Basketball






Big Three Recruits Hope to Make Huge Difference


By D.E. Connors

In today’s world of college basketball, half the battle is recruiting. Coaches can win games, but players win championships. Coaches spend their summer days in hot, sweaty gyms, looking to find the best talent across the country for that simple reason.

Recruiting is vital in building a program and sustaining its success. This year’s Syracuse University three-man recruiting class though, could not only sustain the prestigious program, but hopefully, elevate it to a new status.

The class includes 6’9” center Rakeem Christmas, 6’5” guard Michael Carter-Williams and 6’4” guard Trevor Cooney. Each possess an array of skills as well as outstanding athleticism that will help the Orange in the future.

Christmas is an extremely athletic, defensive-oriented big man from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is ranked second among centers and nineteenth in the country in the class of 2011, according to the ESPNU Top 100 . Christmas was honored as one of the top players in his class by being selected to play in the McDonald’s All-American Game as well as the Jordan Brand Classic.

Alex Kline of TheRecruitScoop.com called him, “one of the best defensive players in the class of 2011.” Christmas is quick off his feet, runs the floor well and can jump out of the gym. Christmas excels in the paint on both sides of the ball. Offensively, he is a rim-rattler who finds most of his points on dunks and in transition. Defensively, he uses his 88’ wingspan to block and disrupt shots and grab rebounds. Christmas is an excellent fit in the Syracuse 2-3 zone, where his long arms and intimidating presence will keep opponents out of the paint. He is expected to move into the rotation and play significant minutes as a freshman.

Although it may be ambitious to expect Christmas to score the way his predecessor, Rick Jackson did, it is fair to believe that he will protect the rim and hit the glass like Orange fans are used to.

However, Christmas is far from a finished product. Christmas has had problems with his consistency and bringing the same energy night in and night out. He struggles to score with his back to the basket and has limited range on his jump shot. However, according to Evan Daniels, a national basketball recruiting analyst, Christmas has “more offensive tools than people give him credit for.”

Christmas chose the Orange over Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, Georgetown, Rutgers and Florida International. He reportedly was looking for a warm weather school, so Syracuse will be a perfect fit for him.

Michael Carter-Williams is a versatile guard out from Hamilton, Massachusetts. He also played in the McDonald’s All-American Game and the Jordan Brand Classic. The ESPNU Top 100 ranks him fourth amongst shooting guards and twentieth nationally in the class of 2011.
Carter-Williams is a smooth player who can put the ball in the bucket in many ways.

“He scores like we breathe,” Tom Konchalski, one of the most highly regarded scouts in the business, said

Carter-Williams can hit from deep, but is not limited to just shooting. He is also able to use his length and athleticism to knife into the paint and finish or dish to a teammate. Even though the entire Syracuse backcourt returns, Carter-Williams will find a way onto the court because he can score at an alarming rate and play multiple positions.

However, for Syracuse, he will play point guard most often. Carter-Williams told me “that’s [point guard] what coach Boeheim wants me to play.”

Carter-Williams is noted for his special ability to close out games, something that Syracuse is in search of. On the defensive side of the ball, he plays with energy and is able to use to long arms to get into passing lanes.

Once he gets to Syracuse though, Carter-Williams will need to bulk up. As of now, strength is his biggest issue. He is a wiry 175 lbs, but to play in the rugged Big East, Carter-Williams will need to gain muscle to his skinny frame. But the positives out weigh the negatives, in this case.

“He’s got a slender build and might not look intimidating, but he can really score the basketball,” Alex Schwartz, President and Chief Scouting Officer of Northstar Basketball, said.

Carter-Williams chose Syracuse over Providence, Boston College, Temple and UMASS because, he said, “I felt at home when I visited Syracuse and I love the coaches and players.”

Trevor Cooney, a 6’4” shooter out of Wilmington, Delware, was the first of the group to commit. He picked Syracuse over Big East foes, Notre Dame, West Virginia, Villanova as well as Maryland.

Cooney is ranked seventeenth amongst shooting guards and sixty-seventh in the in the class of 2011, according to the ESNPU Top 100.


Cooney, first and foremost, is a three-point marksmen. He has “the tools you look for in a shooter,” according to Daniels. Cooney excels at running off screens and shooting off the catch and after one or two dribbles. However, unlike most players who serve the role of “shooter” Cooney can also use his athleticism to penetrate, as seen here - 

At the same time, Cooney doesn’t always take advantage of his athletic abilities. According to Schwartz, “He almost pigeonholes himself into the role of a shooter, when he has the ability to do more than that.”

If Cooney penetrates more often, the defender will have to respect that aspect of his game. In effect, he would create more space for himself as a shooter. 

Cooney, who told me he models his game after Ray Allen and J.J. Redick, needs to continue to work on his ball-handling, in order to complete his offensive repertoire. No matter how his ball-handling skills progress though, he will always bring to the table a skill that every team needs - shooting.

The three players could all play pivotal roles next season, despite the many returnees on the Syracuse roster. This recruiting class possesses the athleticism, skill and intangibles to make a difference for the Syracuse basketball program next year and in the years to come. Christmas, Carter-Williams and Cooney could make all those summer days in hot, sweaty and small gyms just worth it.



An Emotional Farewell For Coach Rob Murphy


By Louis Milman

This past week, assistant basketball coach Rob Murphy accepted the head coaching job at Eastern Michigan University. Yesterday, Murphy’s farewell press conference was held at the Carmelo K. Anthony Center.
Murphy took the assistant coaching job at SU 7 years ago. Syracuse was just one year removed from winning a national championship, and assistant Troy Weaver received a job in the NBA. Murphy was a largely unknown assistant at Kent State, and when the chance to learn from a legendary coach like Jim Boeheim arose, Murphy took it. 

