
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Why next season's Big East schedule makes Syracuse a contender...

Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Former Syracuse Player and Coach to Enter Greater Syracuse Hall of Fame

“Eddie is a stickler for teamwork. His men understand it, and if a player attempts to star at the expense of the rest of the team, he is assailed immediately by the other members of the team as well as the coach. Syracuse teams play for points, not for press notices.”
-Excerpt from Syracuse Basketball by Rod Macdonald.
The legendary former Syracuse University basketball player and coach will finally get his due.
It has been announced today that Edmund Dollard, also known as “Eddie” to family, will be inducted in to the 2009 class of the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame. It has been a long time coming for the Syracuse native, who had a tremendous career as a player for the Orange from 1904-1908, as well as an even greater career as a coach from 1911 until 1924. His thirteen year tenure as head basketball coach saw the second highest winning percentage in school history, an undefeated season, and Syracuse University’s first ever National Championship.
In Dollard’s 17 years of association with the program, Syracuse compiled a staggering 188-75 record. Also a catcher for the University’s baseball team, Dollard was a proven winner wherever he went, lettering for four years behind the plate for the Orange.
As a player, Dollard was known for his defensive game as a lockdown defender. As a Coach, his unselfish demeanor transitioned beautifully. Dollard’s philosophy was geared very heavily towards team basketball, as well as having a great eye for the strengths and weaknesses of his opponents. His .724 winning percentage as a coach was the best in Syracuse University history, until current head coach Jim Boeheim topped it following the 2008-2009 season. As it stands, Dollard has been a tremendous part of a storied program that is one of the top-five winningest college basketball programs in history.
To see such a prominent figure in Syracuse Athletics history receive such an honor is truly gratifying. A graduate from Christian Brothers Academy, Dollard loved the city of Syracuse, all the way until his death in 1964. He was a caring and compassionate man with a love for the game and a love for both his direct family as well as his extended family on the court. Dollard can currently be seen on a picture at the Carrier Dome next to a video screen, where his 1918 National Championship team photo hangs.
The Hall of Fame induction dinner will take place in October.
-KShaw
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Flynn to Minnesota...
Let's keep out fingers crossed for Paul!
-KShaw
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Three reasons why Greg Paulus is bad for Syracuse Football...

So we've heard the majority of Syracuse's opinions on Greg Paulus:
1. Nothing to lose.
2. They have an extra scholarship to give to him.
3. He was national player of the year in high school.
Cool.
While these are somewhat true arguments, there are also many things that should raise red flags for Doug Marrone and the Syracuse Orange. Maybe I am out of my mind. Maybe I am tired of Greg Paulus. Maybe I think that he is a tad bit overrated. Nonetheless, I have compiled five key reasons why Greg Paulus coming (back) to town is bad for Syracuse University Football, NOT including the psychological effect of Ryan Nassib (Really the only argument I have heard against Paulus).
1. Circus- Greg Paulus coming to Syracuse has been working out very well media wise for SU. They have been mentioned on ESPN for something other than how terrible they are. While this is good, the local media in Syracuse have been outrageous. The perception of Paulus right now is completely overblown. Not Greg's fault, but after watching the "Greg Paulus Football/Basketball Marathon" on Timewarner Cable a few weeks back I realized something: Greg Paulus is being setup to fail completely. Don't believe me? Watch the backlash of fans if Greg does not win more than four games. And before you read this and think "Hey, he has to earn the starting spot first", stop kidding yourself. Ryan Nassib is royally screwed for this season and Paulus is going to be our starter. Good luck, Syracuse. You are now under the microscope for having one of the most known college athletes in sports. Media attention is great for a team, but not when it is soley focused on one player. Wether Syracuse wins or loses this season now is irrelevent. Greg Paulus is now the story instead of that team.
2. Hype- The Greg Paulus hype is putting Syracuse Football on everybody's radar. While some people see this as a good thing, I personally do not. When you are a basement dweller trying to come back, you don't want attention. You want to be Utah in the preseason, or Hawaii a few years back. You don't want one of the most hated college athletes in America as your quarterback for players to lick their chops at. Not only was Greg voted one of the most hated athletes, but he also was the national player of the year coming out of high school. Now don't get me wrong here, Greg Paulus was a very, very good quarterback. However. Greg Paulus was playing High School Football in the Central New York Area, specifically Syracuse. His numbers were fantastic, but would they be the same in Florida, California, or Alabama? He had greatly-hyped Bruce Williams and Llavar Lobdell as his High School teammates, and their transition to division one football has been mediocre at best. With Lobdell turning down the option to at one point take a scholarship to USC, he has been a decent reciever for the Orange but nothing more. My point is that Paulus has a lot of hype being brought to this team (not to mention it was four years ago) that he might have a difficult time living up to. The most talented player that he played against was Ray Rice, who had nothing to do with him because he was on the other side of the ball.
3. Size- If you ever watched Greg Paulus play for Christian Brother's Academy (again, see GregPaulusAthon on Timewarner), you would notice something very interesting. He never got touched in the backfield. Part of it was scrambling, sure. But I think it is safe to say that Greg Paulus had one of if not the best offensive line in New York State. At Syracuse, he will not have that. Marrone will have them improved from last year, sure. But he will get sacked. He is an undersized quarterback who realisticly has not taken a hard hit in football since probably ninth grade. It is kind of a big gamble if you bench Nassib the original starter to go with Paulus and have him break in half after two games.
All in all every reason I just gave could be discredited and I could look like the biggest moron on the planet, or it could turn out to make me look brilliant. It all depends on what Paulus does in the offseason. He SHOULD transition good to Marrone because of the coaching style of Coach K, but who knows if he can still play football. I'm not a fan of Marrone's decision to bring him on, but at the same time... Who am I? I think it is bad but "Hey we have nothing to lose right?"
-KShaw
Friday, May 1, 2009
DISAPPEARING DUGGA
Where in God's name is Paul Harris? The man affectionately known as "Dugga" has completely disappeared from the map, and has not been seen since issuing the bizarre statement about "not really" even declaring for the draft.Thursday, April 23, 2009
Marty Blake's Take on SU Departures

