Bethune-Cookman comes to the Carrier Dome and is the Orange's first opponent.
Three weeks of practice, two exhibitions and one memorable ejection.
That pretty much sums up the preseason for the Syracuse University basketball team, which begins the 2005-06 campaign tonight against Bethune-Cookman in the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer at the Carrier Dome.
And while the Syracuse/Bethune-Cookman game is the doubleheader's late game, the game's an early one on Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim's calendar. Now in his 30th year as the head coach of his alma mater, Boeheim has spent the last three weeks trying to get a team that's without three starters from a year ago - All-American forward Hakim Warrick, four-year starting center Craig Forth and ultimate glue guy Josh Pace - up to speed.
This is so early," Boeheim said after the second of two exhibition games last week. "It used to be after two weeks of practice we wouldn't have even had a scrimmage at this stage. There's just a long way to go."
Tonight's game is the earliest start date for Syracuse since the 1904-05 squad defeated Jenners Prep 74-10 on Nov. 5, 1904. But while that Orange squad had over a month before its next game on Dec. 8 against Dartmouth, this year's team will tee it up again on Wednesday against either Cornell or St.
Francis (Pa.).
"It's early for all the teams playing," Boeheim said. "It's going to be nice to see what our team can do in a game situation."
Syracuse's starting lineup features five upperclassmen, but after senior guard Gerry McNamara, the other four - juniors Louie McCroskey, Demetris Nichols, Terrence Roberts and Darryl Watkins - will be counted on heavily as they step into new and larger roles.
"We need a lot of work," McCroskey said after last Thursday's exhibition against Le Moyne. "We've just got to keep working hard. That's the good thing about this unit, we're all working hard and we all want to learn."
Bethune-Cookman returns three starters from a team that went 13-17 last season. The Wildcats play in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The school's Moore Gymnasium seats 3,000.
The Wildcats' non-conference schedule includes Clemson, Florida and Georgia Tech, but none plays in an arena the size of the Carrier Dome.
"We haven't played in a venue quite as large as the Syracuse venue," Bethune-Cookman coach Cliff Reed said. Reed noted that Sam Barber, a transfer from South Florida, might have an idea of big gyms.
"It's a two-headed monster - the arena with 30,000 seats and then the program," Reed said. "You hope your seniors are able to go out and have fun and lead the other guys and not be in awe."
Bethune-Cookman's seniors are Antonio Webb and Michael Williams II. Webb, a 5-foot-9 guard, was a preseason All-MEAC selection after averaging 14.9 points per game last season. Williams, a 6-7 forward, led the Wildcats with 6.6 rebounds a year ago.
In addition to Barber, eight transfers dot the Bethune-Cookman roster.
"We're elated to be here, but we're not elated about playing our opponent," Reed said. "We're just going to go out there and, hopefully, have a good showing."
Aside from vowing to stick around for the entire game, Boeheim, who earned the first ejection of his career in last week's exhibition against Saint Rose, doesn't know what to expect from the Orange tonight. That's why last week's exhibitions were so important.
"These have been very good games, especially when you don't have a veteran team," he said following the Le Moyne game. "A veteran team doesn't need these games; these guys do."
Especially when the regular season begins tonight, three weeks since the start of practice.
Three weeks of practice, two exhibitions and one memorable ejection.
That pretty much sums up the preseason for the Syracuse University basketball team, which begins the 2005-06 campaign tonight against Bethune-Cookman in the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer at the Carrier Dome.
And while the Syracuse/Bethune-Cookman game is the doubleheader's late game, the game's an early one on Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim's calendar. Now in his 30th year as the head coach of his alma mater, Boeheim has spent the last three weeks trying to get a team that's without three starters from a year ago - All-American forward Hakim Warrick, four-year starting center Craig Forth and ultimate glue guy Josh Pace - up to speed.
This is so early," Boeheim said after the second of two exhibition games last week. "It used to be after two weeks of practice we wouldn't have even had a scrimmage at this stage. There's just a long way to go."
Tonight's game is the earliest start date for Syracuse since the 1904-05 squad defeated Jenners Prep 74-10 on Nov. 5, 1904. But while that Orange squad had over a month before its next game on Dec. 8 against Dartmouth, this year's team will tee it up again on Wednesday against either Cornell or St.
Francis (Pa.).
"It's early for all the teams playing," Boeheim said. "It's going to be nice to see what our team can do in a game situation."
Syracuse's starting lineup features five upperclassmen, but after senior guard Gerry McNamara, the other four - juniors Louie McCroskey, Demetris Nichols, Terrence Roberts and Darryl Watkins - will be counted on heavily as they step into new and larger roles.
"We need a lot of work," McCroskey said after last Thursday's exhibition against Le Moyne. "We've just got to keep working hard. That's the good thing about this unit, we're all working hard and we all want to learn."
Bethune-Cookman returns three starters from a team that went 13-17 last season. The Wildcats play in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The school's Moore Gymnasium seats 3,000.
The Wildcats' non-conference schedule includes Clemson, Florida and Georgia Tech, but none plays in an arena the size of the Carrier Dome.
"We haven't played in a venue quite as large as the Syracuse venue," Bethune-Cookman coach Cliff Reed said. Reed noted that Sam Barber, a transfer from South Florida, might have an idea of big gyms.
"It's a two-headed monster - the arena with 30,000 seats and then the program," Reed said. "You hope your seniors are able to go out and have fun and lead the other guys and not be in awe."
Bethune-Cookman's seniors are Antonio Webb and Michael Williams II. Webb, a 5-foot-9 guard, was a preseason All-MEAC selection after averaging 14.9 points per game last season. Williams, a 6-7 forward, led the Wildcats with 6.6 rebounds a year ago.
In addition to Barber, eight transfers dot the Bethune-Cookman roster.
"We're elated to be here, but we're not elated about playing our opponent," Reed said. "We're just going to go out there and, hopefully, have a good showing."
Aside from vowing to stick around for the entire game, Boeheim, who earned the first ejection of his career in last week's exhibition against Saint Rose, doesn't know what to expect from the Orange tonight. That's why last week's exhibitions were so important.
"These have been very good games, especially when you don't have a veteran team," he said following the Le Moyne game. "A veteran team doesn't need these games; these guys do."
Especially when the regular season begins tonight, three weeks since the start of practice.
