Basketball Guide 2016

t h e i n de p e n de n t s t u de n t n e w s pa p e r of s y r ac u s e , n e w yor k

basketball guide 2016

INTO PLACE

basketball guide 2016

2

the daily orange

t h e i n de p e n de n t s t u de n t n e w s pa p e r of s y r a c u s e , n e w yor k

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Dear Readers, Both Syracuse’s men’s and women’s basketball teams enter the 2016-17 season coming off Final Four appearances. Check out our comprehensive guide for everything you need to know about the seasons set to kick off on Friday. On the men’s side, three transfers — Paschal Chukwu, Andrew White and John Gillon — fill holes in the Orange’s lineup. On the women’s side, three returners — Alexis Peterson, Brittney Sykes and Briana Day — are poised to repeat last year’s success. Take a peek at our feature stories and follow along for our coverage throughout what’s shaping up to be two exciting basketball seasons.

Thanks for reading, Paul Schwedelson, Sports Editor Men’s and women’s basketball cover photo illustrations and portraits by Jessica Sheldon | Photo Editor

follow us on dailyorange.com @dailyorange facebook.com/thedailyorange @dailyorange

The Daily Orange is published weekdays during the Syracuse University academic year by The Daily Orange Corp., 744 Ostrom Ave., Syracuse, NY 13210. All contents Copyright 2016 by The Daily Orange Corp. and may not be reprinted without the expressed written permission of the editor in chief. The Daily Orange is distributed on and around campus with the first two copies complimentary.

Each additional copy costs $1. The Daily Orange is in no way a subsidy or associated with Syracuse University.

All contents © 2016 The Daily Orange Corporation

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the daily orange

LONG ROAD

HERE

From one pair of clothes and no family in the U.S. to Syracuse’s rotation, Paschal Chukwu has come a long way

cal family member in the U.S. When they’re together, they reminisce over the “ghetto,” as Paschal calls it, that surrounded them in Enugu, but the safe haven they had in close quarters. aschal Chukwu watched in awe as a high school girls’ basketball scrim“Although he has family members here, like his host family, I’m like someone he grew mage paced up and down the court. up with,” Emmanuel said, “someone he can connect back to that African roots with.”

The 15-year-old had never seen a game that organized, with referees, Paschal is primed for a breakout season as the tallest player in Syracuse hisbleachers and a wooden surface. He forgot, if only for a couple minutes, tory. He’ll anchor the middle of the 2-3 zone when he’s on the court, a task he that he needed a family. yearned for last season when sitting out following his transfer from Providence.

He sat over 5,000 miles from his hometown of Just six years ago, though, a future in Division I Enugu, Nigeria. All he had in Stamford, Connectibasketball was a pipe dream. cut, was a brown nylon windbreaker, an underPaschal first came to the U.S. in the summer of shirt, white capris, a pair of socks, open-toed 2009 for a basketball camp in Atlanta. The best sandals, Converse sneakers and a backpack. He players from Africa were chosen to stay. At the didn’t know where he’d sleep that night. time, he had never consistently played basketball.

Dave Caputo, Chukwu’s legal guardian at the Paschal estimates 60 players attended and 50 time, wanted Chukwu to live with him in nearby made the cut. He wasn’t one of them.

Port Chester, New York, but didn’t have the means Paschal’s coach in Nigeria, Alex Owoicho, to house him anymore. arranged for him to fly to the U.S. for good in NovemSeveral days after settling on Trinity Catholic ber 2010. The plan was to stop in Ethiopia, continue High School, then-school president Joe Quinn to Washington, D.C. and grab a connecting flight to accompanied Chukwu into the gym that day. His Florida. Paschal’s I-20, a “certificate of eligibility for goal: find a family that would take in this 7-foot-2 nonimmigrant student status,” placed him at Westteenager while knowing next to nothing about him. lake Prep School in Cooper City, Florida.

“He had no place to go, really,” Trinity Catholic Owoicho didn’t tell Paschal who would pick him head coach Mike Walsh said. up at the airport, only that someone would recogEMMANUEL CHUKWU It was Chukwu’s third stop on his tour of schools, nize him because of his height and that Paschal pascal chukwu’s brother and two months of the school year had already passed. should go with them. A new life awaited, but a naive He grew tired of looking and chose Trinity Catholic. Blissfully ignorant to everything 15-year-old didn’t know what it entailed. around him, Chukwu had no idea where he was headed when he left.

Before Paschal left, he gave Emmanuel 500 naira, Nigeria’s currency, equivalent to $1.59 in the U.S. The brothers embraced and Paschal said goodbye. Emmanuel ••• didn’t know when or if he’d see his brother again.

In Enugu, the Chukwu’s hoop consisted of rebar with a slab of wood pinned to the top. When the ball hit the makeshift backboard, the wood often shifted out of place.

••• Chukwu and his younger brother Emmanuel built the hoop themselves and Instead of Chukwu catching his connecting flight to Florida, he left Dulles Interplayed on gravel outside their house. They lived in a three-bedroom apartment in national Airport in Caputo’s car bound for New York. a housing compound while their tenant lived in a backyard shed.

Owoicho knew Caputo personally, and improvised that plan because he wanted Emmanuel, 19, came to the United States in 2011 and is Paschal’s only biologisee chukwu page 4

By Matt Schneidman senior staff writer

P

“

ALTHOUGH HE HAS FAMILY MEMBERS HERE, LIKE HIS HOST FAMILY, I’M LIKE SOMEONE HE GREW UP WITH. SOMEONE HE CAN CONNECT BACK TO THAT AFRICAN ROOTS WITH.

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chukwu Chukwu in familiar hands.

When Chukwu didn’t show at Westlake, the school contacted him via Facebook, concerned for his safety and angry that he was nowhere close. They repeatedly messaged Chukwu and eventually he ignored them. Chukwu remembers being told police searched for him in Washington, D.C. He called Owoicho, concerned and confused.

Owoicho told Chukwu not to worry.

