Syracuse's Dion Waiters' tremendous open court breakaway dunk was the exclamation point on a 95-70 rout of St. John's at Madison Square Garden Saturday afternoon.
Waiters followed up one crowd-pleasing Orange dunk after another by stuffing the ball through the rim with his right hand over his head while the St. John's defenders could only watch and admire.
The sophomore guard then glared at the roaring crowd of 19,979 before heading back on defense as his teammates rejoiced.
The Red Storm were manhandled all afternoon on their supposed home court. The Garden stands seemed to have been flooded by orange and anyone in red seemed shell shocked during the Syracuse onslaught.
After Waiters powerful slam gave 'Cuse a 70-46 lead, cheers of "Let's Go Orange" filled the arena with 9:16 left in the game.
Second-ranked Syracuse (23-1, 10-1) was just too physical for the younger, undermanned and smaller St. John's (10-13, 4-7) team.
The win gave Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim his 879th win tying him with Dean Smith on the all-time victories list.
The Red Storm got off to a 5-0 lead and hung tough with the much bigger Orangemen but couldn't keep up with the deeper and taller visitors.
Syracuse took control of the game with about eight minutes to go and lead by as much as 59-31 after a dunk by seven-footer Fab Melo with 13 minutes remaining in the Big East match-up.
Melo—back from a three-game academic suspension— finished the game with a career high 14 points.
The home-town Johnnies fans are probably saying " 'Cuse me Waiters, there seems to be some fly in my hoop."
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Sabtu, 04 Februari 2012
Kamis, 20 Oktober 2011
UConn, Syracuse Tie For 1st In Big East Coaches' Poll
It had to be one of the most awkward Big East media days in memory. The coaches picked both national champion Connecticut and soon-to-be-gone Syracuse as the best teams in the upcoming season. However, the real topic hanging on everyone's tongue at Wednesday's annual event was conference expansion and realignment.
Most of the talk centered around Syracuse and Pittsburgh's announcements that they were leaving the Big East to join the Atlantic Coast Conference and the TCU team which ran away.
TCU was slated to join the Big East but is now headed for the Big 12 before the Big East could do anything about it. Big East commissioner John Marinatto announced at the conference he was looking to bring in schools to make up for the defections and prevent any others from leaving.
There has been a lot of talk-- some by the governor of Connecticut-- that UConn would also be interested in joining the ACC. Marinatto would have none of it.
"In the past five years, we've had the best basketball league in the country," he said. "We had [a record] 11 teams in the NCAA tournament last year and, on paper today, nine of them would be in it again."
Opinions about the defectors and the effect they will have on the league were at a fever pitch at the Manhattan gathering.
"My problem is not them leaving," said Louisville coach Rick Pitino-- in a statement dripping with irony. "My problem is you did it in 36-48 hours. Don't run away with a girl after one date to get married in Las Vegas when you've been dating someone else for three or four years. You've been dating this woman for 30 years, show a little respect."
Pitino, as you will recall, is the same man who almost threw away his career by cheating on his wife of thirty years for a 15-second fling with a woman who later tried to extort $10 million from him.
Last September, Pitino also compared Pitt's move to the ACC to Sal Tessio betraying the Corleone family in "The Godfather." Funny, because rumors have been swirling about the Cardinals jumping ship as well.
Pitino's poorly-chosen analogy, along with Pitt and Syracuse wearing track shoes and ready to bolt aside, there were plenty of other topics at hand including the upcoming season and the coaches' pre-season picks.
Connecticut, which closed out their season with an 11-game winning streak by winning the Big East tournament and the national championship will have to do it without All-America guard Kemba Walker, the heart and soul of the team.
Head coach Jim Calhoun has three returning starters-- including sophomore guard Jerry Lamb, a pre-season first-team pick-- and junior Alex Oriakhi, a second-team selection. Freshman center, 6-foot-11 Andre Drummond was chosen pre-season rookie-of-the-year.
Syracuse, which had five first place votes-- two less than UConn-- has senior Kris Joseph, a first-team selection, and second-teamer junior Scoop Jardine returning to the court.
Asked if he thinks the team will be treated differently during road games because of the school's decision to leave the Big East, Boeheim was philosophical.
"Nobody has ever cheered for us on the road," he said. "We never get a lot of cheers."
Louisville, which got three first place votes, was third followed by Pittsburgh.
Pitt's senior guard Ashton Gibbs was selected pre-season player of the year after leading the conference in scoring (16.8) and 3-point shooting (49%) last season.