Seven years later, Murphy has built a name for himself at Syracuse. Whether recruiting players like Wes Johnson, Kris Joseph, Baye Moussa Keita, Arinze Onuaku, and C.J. Fair or his work with the forwards, Murphy has had a huge impact on the SU basketball program, and will leave big shoes for his replacement Adrian Autry to fill.

Murphy spent his press conference gushing praise for Boeheim, and the rest of the SU staff. More telling, however, it was Boeheim’s opening statements. Boeheim called Murphy “an unbelievable coach here for us. What he’s done is as good as anybody’s ever done here and we’ve had a lot of great assistant coaches.’’

As much as Murphy thanked Boeheim and everyone else involved in his time at SU for being a part of his rise to this head coaching chance, the SU program should thank Coach Murphy for all he’s done on The Hill.

Kris Joseph took to twitter to thank Murph for “helping me grow as a person and a player from the day [Murphy] started recruiting me.” Murphy was more than a coach during his time here. He was a confidante to so many of the players at SU, he was the star of the team’s “Shut It Down” campaign, and he was more than happy to interact with the students and other fans. Murphy’s title was assistant coach, but he did it all in his time at Syracuse. 

Coach Murphy is by all accounts a great fit for Eastern Michigan, but that won’t make his exit any easier. Murphy had to fight back tears just a few words into his farewell, and was visibly sad to leave the place he’s made a name for himself. Though the opportunity for him is a great one, the Syracuse community and the basketball program should be just as sad to see him go.

Riley Set To Return, Make A Difference

By D.E. Connors
April 26, 2011
It was October of last year. DaShonte Riley, a center on the SU basketball team, was looking forward to fighting for a starting spot in the frontcourt for the Orange. He only averaged 1.4 points and 1.5 rebounds per game as a freshman, but there was no doubt that his size and skill could help in the paint. Then it happened. Riley suffered a foot injury in fall practice that required surgery and in effect, he missed the 2010-2011 season.


Since the surgery, Riley has been working hard to return to the court as strong as ever. He has been working with Ryan Cabiles, the strength coach, and Brad Pike, the head trainer, to build strength and get back into game shape.


Most of the exercises have been focused on his lower body. Riley is “getting certain things stronger so it relieves stress on my foot,” he said.


Missing this past season, though, was tough for the seven-foot, Detroit native. However, the most difficult aspect of sitting out this year is not what one would think. Riley wasn’t worried about his individual game or reputation, but he was worried about his team, especially senior Rick Jackson.


Riley described the most difficult part of sitting out as “not being able to help Rick out in his senior year.”


However, the experience wasn’t all bad. Through watching the games on the sidelines, Riley realized that “the game is a learning experience and in this past season, I took an outside approach, more of a student’s role.”


Also, since he couldn’t practice, Riley was able to devote his time to different areas, such as lifting. “I feel stronger since I spent more time in the weight room which was one of the biggest areas of improvement for me,” he said.


Riley was just recently given the go-ahead to start engaging in physical activity again. Although his right foot is not completely back at 100%, Riley told me it’s “in the high 90%.”


By the start of next season, Riley should be back to 100% and better than ever. With the graduation of Rick Jackson, the Orange have an unexperienced frontline. However, the return of Riley could provide a big boost. He fills the paint with his seven-foot frame, but is also skilled enough to score in the post and defend without fouling.


With Riley’s new approach to the game, stronger frame and healed ankle, he could prove to be an x-factor for the Orange next season. Syracuse fans, get excited - DaShonte Riley is back.



Autry Reportedly Returning To Syracuse



Adrian Autry will reportedly be the next assistant coach for the Syracuse Orange. He will take the position of recruiting coordinator that Rob Murphy previously had, before leaving to be the head coach at Eastern Michigan.

Just weeks ago it looked like Autry, 39, was headed to Dayton to be an assistant, but once Murphy left the SU staff, Boeheim quickly made a move to hire Autry.

“I think he’s the right kind of guy. He’ll be perfect. I’ve always been impressed with Adrian.”

Autry is no stranger to Syracuse. He graduated from SU in 1994, after being a four-year starter at point guard for his new boss - Jim Boeheim. Autry will join former backcourt mate Mike Hopkins on the staff. Hopkins has nothing but praise for his future colleague.

“‘Red’ [Autry] is one of those guys who’s just gotten better and better as a coach and recruiter because he’s worked at those things just as hard as he worked on his game when he was a player,” assistant coach Mike Hopkins said.

After graduating from Syracuse, Autry played professionally overseas in Greece, Russia, Italy, Spain and France. While in Europe, he also periodically wrote for ESPN the Magazine about playing overseas and living abroad. After his playing career, Autry worked in basketball at the high school and AAU levels until catching on with Seth Greenberg as a member of the Virginia Tech staff.

Autry should be one of the leading recruiters on the staff at Syracuse. He has deep connections with Team Takeover, a highly successful AAU program based out of Baltimore, as well as the Triple Threat AAU.

With the addition of Autry, each member of the SU staff is a Syracuse grad - Boeheim, Fine, Hopkins and Autry. The Syracuse coaches are looking forward to his arrival and what he can bring to the program.

“I think Adrian will be one of the very best assistant coaches in the country,” Boeheim said. “I think he’s one of the hottest candidates in the world.