“The problem is, I had no clue, didn’t want to know what was going on,” Chukwu said. “I’m like a nonchalant person … so I just forgot about it and just lived my life.”

Chukwu wanted to settle into a high school. He visited South Kent School in Connecticut and Saint Benedict’s Preparatory School in New Jersey. Neither appealed to him, and he chose the small private school in southwestern Connecticut.

Caputo said he negotiated with Westlake to alter Chukwu’s I-20 so he could legally attend Trinity Catholic. Chukwu lived in Port Chester with Caputo and the trip from Caputo’s house to Trinity Catholic took about 20 minutes.

Now, a shy 7-foot-2 teenager tried to blend in at a new school where all he did was stand out.

As Chukwu walked into the gym on that early November afternoon, Jen Featherston played in her first game since tearing her ACL a year before. Jen’s mom, Sheila, worked with the school’s parent teacher association and Quinn knew the family fairly well from his two months as school president.

While the scrimmage occupied Chukwu’s attention, Quinn approached the Featherston’s father.

Hey, I need to talk to you.

“That night, we ended up taking him home with us,” John Featherston said, “because he had no place to stay.”

••• Inside the local Big & Tall luxury clothing store, Chukwu towered over John and spoke in a whisper.

Could I get shoes?

Before heading home with the Featherstons, Chukwu added a second set of clothing to adhere to Trinity Catholic’s dress code — a blazer, khakis, button-down shirt and, lastly, a pair of dress shoes. The Featherstons heard him giggling in the dressing room while trying on clothes that were vastly different from anything he’d ever worn.

On the ride home, Chukwu remained silent in the back seat of John’s Audi A6. Chukwu knew nothing about the family whose home he’d sleep in or how long he’d be there. That night, Sheila cooked chicken and rice since it was one of Chukwu’s favorite meals in Nigeria.

Even if it was going to be only one night, the Featherstons wanted Chukwu to feel at home.

“We were just hopefully doing the right thing,” John said.

Chukwu stayed in Ray Featherston’s room but barely spoke (Ray is now a freshman walk-on for Syracuse). Chukwu slept with the

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lights on because he was nervous and struggled to establish a consistent sleep schedule with a five-hour time difference between Nigeria and Connecticut. It took only a week for Chukwu to call Sheila “mom,” but he wasn’t as comfortable outside the house.

The Featherstons visited New York City for Thanksgiving in 2010, and Chukwu became the center of photo shoots on the streets. Every time someone asked his height, Ray answered. Eventually, the Feathertson sisters yelled at strangers to leave him alone. One time, Chukwu caused a minor accident when he turned left without the right-of-way. Police officers asked him to pose for a picture after they were done at the scene.

“At the beginning, he did not like that one bit and he would kind of look away and not acknowledge,” Sheila said. “We had to teach him that, ‘You are different. You are gonna get the looks.”

After school on Fridays, Jen drove Chukwu 20 minutes to Rye, New York, so he could play for the AAU team Caputo was associated with. Chukwu stayed there until Sunday night, when Jen brought him home in time for school the next morning. Chukwu hated playing basketball for two full days.

During the week, John sat down with Chukwu at the kitchen bar and went through his grades, comparing them to NCAA requirements.

The Featherstons taught him how to shake hands and look someone in the eye at social gatherings. Family competitions in table tennis and the FIFA soccer video game cultivated a sense of family for Chukwu even though the Featherstons still weren’t his legal guardians.

“I always wanted a little brother and then I got Paschal,” Ray said. “And I was like, ‘Wow, this is even cooler than a little brother.’”

Chukwu told Ray he wanted to play in the NBA, but Ray said it wasn’t possible. Chukwu struggled to make a layup or even dunk on the Featherston’s real-size indoor basketball hoop.

During his first varsity game with Trinity, the referee repeatedly told Chukwu to “get out.” At the next timeout, he asked his coach why the referee wanted him out of the game, when the referee was just warning Chukwu about a three-second violation.

He gradually assimilated to a new life off the court while his interest in basketball dwindled. Chukwu still had the Featherstons, but even that faded.

••• Tears streamed down Chukwu’s face as he packed his bags.

Just several days prior, John Featherston received a phone call from a man named Derrik Riullano, who said he was assuming guardianship of Chukwu. Chukwu’s biological father signed off on the switch, the only signature needed to make the change official, but Riullano said Chukwu could still live with the Featherstons.

Now, Riullano was calling again to tell John that Chukwu had to move out without explanation. Ray, distraught, stood on a side table so he could reach a window to watch Chukwu leave after his four-month stay. The Featherstons couldn’t do anything about it and neither could a sobbing Chukwu. Riullano declined comment for this story.

PASCHAL CHUKWU was taken in by the Featherston family. Ray Featherston is now a freshman walk-on for the Syracuse. courtesy of the featherston family

The Featherstons didn’t know if he would ever return. They feared for his grades and college eligibility. He had already lived in two different homes and was thrust into yet another unfamiliar environment.

Riullano, according to Chukwu, didn’t have the means to house him and sent Chukwu to live with a friend named Paul Staubi in Rye. Chukwu took the local train to Stamford, where he bussed to school. He was late almost every day because of the long commute and Quinn was afraid Chukwu would fail out.

He played for AAU teams he doesn’t remember the names of — ones that temporarily needed a 7-foot-2 presence. While he lived with Staubi, Chukwu never talked with the Featherstons.

“I wasn’t happy in a way,” Chukwu said.

“They cut off my communication with them and everything.”

In mid-April, Chukwu finally texted Sheila.

Mom, can I talk to you?

The two met in a classroom at Trinity Catholic, away from the people who didn’t want Chukwu talking with the family he actually wanted to be with. In mid-May, Chukwu’s biological father signed off on one more switch. The Featherstons allowed him to finish the AAU season in July before he moved in with them for good.

“He wasn’t 7’2” that day,” said Quinn, who drove an ecstatic Chukwu from Rye back to the Featherstons. “He was almost 8’3” because he was walking off the ground.”

