Syracuse Orangemen News

NEW YORK—Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim says he's known Wesley Johnson was a special talent from the first time he saw him play. Wesley Johnson introduced himself to the Syracuse faithful with 25 points against UNC. But it was not until Johnson, a 6-7 transfer from Iowa State, lit up Madison Square Garden the last two nights that the rest of the country got acquainted with his singular talent as well. Johnson scored 25 points Friday night to lead Syracuse to a stunningly lopsided 87-71 victory... over previously unbeaten North Carolina to win the 2K Sports Classic. That came one night after he had 17 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks in a 95-73 semifinal victory over California. Those efforts earned him the tournament MVP award. Leading an effort that Boeheim called his team's best ever at Madison Square Garden — especially in a second half that saw the Orange outscore the Tar Heels, 50-32 — Johnson shot 10 of 17 from the field, 4 of 8 from 3-point range, pulled down eight rebounds and handed out two assists. "I was feeling it from the get-go," Johnson said. Under normal circumstances, Boeheim said Johnson "is very patient. He doesn't force things. In a lot of scrimmages, he'll take the fifth or sixth fewest number of shots." But the occasion Friday night — against the defending national champs on national television at an arena many consider the mecca of the sport — demanded something more, and Johnson delivered in a game that made the 4-0 Orange's loss to LeMoyne in an exhibition game that much more difficult to understand. "This was the most aggressive I've seen him," Boeheim said. "I think it was a must that I step up," said Johnson, who scored 14 of his points in an early run that gave the Orange a 31-22 lead. "I knew I would have to be a little more aggressive than I had been in the first three games." Johnson is only the fourth transfer at Syracuse in his 34 years at the school. Boeheim said an exception was made for him "because I felt that Paul (Harris) and Eric (Devendorf) were going to leave (after last season) if they had good years." Related Links Second-half surge leads Orange DeCourcy: Syracuse is underrated Johnson's credentials were never in question. He had earned a spot on the Big 12 all-rookie team as a freshman before falling out of favor with Iowa State coach Greg McDermott, which led to his decision to transfer. But not even Boeheim knew how good Johnson was before he actually saw him play in practice last fall. "It didn't take me more than a second or two," Boeheim said. "We had one early scrimmage in which he went 15 for 17 (from the field). When we took him, we knew he was pretty good. But we didn't know at the time how good he was." After two magical nights at the Garden, the rest of the college basketball can now say the same thing. Bill Eichenberger is a staff writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at beichenberger@sportingnews.com.more>>

Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy analyzes what Friday's buzz means to college basketball. SU—Seriously Underrated You know that thing in the My Profile section of Sporting News Today, where we ask the athlete or the coach about their motto? Every time I see that, it reminds me I have no motto. Except when it comes to preseason predictions. That one goes: It's not about who you lost, it's about who you have. This is why North Carolina was Sporting News' No. 4 team. The top four scorers left, but the... Heels remain loaded with NBA prospects. It's also why Syracuse should have been higher in predictions of the Big East standings. Even the league coaches whiffed on this one. They had SU sixth, behind Villanova, West Virginia, Connecticut, Louisville and Georgetown. The 'Cuse lost its top three scorers, but losing Paul Harris and Eric Devendorf was positive. Each was replaced by a better, lower-maintenance player. Wesley Johnson and Andy Rautins make Syracuse better. Had Jonny Flynn stuck, this team would be making a run at an NCAA championship. Without him, the Orange look like they can win the Big East. Deep blue It seems like a statistical oddity, but Kentucky scoring 102 on Sam Houston State without getting a single point from the bench could be cause for concern. Actually, it's more symptomatic of the cause for concern. It doesn't matter if a team gets scoring from its bench, and this is a perfect example. Without any of its four reserves contributing a single free throw, UK still rang up three digits. However, with neither Darnell Dodson nor DeAndre Liggins getting into the game because of "coach's decision," the Wildcats used four reserves for a total of 35 minutes. At the pace Calipari wants to play—a pace this roster is capable of supporting—that's not enough. There would have been more bench minutes (and probably some points) had Calipari wanted to use Dodson, who averaged 20 minutes in the first two games. But Kentucky is deep enough for a solid 9- or 10-man rotation. Calipari grew accustomed to not having much depth at Massachusetts and Memphis, so he's gotten used to squeezing by. He doesn't have to with these Wildcats. Leaving a legacy Tyler Smith has won his share of games for Tennessee since transferring from Iowa, and it looks like he'll win more for the Vols after his senior season is finished. Smith's versatility playing power forward for the Vols was important in UT's winning recruitment of five-star prospect Tobias Harris. A 6-8 forward from Dix Hills, N.Y., Harris and his family saw similarities in his skills and Smith's. They reasoned Harris would be successful if deployed in a similar fashion. One more assist for Smith. Mike DeCourcy is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at decourcy@sportingnews.com.more>>

