and could be starting from
day one. The Bay City, Michigan native is a tremendous shooter
and, even if he doesn’t start, will contribute at the shooting
guard spot. Arinze Onauku, a 6-9, 255 pound forward, will
supply another big body under the basket. Onauku won’t do much
scoring outside of the blocks, but he’ll develop into a monster
in the paint over the next four years. Andy Rautins isn’t a
highly touted recruit, but the 6-4 shooting guard is a solid
passer and ball handler. He needs to gain some strength, but he
can shoot lights out and has the potential to be a decent
defender. Matt Gorman returns after redshirting during the
2004-2005 campaign. The 6-9, 235 pound forward saw limited
minutes over the prior two seasons.
Who to Watch:
Who else but G-Mac? Gerry McNamara is one of the best shooters
in the nation and will once again be shooting from all corners
of the Carrier Dome. The 6-2 senior averaged nearly 16 points
per game a year ago and will look to lead his Orange much deeper
in the NCAA Tournament. McNamara hoisted up a hefty 9.3 three’s
per game, making 34% of them. Without a dominant player like
Hakim Warrick under the basket, opposing defenses will key in on
McNamara. The good news is Syracuse will have more long range
threats this year with a healthy Demetris Nichols and newcomer
Eric Devendorf.
Projected
Conference Rank: With the talent here, the Cuse can compete
with just about anybody in the conference. It will take a
little while to forget about Warrick, Forth and Pace, but under
newly enshrined Coach Jim Boeheim, the Orange won’t struggle for
long. A 5th place finish in the Big East is
impressive considering the talent and depth of the conference.
Projected
Post-season Tournament: NCAA
Projected Starting
Five:
Gerry McNamara,
Senior, Guard, 15.8 points per game
Eric Devendorf,
Freshman, Guard, DNP last season
Louie McCroskey,
Junior, Guard, 5.6 points per game
Terrence
Roberts, Junior, Forward, 7.2 points per game
Darryl Watkins,
Junior, Forward, 3.7 points per game
(Ed. Note, Demetrius Nichols was mistakenly listed in the
Starting Five earlier.)
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