The Featherstons placed Chukwu on a Connecticut-based AAU team with Ray. Head coach Dan Donnelly, who coached Chukwu in 2011 and 2012, was the first to teach him Xs and Os and make him feel like part of a team.

When Chukwu did dribbling drills, everyone did, even though they were all fundamentally superior. It made Chukwu feel like he mattered, and he bought in.

He transferred to Fairfield Prep in Connecticut for his last two years of high school, and that’s where he finally started to have fun playing basketball. Chukwu solidified his academic standing to ensure college eligibility.

“The Featherstons…they really saved him,” Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. “They really gave him stability.”

••• Chukwu and Chinonso Obokoh embraced and began talking in their native language.

To Syracuse assistant coach Mike Hopkins, the two resembled long-lost brothers reunited when they met on Chukwu’s unofficial visit to Syracuse two summers ago.

Chukwu won’t elaborate on why he transferred from Providence after one year and chose SU, but he does heavily credit Obokoh, the former Orange center. The two are from the same Nigerian tribe, and Obokoh made Chukwu comfortable with yet another move.

On a personal level, Chukwu adapted to change like he had multiple times before. Now he needed to transform as a player. At one preseason practice last year, he lowered the ball below his neck and had it stolen. Boeheim yelled at Chukwu that he had 13 months to figure it out.

Chukwu couldn’t travel with the team or

stacking up Chukwu played fewer than 10 minutes per game in his freshman season at Providence, posting underwhelming numbers

10

9.9 MINUTES PER GAME POINTS PER GAME

8

REBOUNDS PER GAME ASSISTS PER GAME

6

BLOCKS PER GAME

4

2.6 2.4 2

0.1

0

0.7

CATEGORY

dress for home games last season because of NCAA transfer rules. During away games, he watched intently in his South Campus apartment and envisioned himself in certain situations. When he jumped up in tense moments, he nearly hit his head on the ceiling.

His offensive repertoire is a work in progress, but a 7-foot-2 presence in the middle of the zone defense is something Syracuse has never had.

“He’s had some really good days in practice,” Boeheim said, “but he’s got a lot of work to do.”

This season is Chukwu’s next test. He has never shied away from an obstacle, because just getting to this point has been one.

“It’s the courage, being able to adapt,” Hopkins said. “I think all those experiences will just help him get to where he’s gotta get, to where he wants to get.”

Chukwu wants to eventually make enough money playing basketball to bring his family to the U.S., but a visit home isn’t an option at this point because of violence in Nigeria. His home in Connecticut for the better part of six years now is a luxury compared to the threebedroom apartment in Enugu.

The Featherstons have an immense yellow house with a pristine patio behind it. Inside, a slim white door opens to a spiral metal staircase that leads to an indoor basketball court. The house is tucked in the back-right corner of a private road away from the commotion of traffic.

His life in Connecticut, let alone his basketball career at Syracuse, is hardly what Chukwu envisioned when he stepped off the plane in Washington D.C. six years ago. When he didn’t know who would call his name. When he didn’t know where he was going. When he just went along with it, because that was his only option.

He struggles to muster the words to describe what it means to be sitting in a state-of-the-art practice facility half a world away from the gravel courts of Nigeria.

But he’s here now. And if the past is any indication, there’s no telling what’s next. mcschnei@syr.edu | @matt_schneidman

PASCHAL CHUKWU came to the United States with not much more than a few articles of clothing, sneakers and a backpack. courtesy of the featherston family

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SLOW &

STEADY Andrew White brings consistency and experience to Syracuse in final year of college career Now the fifth-year senior wants to dispel any notion that he might be a damaged good, or that he’s unable to integrate himself into the culture of a new team. White’s temperahe unknown doesn’t faze Andrew White, but ment appears to weave seamlessly into the fabric of an SU he likes sticking to what he knows. That means team inexperienced with one another, a team that will lean whipping up a plate of white rice and tilapia when on White for the consistency that’s eluded his career. he can, trying mightily to avoid the perils of fruits “He’s a pro player, a pro person,” Syracuse assistant and vegetables. When he returns home to Rich- coach Mike Hopkins said. “The way he approaches everymond, Virginia, that means he’s not long to endear himself thing. He’s humble. He’s respectful. again to his five pet turtles.

“Everything that you’d want And on the basketball court — your son to be.” the only location in the last four White’s decision to leave the years he can soundly call home Cornhuskers after withdrawing — sticking to what White knows from the NBA Draft last spring was means progressing through the highly publicized, and even more same routine before every practice scrutinized. The ensuing 62-day race and game. He throws on compresfor White’s services only amplified sion boots and dips into an ice bath that. Finally, it was SU that emerged after working out on game days. as White’s landing spot after weeks He’s one of the first to arrive to of jockeying with Miami, Michigan practice, stretching on his own State and Virginia Commonwealth. before looping himself into shootWhite’s addition to the Orange ing drills with the other guards. is integral given that the team is Much like everything else with without its three top scorers from MIKE HOPKINS White, there aren’t any frills to it. He last season. Nebraska’s year ended su assistant coach features the diligence and discipline in the Big 10 tournament. White led of an aged soul, caged inside the freakishly athletic body of a the Cornhuskers with nearly six rebounds per game and 23-year-old, 6-foot-7 basketball player. finished second on the team with 16.6 points per game.

“I like for things to be consistent,” White said, “so While Syracuse kept its season alive, White decided his that’s kind of how I am, generally. Just doing something days at Nebraska were numbered. that I’m familiar with.”

On last year’s SU squad, White’s 16.6 points per game But the biggest constant in White’s college career would’ve placed second to only Michael Gbinije’s 17.5. So has been change. Tangled in his web of consistencies is a even without playing a single minute in an Orange jersey, U-Haul truck and a trio of collegiate jerseys. White wears White stands as SU’s most proven scoring option on a team the scarlet letter of being a double transfer, spending two without Gbinije, Trevor Cooney and Malachi Richardson. seasons each at Kansas and Nebraska before selecting “Every time I get to shoot against him,” sophomore Syracuse as his third and final home. see white page 6

By Connor Grossman senior staff writer

T

“

HE’S A PRO PLAYER, A PRO PERSON...