The exhibition season is so two weeks ago. After knocking off Cal, Syracuse gets a shot at North Carolina and a chance to make everybody forget about that Le Moyne loss, Gary Parrish says.

A top prospect in the class of 2010, Tobias Harris finally made his decision tonight, choosing to play his college basketball at the University of Tennessee over the likes of Syracuse, West Virginia, Louisville and Kentucky.

Syracuse Strives to Knock off National Champ for Second Consecutive Year

One of the major benefits of having a hall of fame head coach like Jim Boeheim is that you?re never short on talented young hoopsters who want to come play for your school.

NEW YORK – They didn't show the flash or other-wordly quickness off the dribble of Jonny Flynn, but Syracuse point guards Scoop Jardine and and Brandon Triche were plenty good enough Thursday night in the Orange's 95-73 victory over California in the semifinals of the 2K Sports Classic. Scoop Jardine scored a career-high 22 points in Syracuse's rout of California. On the same Madison Square Garden court where Flynn put an incredible iron-man performance last season, playing 67 of 70 minutes... and leading the Orange to a six-overtime victory over UConn in a Big East Tournament quarterfinal, Jardine, a third-year sophomore, and Triche, a freshman, split time at the point and combined for 31 ponts, seven assists and only three turnovers. Jardine was especially effective coming off the bench, scoring a career- and game-high 22 points in 27 minutes. "We're not looking for them to score this much," Syracuse coach Boeheim said of his point guards. "I think Cal was worried about our big guys,so that they got some opportunities and took advantage of them, I thought." On this night at least, the Orange did not miss Flynn, guard Eric Devendort and forward Paul Harris, the team's top three scorers who all decided to turn pro after accounting for 54.9 percent of the offense last season. "It's tough when you lose three guys like that and people don't know what you've got," said Jardine, who spent last season as a redshirt. "But it easy at the same time because you can show them. And that's what me and Brandon are trying to do." On an otherwise veteran team that returns veteran big men Rick Jackson, Arinze Onuaku and shooting guard Andy Rautins, and added sharp-shooting forward Wesley Johnson, a transfer from Iowa State, point guard was the big question mark entering this season. It was not an issue against Cal. Triche, who had averaged 10 points and five assists in the unbeaten Orange's first two games, scored nine points against the Bears, ceding the spotlight to Jardine, who was a sizzling 8 of 13 from the field, demonstrating some of the shake-and-bake moves that Flynn used to entertain the fans before being taken by the Timberwolves with the sixth pick in the first round of the NBA draft. Jardine, who said he worked hard to lose 15 pounds this offseason, said he knew after Flynn's 34-point, 11-assist effort in that six-overtime win that he probably would declare for the NBA draft. "And I knew if I lost weight and worked on my shot, I didn't care who came back. I was going to get playing time." Related Links Recap: Syracuse rolls past Cal This two-headed monster at point guard seems to be working well – for the Orange and the players involved. "We know the more productive we are, the more time we are going to get," said Triche, a 6-4 freshman who led his high school team to back-to-back New York state titles before signing with the Orange. "We get evaluated all the time," said Jardine of life as a point guard under the ever-demanding Boeheim. "We're learning how to play with a short rope, and we're better because of it."  Bill Eichenberger is a staff writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at beichenberger@sportingnews.com.more>>