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The Daily OrangeMBB | Jardine tallies career-high 18 points, feels more comfortable in starting role
By John Clayton
Posted: 12/30/07, 5:02 PM EST Section: Sports
Dec. 30 5:02 p.m. -- Jonny Flynn stood up from the bench and waved his arms in the air to urge on the already standing Carrier Dome crowd.
It was almost as if he was conducting the chorus of cheers resonating around the building for Syracuse freshman guard Scoop Jardine as he took in a seat on the bench after what was undeniably a breakout performance for the freshman.
In just his third career start, Jardine tallied 18 points, 10 better than his previous career best, on 7-of-11 from the field. He was a major cog in Syracuse's 95-74 win over Northeastern Sunday.
It was undoubtedly Jardine's best all-around collegiate performance. His breakout evening ended when he left the game at the 4:46 mark to a standing ovation from the crowd conducted by Flynn.
Twelve days after he was tabbed to fill the void created by Eric Devendorf's torn ACL, Jardine justified SU head coach Jim Boeheim's decision to insert him into the lineup.
"I just feel more comfortable now," Jardine said. "At the beginning of the year I'd make a turnover and I'd keep thinking about it. Now I got a leash on me where I know if I make a turnover I have a chance to get it back. I know the one time I made a turnover and I came back and got a steal."
Just less than two hours earlier it was Flynn who had appealed to Jardine to take a bigger role in the game.
Northeastern was playing a triangle-and-two defense designed specifically to stop Flynn and SU's top scorer, Donte Greene. During the game's first timeout, Flynn pulled his new backcourt mate aside to offer a few words of motivation.
"It was kind of like disrespecting everybody else because they were like, 'We just wanna stop these two guys and we're gonna let everybody else beat us.'" Flynn said. "So I told Scoop he needed to step it up and he said, 'I got you.'"
Jardine responded with eight points in 14 first half minutes - limited after he was forced to sit the half's final 6:32 after picking up his second personal foul.
It was almost as if he was conducting the chorus of cheers resonating around the building for Syracuse freshman guard Scoop Jardine as he took in a seat on the bench after what was undeniably a breakout performance for the freshman.
In just his third career start, Jardine tallied 18 points, 10 better than his previous career best, on 7-of-11 from the field. He was a major cog in Syracuse's 95-74 win over Northeastern Sunday.
It was undoubtedly Jardine's best all-around collegiate performance. His breakout evening ended when he left the game at the 4:46 mark to a standing ovation from the crowd conducted by Flynn.
Twelve days after he was tabbed to fill the void created by Eric Devendorf's torn ACL, Jardine justified SU head coach Jim Boeheim's decision to insert him into the lineup.
"I just feel more comfortable now," Jardine said. "At the beginning of the year I'd make a turnover and I'd keep thinking about it. Now I got a leash on me where I know if I make a turnover I have a chance to get it back. I know the one time I made a turnover and I came back and got a steal."
Just less than two hours earlier it was Flynn who had appealed to Jardine to take a bigger role in the game.
Northeastern was playing a triangle-and-two defense designed specifically to stop Flynn and SU's top scorer, Donte Greene. During the game's first timeout, Flynn pulled his new backcourt mate aside to offer a few words of motivation.
"It was kind of like disrespecting everybody else because they were like, 'We just wanna stop these two guys and we're gonna let everybody else beat us.'" Flynn said. "So I told Scoop he needed to step it up and he said, 'I got you.'"
Jardine responded with eight points in 14 first half minutes - limited after he was forced to sit the half's final 6:32 after picking up his second personal foul.
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Marc LeVine
posted 1/03/08 @ 9:47 AM EST
Until now, I thought that Boeheim recruited one of the "Beach Boys." ...and he replaces "Devo?" Wasn't that the 80's music group with the cone-hatted, robotic sounding geeks?
Scoop Jardine knows how to play basketball like Al Jardine plays music. (Continued…)
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