EVERYTHING THAT YOU’D WANT YOUR SON TO BE.

the point

50% Andrew White led Nebraska in scoring in half of the 34 games he started last season

Despite averaging fewer minutes per game than six SU players last year, Andrew White’s 16.6 points per game would have been second only to Michael Gbinije on last year’s Syracuse team

1. MICHAEL GBINIJE 17.5 points per game

2. ANDREW WHITE 16.6 points per game

3. MALACHI RICHARDSON 13.4 points per game

4. TREVOR COONEY 12.9 points per game

5. TYLER LYDON 10.1 points per game

6. TYLER ROBERSON 8.7 points per game

25

Number of points Andrew White scored in his last collegiate game at Nebraska, a Big 10 quarterfinal loss

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from page 5

white

Tyler Lydon said, “he just pushes everyone to get better.

“Especially a shooter. He can really shoot the ball.”

Lydon and White have been known to engage in “crazy” shooting competitions, ones that White said you can’t keep up in unless you’re shooting 90 percent. White’s calling card has always been his jump shot, but just in the last few months at Syracuse, it’s end-of-practice free-throw competitions where he’s truly made a name for himself.

The parameters are pretty straightforward: Everyone needs to make consecutive free throws for practice to end. When White stepped up to the line several weeks ago, he remembers forward Doyin Akintobi-Adeyeye bark out, “Come on, Uncle Drew!”

With smiles spread across their faces, teammates say the moniker, still permanently affixed to White, is a testament to his maturation, and of course, his age. Fellow fifth-year, double-transfer senior John Gillon even gets in on the name-calling, and Jim Boeheim brought it up in his Atlantic Coast Conference Media Day press conference.

All that lauded experience has given White enough perspective to laugh off his teammates’ jabs. He’s found the silver lining in the back-handed compliment.

“I’ve always had the temperament of an old man, so I’ve always been Uncle Drew,” White said. “It’s kind of crazy. I try to say, ‘That’s not me, I don’t act like that.’

“But everywhere I’ve been, everybody kind of picks up the same vibe from me.”

The news doesn’t evoke any bit of surprise in White’s father, Andy White, who said his eldest son has long displayed the maturity of someone beyond his years. White grew up a “babbler,” Andy said, but spoke less as he grew.

Admittedly, White is one of the quieter heads in Syracuse’s locker room. Among plenty of young, boisterous personalities, White limits most of his talking to moments he can push the group to a consensus.

He speaks deliberately, enunciating each word with a drip of his southern drawl.

There’s no irregularities or built-in space for “um’s” or “uh’s.” White disseminates the message he wants to, speaking comprehensively about others in addition to himself.

“If you didn’t know he was a twentysomething-year-old kid,” Andy White said, “you’d probably think otherwise.”

Almost as if he were a coach or recruiting coordinator, White’s vast experiences over just four seasons have left him with enough scenarios and anecdotes to relate to every teammate that comes his way.

Like three other players on the roster, White transferred to SU. Like Paschal Chukwu, White sat out for a year after transferring from Kansas to Nebraska. Like Tyus Battle, Matthew Moyer and Taurean Thompson, White was once a touted freshman after being labeled a top-100 recruit.

For those that don’t share a biography line with White, he’s unafraid to open up about himself. About his pregame routine, his tilapia and rice lunch, and of course his beloved turtles: Miller, Dame, Mo, Tre and Turtle.

“If you want to be a college athlete, you want to be Andrew White,” Matthew Moyer, one of Syracuse’s handful of first-year players, said. “… I don’t give people respect like that.”

Four days before Syracuse’s first exhibition tips off, White is sitting in a chair being interviewed by a local television station at the

Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center. He dispatches long-winded answers about his upbringing and wanting to play college basketball. He looks ahead to this season, trying to repeat the magic of last year’s run through March.

When White finishes, the reporter shakes his hand and exclaims, “You’re a pro! That was really impressive.” White smiles, accepts the compliment he’s heard plenty of times before and heads off to his next media obligation.

Three schools later, almost five collegiate basketball seasons later, he’s done all this before. What he really hasn’t done is fit, and Syracuse is his last shot to prove he can — that a career marred by movement can be stabilized in one outstanding season.

“I’m trying to be a testament that everybody who double transfers isn’t crazy,” White said. “That everybody who double transfers isn’t running from something.

“You’re just trying to navigate what the best path for you is.” cgrossma@syr.edu | @connorgrossman

for three

3-POINT PERCENTAGE

Andrew White’s accuracy behind the arc improved markedly last year compared to his first two seasons at Kansas

.412

.320

.278

2012-13 KANSAS

2013-14 KANSAS

2015-16 NEBRASKA

YEAR/SCHOOL

ANDREW WHITE hasn’t had many constants in his life outside of basketball. The twotime transfer is hoping to bring his steady, mature play and personality to strengthen Syracuse and help it go on another run. liam sheehan staff photographer

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the daily orange

After a near-death experience and multiple transfers, John Gillon has finally found...

‘HIS

STAGE’

By Paul Schwedelson

pouring it in

sports editor

13.2 John Gillon’s 13.2 points per game last season would have ranked third on Syracuse behind Michael Gbinije (17.5) and Malachi Richardson (13.4)

POINTS PER GAME

A

ll of a sudden, John Gillon faded in and out of consciousness. His right arm had been swelling over the past couple days and doubled its normal size as he sat in his sixth grade classroom.

Gillon couldn’t bend his right arm because a cyst formed between his elbow and shoulder. If anyone touched his arm, Gillon said it felt like he was being stabbed.

His mom, Phyllis Gillon, rushed him to the pediatrician and then to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. John was diagnosed with a staph infection, which developed into MRSA, and the cause was unknown. As the infection spread to his hip, he underwent emergency surgery and spent the next eight days with Phyllis in the hospital.