I just had the pleasure to sit in on a lecture, followed up by a question and answer session, with probably the NBA's most famous scout ever, Marty Blake. As you can tell from the picture on the right, Marty has been around for a while, as he is currently in his mid 80's.
In my mind, if I'm listening to an opinion on the NBA draft, I'm going with the guy who drafted Pete Maravich and discovered Scottie Pippen.
I spoke with Marty after the session about a few things, one of the topics of course being the future of our departed SU friends.
In Marty's paraphrased words, here's what he had to say about Jonny:
"He will eventually be a very good player in the NBA. Not so much right now, but he should come out. He can play."
What about America's favorite bad guy, Eric Devendorf?
"Who's the other guy there, the guard? Yeah, Devendorf. He can play too."
Now, Marty didn't specify the actual league Devo could play in, but it sounds to me that he thinks he's somewhat on the right track. We unfortunately did not get to discuss Paul, who at this point could be hiding out in a closet on the Maid of the Mist for all we know.
Regardless, it was a great chance to talk to one of the true legends of the NBA. Marty even inadvertently made a reference to a longtime joke that my Dad loves to pull, which is refer to Jimmy B as "Bo-heem." Just a spectacular night all around.
Let's hope "The Godfather of the NBA Draft" is spot on about Jonny and devo, eh?
- Jake the Snake
Monday, April 13, 2009
Enough is Enough, SU Fans: Leave Jonny Alone
Like every single other Syracuse fan in the world, today was a very sad day for me. I learned of the news that Jonny Flynn was going to sign with an agent while eating lunch around 1 o'clock, after I received a text from KShaw. My first reaction, before doing anything else at all: well, it was an expletive. Why Jonny Flynn's departure is more accepted than Donte Greene's.

Jonny Flynn's departure from Syracuse to the NBA comes with a sense of deja vu to Orange fans everywhere. For the second season in a row, Jim Boeheim is going to lose his leading scorer to the ranks of the NBA.
But why is the fan reaction so much different this season than last? The same people that wished nothing but the worst for Sacramento Kings rookie and former Syracuse guard Donte Greene are praising Flynn on his decision and wishing him nothing but the best of luck.
Donte Greene's legacy at Syracuse will be remembered as that of blowing a 20+ point lead to UMass at home in the NIT, and saying that he was leaving Syracuse because of him losing shots with Rautins and Devendorf coming back for the following season. Jonny Flynn? You think six overtimes, sweet sixteen, and best point guard in the best conference in the nation. Greene will be remembered by Syracuse fans for his lazy defense, and Flynn his massive amount of minutes logged for the Orange.
Regardless of memories, points, hype, or rankings, there is one stat that will always stand out to Syracuse fans when thinking of the two.
And that number is zero.
Zero Big-East Championships. Zero National Championships. Zero first team all Big-East selections. Zero All-American selections (disregarding Flynn's honorable mention). While Flynn's legacy may end up being cemented in to one six-overtime game, Greene's legacy is all but forgotten at Syracuse.
What do you think? Why is Flynn's decision more widely accepted overall than Greene's? How will Jonny Flynn and Donte Greene be remembered at Syracuse? Leave your comments below!
-KShaw
FUUUUUUUUUUUDGE
Friday, April 10, 2009
Soooo... Where to begin...

Thursday, April 9, 2009
WOW....
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Basketball Season Wrap-up Coming
With almost a week gone by of Syracuse's loss to Oklahoma in the NCAA Tourney, some questions have been answered but A LOT still remain. Namely, the biggest one surrounding the young lad directly to the right of this text. That's right Jonny, all eyes are on you.