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November 1st,
2006
By Joel Welser
Broadcast Basketball
Syracuse
Orange
Overall Rank:
#11
Conference
Rank:
#2 Big East
2005-06:
23-12, 7-9, 9th (t)
2005-06
postseason: NCAA
 Syracuse
stormed through the Big East Tournament to reach the NCAAs on
the shoulders of Gerry McNamara. With the point guard gone, the
Orange will look to hardnosed sophomore Eric Devendorf to run
the show. Devendorf averaged 12.2 points and 2.3 assists on the
season and, along with Josh Wright, spelled McNamara at the
point last year. Wright, the only true point guard on the
roster, lacked consistency on his outside shot last season, but
still could earn some minutes at the shooting guard spot when
not running the point. Sophomore Andy Rautins is expected to
provide a long range shooting threat off the bench.
Who’s Out:
McNamara averaged a smooth 16.0 points and 5.9 assists per
contest during his senior campaign. McNamara started all 135
games in his career and the fun bus trips from Scranton to
Syracuse have unfortunately ended. Louie McCroskey averaged 3.8
points and 3.3 rebounds last year, but will not be returning to
the Orange.
Who’s In:
The addition
of Paul Harris has Orange fans excited…and rightfully so. The
6-5 wing will continue to work on his shooting, but he’s an
amazing athlete who will get to the basket. His toughness and
athleticism leads to tons of rebounds and tons of points. If
he’s not starting in Novemeber, he will be by December. Mike
Jones is a tweener as a 6-6 forward. His outside shot isn’t
good enough to be a three, but he’s not big or strong enough to
play the four. Wherever he is on the floor, Jones is a great
athlete who can handle the ball on the perimeter. Devin
Brennan-McBride’s services won’t be needed this year, but the
6-9 center should develop into a contributor in the coming
years.
Who to Watch:
The
frontcourt has had its ups and downs over the years, but the
group has never really pulled it all together. This year, the
senior trio of Demetris Nichols, Terrence Roberts and Darryl
Watkins have no choice but to become team leaders. If they
don’t, the Cuse won’t be taking advantage of their talent and
athleticism. Nichols, the teams returning leading scorer with
13.3 points per game, has turned into a nice catch and shoot
player and can drain the long balls with consistency. Roberts
and Watkins won’t be shooting the long ball, but both are
capable scorers in the paint. However, it’s the duos 14.9
rebounds and 2.1 block per game that make this a dynamic and
dangerous group of frontcourt players. Matt Gorman and Arinze
Onuaku are a step down, but at least are capable options off the
bench.
Final
Projection:
There are some
concerns if Syracuse wants to make a deep run and be a top ten
quality team. The senior trio up front needs to have more
consistency and hit the glass harder, Devendorf and Wright have
to handle the point duties and keep the long ball threat intact
and Harris has to at least provide quality depth on the
perimeter. None of that is far fetched and the Orange will be
in the mix at the top of the Big East. Once the scent of March
is in the air, anything can happen and there is no doubt that
Coach Jim Boeheim will have his group ready to play.
Projected
Post-season Tournament:
NCAA
Projected
Starting Five:
Eric Devendorf,
Sophomore, Guard, 12.2 points per game
Paul Harris,
Freshman, Forward, DNP last season
Demetris
Nichols, Senior, Forward, 13.3 points per game
Terrence
Roberts, Senior, Forward, 10.7 points per game
Darryl Watkins,
Senior, Center, 7.1 points per game
Also:
Complete
Big East Preview & Ranking
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