“John almost died,” Phyllis Gillon said.

“John shouldn’t be here.”

On one night, at least two patients on John’s floor died of MRSA. Fearing he’d suffer the same fate, John forced himself to stay awake.

“Knowing that you’re close to death makes you value life more,” John said. “It makes you have a certain appreciation for life and the opportunities that I have.”

Nine years later, the next opportunity for Gillon is his final season of eligibility at Syracuse. He transferred from Arkansas-Little Rock to Colorado State after his freshman year and from Colorado State to SU after three years, including a redshirt season. He’s finally entrenched in a nationally relevant program that he’s longed to be a part of.

Gillon’s developed a knack for bettering nearly every situation he’s been in. The 6-foot point guard has been shaped by the let downs he’s faced and still plays inspired by the ones who have counted him out. From surviving the MRSA scare to not making his junior varsity team as a freshman in high school to only receiving less than a handful of Division I offers, Gillon kept climbing.

Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim compared him to former SU point guard Jonny Flynn, who was also 6 feet, physical, strong and able to get to the basket.

But Gillon’s still aware of the naysayers: He’s still

10.6

7.9

2012-13 ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK

2014-15 COLORADO STATE

2015-16 COLORADO STATE

YEAR/SCHOOL an unknown. He hasn’t proven himself against top competition. His size leaves him at an inherent disadvantage against bigger guards.

“All I’ll say is just, if you really think I’m too small, just come guard me,” Gillon said.

“

JOHN ALMOST DIED. JOHN SHOULDN’T BE HERE. PHYLLIS GILLON

john gillon’s mother In high school, Gillon would wake up at 5:30 a.m. and put up hundreds of shots at a local gym before school started. Until that point, Gillon was just a spot shooter. He struggled dribbling and would get trapped in the corners of the court. He told his mom that he wanted to get better.

Gillon didn’t have a license so Phyllis would drive him. On the days he wouldn’t want to go, she’d tell him, “It’s gonna pay off one day.”

“If you’re not going to do it to the best of your abilities, don’t even waste my time,” Gillon’s AAU coach, Jawann McClellan, remembers Phyllis Gillon telling her son.

In eighth grade, Gillon didn’t start on his middle school team. In his freshman year at Strake Jesuit (Texas) College Preparatory, Gillon didn’t even make the junior varsity team and started at point guard on the freshman squad. Players filled spots ahead of him and Gillon needed the reps. Still, it irked the undersized guard.

During the summers after his sophomore and junior years, Gillon played AAU for Houston Hoops. But the team didn’t have a high-profile sponsor meaning he received significantly less exposure than other players.

Gillon was named first-team all-district his junior and senior year. The accolades didn’t matter, though.

Recruiters looked at his size and dismissed him.

Coaches gave him letters for Division II and Division III schools.

“I wouldn’t even open them,” Gillon said. “I would be like, ‘I’m not going to that. I’m going to Division I.’ But Gillon still knew not to take what he had for see

gillon page 8

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the daily orange

JOHN GILLON didn’t make his junior varsity team as a freshman in high school and didn’t get many Division I offers. He felt that the level of competition at both his previous schools — ­ Arkansas-Little Rock and Colorado State — wasn’t strong enough, and that’s partially why he transferred to Syracuse.

liam sheehan staff photographer from page 7

points and 3.8 assists, providing a dynamic spark to CSU’s offense.

That’s what set him up for the opportugranted. That’s a lesson he learned years earlier nity he never had out of high school even when his life was on the line. A scar on his right though he didn’t know it yet. When Gillon arm was a reminder. requested his release from Colorado State, After the eight days he spent in the hospital he wasn’t sure how many schools, and at in sixth grade, Gillon had to receive medicine what level, would come calling. through a port in his chest every eight hours He didn’t leave Colorado State on bad terms, for six weeks. The scheduling had to be impec- Gillon said. With professional hopes in mind, he cable: Right before school, right after school and simply thought he could maximize a rule that around midnight. allowed him to transfer and play immediately at The process was a challenge. Gillon hated a higher-profile school. being away from the court. While he still His family prayed the move would pay off couldn’t unbend his right arm for several since another year at Colorado State wasn’t weeks, Gillon practiced dribbling and shooting a bad alternative. But once he got his release, with his left hand. there was no turning “A determination to back. Forty schools live and let no one define came clamoring for Gilhis truths,” Phyllis Gillon’s talents, those of a lon said of how the expefifth-year senior who’s rience shaped her son. seen the highs and lows “No one will tell him of college basketball. what he cannot do.”

“I really had to As a high schooler, apologize to him,” coaches told Gillon said John’s father, he’d never be a conJohn Gillon, who PHYLLIS GILLON tributor at a highwasn’t expecting that john gillon’s mother profile program. He’d much interest. never play in a Power Gillon narrowed 5 conference. He’d never play Division I. his top three to Syracuse, Oklahoma and But Gillon worked his way up the college bas- Texas A&M and eventually chose SU. Earketball ranks, elevating and removing the ceiling lier in his career, he didn’t have much of atop his career with each transfer he made. a choice. With one season left, he had the As a freshman at Arkansas-Little Rock, chance to be selective.

Gillon started 12 games, averaged 10.6 points At Orange Madness, Syracuse’s preseason and led the Sun Belt Conference with an 81.7 pep rally on Oct. 21, SU’s returners received free-throw percentage. At the end of the year, their Final Four rings from last season. Gillon he decided to transfer because he knew he looked into a camera, held up both hands and could play at a higher level. wiggled his fingers.

After a breakout game during his redshirt “I gotta get one of my own,” Gillon said. sophomore year at Colorado State, he texted “I’m naked out here.”

McClellan, his coach on Houston Hoops.

As rapper Jadakiss performed one last “Coach, it’s kind of easy,” Gillon wrote song to end the event, Gillon stood next to in the message, McClellan recalled. That’s him with the SU team surrounding them at when McClellan realized Gillon could one halfcourt. He tilted his head back and gazed day make it on a bigger stage. up at the ceiling as his eyes widened.

