18 d e c e m b e r 8 , 2 0 1 0
sports@ da ilyor a nge.com
Help Wanted
sta ff r eport
Kotynia places 18th in Short Course Nationals For most of the last two seasons, Syracuse swimmer Kuba Kotynia has single-handedly maintained a national presence for the phasedout program he represents. Never was this more on display than this past weekend at the AT&T Short Course National Championships in Columbus, Ohio. The meet, which was held at Ohio State’s Bill and Mae McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion, featured more than 200 swimmers from more than 20 different schools and clubs between its short- and long-course competitions. Competitors included representatives from four of the nation’s Top 10 teams. Every other school sent multiple representatives, but Kotynia swam alone. He was the only member of the Orange to participate. Holding his own against top competition, Kotynia finished a respectable 18th in the 200-yard
breaststroke. But he didn’t get a chance to compete in the final heat of the 100-yard breaststroke. His 36th-place finish in the preliminary heat kept him out of the final. After qualifying for the NCAA individual championships in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke races last March, Kotynia came into this season with gold-medal aspirations in his two strongest races. For the second time in three weeks, the Lodz, Poland, native had a chance to measure himself against the best competition America has to offer. In the November Nike Cup Invitational at North Carolina’s Koury Natatorium, Kotynia made a big splash on the national scene. In addition to posting top-five finishes in his two best races in North Carolina, the Orange
star also qualified for the finals in the 200-yard individual relay. His 200-yard breaststroke time of 1:58.24 ranked as the sixth-fastest time in the nation this season. But he was put up against a slightly higher level of competition in the short-course championships because schools can only send at most their top five swimmers as opposed to their Top 10 for the Nike Cup. So Kotynia fell slightly back down to Earth. Focusing solely on his two strength races this time, Kotynia could only qualify for the final in the 200-yard breaststroke. His final time of 2:00.11 was good enough for the respectable 18th-place finish (out of 58 swimmers).
michigan state
igan State played its trademark man-to-man defense. SU shot just 2-for-11 (18.2 percent) from beyond the arc, but it didn’t matter. Syracuse didn’t need to rely on outside jumpers. The Orange guards found teammates cutting to the lane for easy buckets. Jackson had four dunks alone, all coming off cuts to the basket. “I think this win shows how good we can be,” Jackson said. “We’re a young team, but we’ve got a lot of potential.” And it ultimately came back to the stellar Orange defense that has guided SU to victories through its early-season struggles. For the second consecutive game, Syracuse created more than 15 turnovers. The Spartans shot just 39 percent from the field. That defense proved to be the biggest difference maker. Michigan State was held to 20 points below its per-game average coming in. “In the first half, especially, we played as well defensively as we can play,” Boeheim said. “Our offense struggled a little bit in the second half, but our defense stayed with them.” When the Spartans did bring the score close,
SU created turnovers that led to easy baskets. The Orange outscored MSU 20-7 on points off turnovers. Those baskets helped offset the poor outside shooting, a problem for SU all season. “With that defense that we showed today, it was a great thing for us,” Joseph said. “Our defense really generated our offense, and that was big.” Despite calling the win “really good,” Boeheim emphasized after the game that this Syracuse team still has room to grow. Outside of four guys, there’s nothing but youth, and it is games like these that mature the group. So even if some of those players viewed this as a statement game, Boeheim stood at the podium echoing many of the same things he has said up to this point. “I don’t think we’re playing as well as we can play,” Boeheim said. “I don’t think we’ve played really well offensively yet. I think we can get there. I think we can be good. But we’re not there yet. “We’ve got a lot of work to do. We’ve got a long ways to go.”
from page 20
think I can remember a team that has struggled as much as this team has struggled.” But as the Orange took the floor of MSG, those struggles evaporated. Syracuse trailed for just 2:55 and never in the second half against a Spartans team that took No. 1 Duke to the wire last week. Rick Jackson scored 17 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, and Jardine and Kris Joseph combined for 33 points as SU pulled away late in the second half. Syracuse’s veterans were supported by the solid performances of freshmen C.J. Fair and Dion Waiters — both of whom seemed to thrive off a pro-Orange crowd. Early on, Fair had a pair of momentum-building dunks, and Waiters dropped a 3-pointer with 11:40 left to play that started a 22-11 SU run. “Especially our young guys,” Jardine said. “They got to see what college basketball is all about. This is a great atmosphere.” Offensively, the Orange thrived when Mich-
EARN CASH Syracuse Crunch looking for mascot Must be available to work nights and weekends Call Maggie 315-473-4444 or email mwalters@syracusecrunch for more information.
Notices Adoption- Together since high school with loving families nearby. Warm professional couple will love and cherish your baby. Allowable expenses paid. Please call Kim 1-877-318-3250.
Nora’s Hair Salon Specializing in Ethnic Haircare and Treatments
— Compiled by Jarrad Saffren, staff writer, jdsaffre@syr.edu
now offering student specials Shampoo and Sets $15.00 Relaxers and Touch-up $30.00 Monday - Friday 315-472-5164
Snowy sudokus
aljohn@syr.edu
the Contact info Deadline is at 2:30 pm, 2 business days before publication. Place by fax at 315/443.3689, online at www.dailyorange.com, by phone at 315/443.2869 or in person at 744 Ostrom Ave. Cash, checks and all major credit cards are accepted. classified discount rates runs
classifieds
boxed
1-4
$4.45
$7.00
5 - 10
$4.20
$6.80
11 - 20
$3.90
$6.55
21 - 30
$3.55
$6.25
31 - 50
$3.10
$5.90
51 - 70
$2.65
$5.50
the particulars and pricing The Classifieds list prices include 15 words. Each additional word is 10 cents per day. Bold and CAPITALIZED words cost anadditional 5 cents per word.The Boxed list pricesare per inch. There is no per word charge and Bold and CAPS are free.