Cincinnati was fifth followed by Marquette, West Virginia, Villanova, Notre Dame, Georgetown, Rutgers, St. John's, Seton Hall, South Florida, Providence and DePaul. In addition to Gibbs, Lamb and Joseph, the pre-season first team included seniors Darius Johnson-Odom of Marquette and grad-student Tim Abromaitis of Notre Dame.
Next year's coaches' poll might be without some familiar teams but not if Marinatto has his way. The commissioner said he will not let Syracuse or Pitt out of their contracts, which requires them to stay in the league for two more years.
Georgetown coach John Thompson III got sentimental about the Big East's fracturing conference.
"When I think of the Big East, I think of Georgetown-Syracuse, Georgetown-St. John's, " he said.
So do a lot of fans.
Most of the talk centered around Syracuse and Pittsburgh's announcements that they were leaving the Big East to join the Atlantic Coast Conference and the TCU team which ran away.
TCU was slated to join the Big East but is now headed for the Big 12 before the Big East could do anything about it. Big East commissioner John Marinatto announced at the conference he was looking to bring in schools to make up for the defections and prevent any others from leaving.
There has been a lot of talk-- some by the governor of Connecticut-- that UConn would also be interested in joining the ACC. Marinatto would have none of it.
"In the past five years, we've had the best basketball league in the country," he said. "We had [a record] 11 teams in the NCAA tournament last year and, on paper today, nine of them would be in it again."
Opinions about the defectors and the effect they will have on the league were at a fever pitch at the Manhattan gathering.
"My problem is not them leaving," said Louisville coach Rick Pitino-- in a statement dripping with irony. "My problem is you did it in 36-48 hours. Don't run away with a girl after one date to get married in Las Vegas when you've been dating someone else for three or four years. You've been dating this woman for 30 years, show a little respect."
Pitino, as you will recall, is the same man who almost threw away his career by cheating on his wife of thirty years for a 15-second fling with a woman who later tried to extort $10 million from him.
Last September, Pitino also compared Pitt's move to the ACC to Sal Tessio betraying the Corleone family in "The Godfather." Funny, because rumors have been swirling about the Cardinals jumping ship as well.
Pitino's poorly-chosen analogy, along with Pitt and Syracuse wearing track shoes and ready to bolt aside, there were plenty of other topics at hand including the upcoming season and the coaches' pre-season picks.
Connecticut, which closed out their season with an 11-game winning streak by winning the Big East tournament and the national championship will have to do it without All-America guard Kemba Walker, the heart and soul of the team.
Head coach Jim Calhoun has three returning starters-- including sophomore guard Jerry Lamb, a pre-season first-team pick-- and junior Alex Oriakhi, a second-team selection. Freshman center, 6-foot-11 Andre Drummond was chosen pre-season rookie-of-the-year.
Syracuse, which had five first place votes-- two less than UConn-- has senior Kris Joseph, a first-team selection, and second-teamer junior Scoop Jardine returning to the court.
Asked if he thinks the team will be treated differently during road games because of the school's decision to leave the Big East, Boeheim was philosophical.
"Nobody has ever cheered for us on the road," he said. "We never get a lot of cheers."
Louisville, which got three first place votes, was third followed by Pittsburgh.
Pitt's senior guard Ashton Gibbs was selected pre-season player of the year after leading the conference in scoring (16.8) and 3-point shooting (49%) last season.
Cincinnati was fifth followed by Marquette, West Virginia, Villanova, Notre Dame, Georgetown, Rutgers, St. John's, Seton Hall, South Florida, Providence and DePaul. In addition to Gibbs, Lamb and Joseph, the pre-season first team included seniors Darius Johnson-Odom of Marquette and grad-student Tim Abromaitis of Notre Dame.
Next year's coaches' poll might be without some familiar teams but not if Marinatto has his way. The commissioner said he will not let Syracuse or Pitt out of their contracts, which requires them to stay in the league for two more years.
Georgetown coach John Thompson III got sentimental about the Big East's fracturing conference.
"When I think of the Big East, I think of Georgetown-Syracuse, Georgetown-St. John's, " he said.
So do a lot of fans.
Jumat, 13 Mei 2011
Steve Lavin Announces New Strategy to Beat Cancer at Yankee Stadium
St. John's basketball head coach Steve Lavin, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer last fall and kept it a secret during the Red Storm's surprising run to the NCAA Tournament last season, has found a new approach to beat the Big C without surgery or radiation treatment.
Lavin told reporters attending a "Coaches vs. Cancer" pre-game ceremony at Yankee Stadium last night that the new, less traditional, treatment is called active surveillance and consists of tracking the size and growth of the cancer.