Later that season, Gillon went on to win “John likes the lights on,” Phyllis Gillon Mountain West Sixth Man of the Year. In said. “And he believes this is his stage.” his redshirt junior year, he averaged 13.2 pmschwed@syr.edu | @pschweds

gillon

“

getting buckets

87.9% John Gillon ranked first in the Mountain West Conference and 16th nationally in free-throw percentage last season

3.9

John Gillon averaged 3.9 assists per game last season for the Rams. That would have ranked second on the Orange, behind just Michael Gbinije’s 4.3 helpers per contest.

NO ONE WILL TELL HIM WHAT HE CANNOT DO.

JOHN GILLON had a near-death incident when he was in the sixth grade and has a scar on his right arm as a reminder. He transferred to Syracuse to gain more exposure and to play for a more nationally-relevant program. jessica sheldon photo editor

basketball guide 2016

9

the daily orange

BEAT WRITER PREDICTIONS MEN’S BASKETBALL CONNOR GROSSMAN

Regular Season Record: 22-9 NCAA Tournament Finish: Sweet 16 Team MVP: Tyler Lydon X-Factor: Andrew White In supposedly the penultimate season of his career, Jim Boeheim faces the challenge of meshing his most diversified roster in years. Returning starters will share the floor with fifth-year transfers and first-year players. This melting pot of experience will not mix perfectly together, and Boeheim may not fully figure his team out until a few weeks of conference play. But there’s undeniable talent, from a budding star in Tyler Lydon to dynamic freshman Tyus Battle. Nebraska transfer Andrew White needs to help Lydon fuel the offense, and SU will survive long enough to tease a deep run into March.

MATT SCHNEIDMAN

Regular Season Record: 24-7 NCAA Tournament: Sweet 16 MVP: Tyus Battle X-Factor: Paschal Chukwu On paper, Syracuse has a far better chance to reach the Final Four than it did last season.

The Orange has more pieces to help it get there, and a 24-7 regular season will set SU up for a No. 3 or 4 seed in the Big Dance. Paschal Chukwu, all 7 feet, 2 inches of him, proves to be Syracuse’s X-factor by anchoring one of the country’s best defenses from the middle of the zone. This year, though, the Orange’s run ends in the Sweet 16 and team MVP Tyus Battle has a tough decision to stay in school or enter the NBA Draft.

PAUL SCHWEDELSON

Regular season record: 23-8 NCAA Tournament Finish: Sweet 16 MVP: Tyler Lydon X-Factor: Tyus Battle Jim Boeheim will have the chance this year to go four or even five deep on the bench, allowing Syracuse to be more flexible in its schemes. Expect to see more full-court pressing and more transition offense. The most indispensable player on the team will be Tyler Lydon, who can play either forward position and center based on the lineup surrounding him. Boeheim said he’s “probably” the only player he’s coached that has done that. Likely coming off the bench will be Tyus Battle, who has already shown in exhibitions he can provide a spark. How SU’s new players mesh together will determine this team’s fate.

liam sheehan staff photographer

10 MEN’S ROSTER no. & name

position

ht.

wt.

yr.

hometown / high school

1

Frank Howard

G

6-5

205

So.

Suitland, Md. / Paul VI

2

Matthew Moyer

F

6-8

220

Fr.

Gahanna, Ohio / Lincoln HS/South Kent Prep (Conn.)

3

Andrew White III

G

6-7

210

Gr.

Richmond, Va. / Miller School

4

John Gillon

G

6-0

178

Gr.

Houston, Texas / Strake Jesuit HS

5

Mike Sutton

G

6-2

194

Jr.

Norwich, N.Y. / Norwich

10

Braedon Bayer

G

6-4

185

So.

Lagrangeville, N.Y. / Trinity-Pawling School

11

Adrian Autry

G

6-0

182

So.

Jamesville, N.Y. / Jamesville-DeWitt

12

Taurean Thompson

F

6-10

225

Fr.

New York, N.Y. / St. Anthony HS/Brewster Academy (N.H.)

13

Paschal Chukwu

C

7-2

226

So.

Westport, Conn. / Fairfield Prep

14

Evan Dourdas

G

6-0

160

So.

Jamesville, N.Y. / Jamesville-DeWitt

20

Tyler Lydon

F

6-9

223

So.

Elizaville, N.Y. / New Hampton School, N.H.

21

Tyler Roberson

F

6-8

226

Sr.

Union, N.J. / Roselle Catholic

24

Shaun Belbey

G

5-10

165

So.

Brick, N.J. / Christian Brothers Academy

Friday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. vs. Colgate

25

Tyus Battle

G

6-6

205

Fr.

Edison, N.J. / Gill St. Bernard’s School / St. Joseph’s (N.J.)

32

Dajuan Coleman

C

6-9

258

Gr.

Jamesville, N.Y. / Jamesville-DeWitt

Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. vs. Holy Cross

33

Jonathan Radner

G

5-10

168

So.

Huntington Woods, Mich. / Berkeley

34

Doyin Akintobi-Adeyeye

F

6-6

230

Sr.

Uniondale, N.Y. / Uniondale

Friday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. vs. Monmouth

35

Ray Featherston

G

5-8

150

Fr.

Westport, Conn. / Fairfield Prep/Choate Rosemary Hall

54

Ky Feldman

G

5-10

150

So.

Agoura Hills, Ca. / Agoura High School

Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. vs. South Carolina State

After Final Fo season, Syracu women’s teams ar

Saturday, Nov. 26 at 2 p.m.

