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The Daily Orange'We have to get back to those days'
Jonny Flynn knows it. Everybody does. Syracuse hasn't won an NCAA Tournament game in 4 years. And now is the time to turn it around.
By Jared Diamond
Posted: 11/12/08, 7:29 PM EST Section: Basketball 2008
Andy Rautins can't escape the expectations. Not around campus, where the fans never let him forget Syracuse's recent scuffles. Not in the Carrier Dome, where he is routinely greeted by trophies and mementos of the Orange's achievements. Not even in his own home, where his father, Leo, has stories to tell about the two NCAA Tournament games he won playing for the Orangemen.
Wherever Rautins goes, the painful reality is always there: Syracuse hasn't graced the NCAA Tournament in two seasons, only the second time that's happened in head coach Jim Boeheim's 32 seasons.
"You see it in the Dome every day," Rautins said. "The posters hanging on the wall, the memorabilia and whatnot of past champions, so it definitely wears on our minds.
"We should be back there, and we have the talent and the ability to do it this year."
The euphoric glory of that 2003 national championship still envelops the Syracuse basketball program like an omnipotent fog. It clouds the players, the coaches, the fans, who can't help but think back to that magical April night in New Orleans, when Syracuse earned its place atop the college basketball map. It hovers over the city, close enough to be remembered, too far away to still glimmer. Even the overwhelming excitement of a long overdue title loses its luster after half a decade.
From national champions to, five years later, missing two straight NCAA Tournaments. That's why this season is so important. Because Syracuse hasn't missed the Tournament three straight seasons since the Nixon administration. Because SU is on the verge of becoming synonymous with another set of initials: NIT. Because how much longer can the disappointments go on before they start to take their toll?
So the pressure is on this group to return prominence to a proud program desperate for a turnaround. These players, laden with talent, understand what's at stake. And with graduation and the NBA looming for several of the Orange's stars, the time to restore the winning tradition is right now.
Wherever Rautins goes, the painful reality is always there: Syracuse hasn't graced the NCAA Tournament in two seasons, only the second time that's happened in head coach Jim Boeheim's 32 seasons.
"You see it in the Dome every day," Rautins said. "The posters hanging on the wall, the memorabilia and whatnot of past champions, so it definitely wears on our minds.
"We should be back there, and we have the talent and the ability to do it this year."
The euphoric glory of that 2003 national championship still envelops the Syracuse basketball program like an omnipotent fog. It clouds the players, the coaches, the fans, who can't help but think back to that magical April night in New Orleans, when Syracuse earned its place atop the college basketball map. It hovers over the city, close enough to be remembered, too far away to still glimmer. Even the overwhelming excitement of a long overdue title loses its luster after half a decade.
From national champions to, five years later, missing two straight NCAA Tournaments. That's why this season is so important. Because Syracuse hasn't missed the Tournament three straight seasons since the Nixon administration. Because SU is on the verge of becoming synonymous with another set of initials: NIT. Because how much longer can the disappointments go on before they start to take their toll?
So the pressure is on this group to return prominence to a proud program desperate for a turnaround. These players, laden with talent, understand what's at stake. And with graduation and the NBA looming for several of the Orange's stars, the time to restore the winning tradition is right now.
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brooks
Ed Brooks
posted 11/13/08 @ 7:46 AM EST
Warrick graduated in 2005 and Gerry in 2006, or at least their eligibility expired. SU went to the Sweet 16 in 2004, the year that Gerry scored 43 against BYU. (Continued…)
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