The Red Storm coach might be one of the first public figures to use the radically new technique to battle prostate cancer.
Last night, the 46 year-old Lavin spoke for the first time in public about his treatment options since April, when he first announced that he had the disease.
Lavin said doctors will closely monitor his PSA (prostate specific antigen) levels and Gleason Grading System, which measures the the size of the growth. If both levels remain low, more invasive treatment, like surgery and radiation, can be avoided.
"I just learned about it [the treatment] on Monday," said Lavin. "In addition to the precise monitoring and regular checkups, it's implementing a plan of exercise, healthier eating--lots of broccoli--weight loss."
It's been quite a year as new head coach for St. John's. Lavin, who returned to coaching after a seven year absence, led the Red Storm to it's first NCAA bid in nine years and just finished a filling out top-rated recruiting class for 2011.
Lavin kept his diagnosis of cancer a secret throughout the season after doctors told the coach he could delay his choice of treatment. Lavin called it "an informative and instructive experience."
"The doctors I was working with were confident if I wanted to tackle this in the spring or summer, there wouldn't be any risk or danger to my health," said Lavin.
Lavin, who spoke with urologists in New York and California before meeting with a radiologist on Monday, also contacted his friends Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim and Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker for their input. Both men have already beat cancer themselves. Boeheim was coaching eight days after his surgery.
The coach has noticeably slimmed down since the end of the basketball season and attributes it to walking and yoga.
When asked about his re action to being told he had prostate cancer, Lavin replied, "Initially it's disbelief, then it's curiosity in terms of what's next, now what."
Lavin remains optimistic and is inspired by the fact that his father fought the same battle nearly two decades ago.
"Having a team of great doctors naturally helps, and having a father who had prostate cancer at 61 years old and is now 80 helps somewhat," said Lavin.
Lavin hopes his public profile can throw some light on the misconceptions and significant advancements in cancer treatments. On the field at Yankee Stadium last night, Lavin's message beamed like one stadium's brightest floods overhead.
"This is special on a number of fronts," said Lavin "A group of people that share the passion for fighting the good fight and being the champion of a great cause, which is find a cure for cancer."
Lavin told reporters attending a "Coaches vs. Cancer" pre-game ceremony at Yankee Stadium last night that the new, less traditional, treatment is called active surveillance and consists of tracking the size and growth of the cancer.
The Red Storm coach might be one of the first public figures to use the radically new technique to battle prostate cancer.Last night, the 46 year-old Lavin spoke for the first time in public about his treatment options since April, when he first announced that he had the disease.
Lavin said doctors will closely monitor his PSA (prostate specific antigen) levels and Gleason Grading System, which measures the the size of the growth. If both levels remain low, more invasive treatment, like surgery and radiation, can be avoided.
"I just learned about it [the treatment] on Monday," said Lavin. "In addition to the precise monitoring and regular checkups, it's implementing a plan of exercise, healthier eating--lots of broccoli--weight loss."
It's been quite a year as new head coach for St. John's. Lavin, who returned to coaching after a seven year absence, led the Red Storm to it's first NCAA bid in nine years and just finished a filling out top-rated recruiting class for 2011.
Lavin kept his diagnosis of cancer a secret throughout the season after doctors told the coach he could delay his choice of treatment. Lavin called it "an informative and instructive experience."
"The doctors I was working with were confident if I wanted to tackle this in the spring or summer, there wouldn't be any risk or danger to my health," said Lavin.
Lavin, who spoke with urologists in New York and California before meeting with a radiologist on Monday, also contacted his friends Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim and Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker for their input. Both men have already beat cancer themselves. Boeheim was coaching eight days after his surgery.
The coach has noticeably slimmed down since the end of the basketball season and attributes it to walking and yoga.
When asked about his re action to being told he had prostate cancer, Lavin replied, "Initially it's disbelief, then it's curiosity in terms of what's next, now what."
Lavin remains optimistic and is inspired by the fact that his father fought the same battle nearly two decades ago.
"Having a team of great doctors naturally helps, and having a father who had prostate cancer at 61 years old and is now 80 helps somewhat," said Lavin.
Lavin hopes his public profile can throw some light on the misconceptions and significant advancements in cancer treatments. On the field at Yankee Stadium last night, Lavin's message beamed like one stadium's brightest floods overhead.
"This is special on a number of fronts," said Lavin "A group of people that share the passion for fighting the good fight and being the champion of a great cause, which is find a cure for cancer."
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