South Carolina at Brooklyn, New York Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 7:30 p.m. at Wisconsin

THE W

Saturday, Dec. 10 at noon vs. Boston University Saturday, Dec. 17 at noon vs. Georgetown Monday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. vs. Eastern Michigan Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. vs. St. John’s Tuesday, Dec. 27 at 7 p.m. vs. Cornell Sunday, Jan. 1 at 12:30 p.m. at Boston College Wednesday, Jan. 4 at 7 p.m. vs. Miami Saturday, Jan. 7 at noon vs. Pittsburgh Tuesday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. at Virginia Tech

Breaking down the biggest men’s storylines to watch entering the season

40.3

Saturday, Jan. 21 at noon at Notre Dame Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 8 p.m. vs. Wake Forest Saturday, Jan. 28 at noon vs. Florida State Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. at North Carolina State Saturday, Feb. 4 at noon vs. Virginia Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. at Clemson Saturday, Feb. 11 at 1 p.m. at Pittsburgh Monday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. vs. Louisville Sunday, Feb. 19 at 6:30 p.m. at Georgia Tech Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. vs. Duke Sunday, Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. at Louisville Saturday, March 4 at 4 p.m. vs. Georgia Tech

75%

35

Tyler Lydon

Monday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. at North Carolina

3-POINT PERCENTAGE

Saturday, Jan. 14 at 4 p.m. vs.Boston College

BA 39.1

35.4

35.3 Malachi Richardson

Monday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m.

Connecticut at New York

Trevor Cooney

Saturday, Dec. 3 at 4 p.m. vs. North Florida

Michael Gbinije

MEN’S SCHEDULE

PLAYER

In the past five seasons, SU has either had seven or eight players who’ve appeared in at least 75 percent of the team’s game. The team has the potential to be 10 players deep this year.

ESPN ranked Tyus Battle as the No. 35 recruit in the nation's 2016 recruiting class. Malachi Richardson slotted 23rd in ESPN's 2015 recruiting rankings.

Will Jim Boeheim lean on different styles of play this year?

Will Tyus Battle be the next Malachi Richardson or even better?

Is Tyler Lydon an elite player in the ACC and even nationally?

It took only one exhibition for the 41-year veteran head coach to reach into his bags of tricks. SU deployed man-to-man defense from the opening tipoff, and quickly doubled down by pressing shortly thereafter. SU certainly has the depth this year to be more unorthodox, and don’t be surprised to see Boeheim substitute liberally as his team is on the cusp of pressing, for example. The Orange will largely operate like it always has under Boeheim’s watch. But an apparent wealth of bench players will allow for some experimentation, especially before conference play begins.

Battle was ranked as the No. 35 recruit in the country by ESPN and will have a chance to step in and contribute as a freshman this season. The Orange must fill the hole left by Malachi Richardson, who bolted for the NBA after just one collegiate season. In Syracuse’s first exhibition against Indiana (Pennsylvania), Battle scored a game-high 16 points and flashed the scoring ability from the wing that has fans salivating. Whether Battle emerges as the threat Richardson was remains to be seen but the potential of another dynamic freshman certainly exists for SU.

Bovada gave him the sixth-best odds to win AP Player of the Year. That seems a bit steep for the sophomore, but still expect Lydon to build off his breakout freshman season with a second year where everyone expects him to be a prominent figure from the start.

As we know, his ability to step outside and hit shots from the elbow and outside the arc puts him in the upper tier of players in the ACC. But until Lydon becomes a premier low-post threat, his name rests slightly outside the conversation for best players in the country.

Tyler Lydon led SU in 3-point shooting percentage last season and his return this year could result in even bigger numbers

11 WOMEN’S ROSTER no. & name

position

ht.

yr.

hometown / high school

1

Alexis Peterson

G

5-7

Sr.

Columbus, Ohio / Northland

2

Chelayne Bailey

G

5-6

Fr.

Pickering, Ontario / Pickering

3

Julia Chandler

F

6-2

So.

Toronto, Ontario / Northern Secondary School

5

Jade Phillips

G

5-11

So.

Raleigh, N.C. / Southeast Raleigh

10

Isabella Slim

F

6-0

Sr.

Amsterdam, Netherlands / CTO Amsterdam

11

Gabby Cooper

G

5-10

Fr.

Lansing, Ill. / Morgan Park

20

Brittney Sykes

G

5-9

R-Sr.

Newark, N.J. / University

21

Desiree Elmore

G

5-9

Fr.

Hartford, Conn. / Capital Prep

22

Caroline Rowe

G

5-8

Fr.

Gaithersburg, Md. / Holy Child

23

Isis Young

G

5-7

R-So.

Berlin, N.J. / Life Center Academy

24

Brandi Fowler

G

5-4

So.

Syracuse, N.Y. / Corcoran

32

Miranda Drummond

F

6-1

R-So.

Binghamton, N.Y. / Harpursville

33

Davida Dale

G

5-9

R-Fr.

Providence, R.I. / St. Andrew’s

34

Abby Grant

G

5-9

So.

Suwanee, Ga. / St. Francis

44

Jasmine Nwajei

G

5-8

R-Jr.

Rockaway Park, N.Y. / Murry Bergtraum

50

Briana Day

C

6-4

Sr.

Raleigh, N.C. / Millbrook

55

Bria Day

C

6-4

Sr.

Raleigh, N.C. / Millbrook

WOMEN’S SCHEDULE Friday, Nov. 11 at 3 p.m. vs. Rhode Island Monday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. vs. Siena Friday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. at Stony Brook Monday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. at Drexel

our runs last use’s men’s and re searching for...

Friday, Nov. 25 at 7:30 p.m.

George Washington at Estero, Florida Saturday, Nov. 26 – TBA Florida Gulf Coast OR Ohio State at Estero, Florida

WAY

Sunday, Nov. 27 – TBA TBA, Estero, Florida Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. vs. Michigan State Sunday, Dec. 4 at 2 p.m. vs.

Central Connecticut State Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 11 a.m. vs. Coppin State

CK

Saturday, Dec. 10 at 3 p.m. vs. Niagara Tuesday, Dec. 20 at 3:15 p.m.

Old Dominion at Winter Park, Florida Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 3:15 p.m.

Texas A&M at Winter Park, Florida Thursday, Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. at Louisville Monday, Jan. 2 at 7 p.m. vs. Virginia Thursday, Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. at Clemson Saturday, Jan. 8 at 2 p.m. vs. Boston College

Breaking down the biggest women’s storylines to watch entering the season

39% Brianna Butler, now in the WNBA, accounted for 39 percent of Syracuse’s 3-pointers last year

26.3 Alexis Peterson and Brittney Sykes combined for nearly 30 points per game last season

Thursday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. vs. North Carolina State

41%

Sunday, Jan. 15 at 1 p.m. at Georgia Tech Thursday, Jan. 19 at 8 p.m. at Florida State Sunday, Jan. 22 at 2:30 p.m. vs. Miami

The Orange has to replace 41 percent of its scoring from last season

Sunday, Jan. 29 at 2 p.m. at Virginia Tech Thursday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. vs. Pittsburgh

Will the Orange be able to rely on 3-pointers as heavily?

Can Alexis Peterson and Brittney Sykes carry Syracuse?

Which player will step up for Syracuse this year?

One of the biggest question marks surrounding this year’s squad is its ability to rely on 3-pointers as heavily as it did last year.

Head coach Quentin Hillsman said his team has “no other choice,” but to shoot a lot of 3-pointers, after reliance on the 3-ball carried the Orange to the national championship game last season. The Orange lost two of its top three 3-point shooters in Brianna Butler and Maggie Morrison. Their absence will force the Orange to rely heavily on seniors Brittney Sykes and Alexis Peterson to pick up the slack from behind the arc.

Three weeks ago, Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman dubbed Peterson and Sykes as the ‘best backcourt in the country.’

He asked rhetorically, “How are you going to guard that?” adding that the duo is AllAmerican caliber. While there’s no telling how good they can be, both must weather the demands of 35 to 40 minutes a game in what’s likely a 35-plus game season.

And considering Brianna Butler’s absence, Peterson needs to inch closer to 20 points per game, Sykes closer to 15, for any shot at ‘best backcourt in the country.’

With Syracuse losing so many key players from last year’s team, SU needs somebody to step up and fill a big role. Four starters — Peterson, Sykes, Briana Day and Isabella Slim — return, and the Orange has a few options.

One is Julia Chandler, the sophomore forward who played in 32 games last year. The other returning player Abby Grant. There are two guards who haven’t played yet — redshirt freshman Davida Dale and freshman Desiree Elmore — who could be promising, but it remains to be seen how much opportunity they’ll be given.

Sunday, Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. at Boston College Friday, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. at Duke Sunday, Feb. 12 at 3 p.m. vs. North Carolina Sunday, Feb. 19 at 5 p.m. vs. Notre Dame Thursday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. vs. Wake Forest Sunday, Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. at Pittsburgh

basketball guide 2016

12

the daily orange

BEAT WRITER PREDICTIONS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL MATT FELDMAN

Regular Season Record: 23-6 NCAA Tournament Finish: Sweet 16 Team MVP: Alexis Peterson X-Factor: Briana Day The 2016-2017 Orange have eerily similar talent to last season’s national runner-up squad, returning three starters and eight players who saw action. With Brittney Sykes and Alexis Peterson bolstering what head coach Quentin Hillsman called “the best backcourt in the country,” the Orange will have the ability to make waves in the postseason. But, that ability is reliant on Briana Day proving herself as a viable center, and a third guard who can emerge to replace the lost Cornelia Fondren. Barring a breakout season from five-star shooting guard recruit Desiree Elmore — the program’s first first-star recruit since Sykes — or Gabby Cooper, expect the Orange to get no further than the Sweet 16.

MATTHEW GUTIERREZ

Regular Season Record: 24-5 NCAA Tournament: Elite Eight MVP: Alexis Peterson X-Factor: Brittney Sykes So much of what they are and could be depends on Alexis Peterson and Brittney Sykes.

There’s no question Peterson’s work in piloting the offense is much easier if Sykes can hit 3-pointers, get to the basket and sometimes run the point. Down low, there are reasons to be optimistic if Briana Day can stay healthy and score. Syracuse could benefit from a crop of newcomers in Gabby Cooper and Chelayne Bailey, too. Brianna Butler’s gone, but the Orange still has enough talent to finish near the top of the ACC and run deep into the NCAA Tournament.

TOMER LANGER

Regular season record: 21-8 NCAA Tournament Finish: Sweet 16 MVP: Alexis Peterson X-Factor: Abby Grant Syracuse lost major parts from last year’s team — Brianna Butler, Maggie Morrison, Cornelia Fondren and Taylor Ford — and has a lot of fairly unproven young players set to replace them. But, SU’s schedule does seem a little lighter than last year’s and has some matchup against tougher teams at home. Alexis Peterson will have her best season ever in making up for that. SU needs to replace some 3-point shooting it lost, and the most capable player from last year’s roster seems to be Grant.

basketball guide 2016

13

the daily orange

from page 16

national semifinal games.

In her 41 games since returning from injury, though, she’s averaged just 9.7 Those who know Sykes laud her points per game. Last year, she shot only 35 athleticism.

Once she developed percent from the field. Sykes acknowledges that, her former coaches said, her skills devel- the decline. oped and she started to flourish. By SyraShe felt slighted when she wasn’t named cuse’s opening night in her freshman year, to the All-ACC team. That she wasn’t even she cracked the starting lineup. She logged 63 mentioned gives her one more thing to starts through her first two seasons. prove. She’s fine with qualifying as over“She possesses the athleticism that gives looked but she wants to be special, an Allyou the ability to play ACC and All-Ameriin the WNBA,” Reiss can selection. said. “She is probably “At first I hated one of the best athtalking about my injuletes I’ve ever seen.” ry just because it was But when the 2014 one of those things NCA A tournament you didn’t want to came along, Sykes, at talk about anymore,” the end of her sophoshe said. “It’s somemore campaign, tore thing you want to her right ACL, forcing depart from, detach her to miss the bulk from, say that’s not of the year. She reyou. tore her ACL on Jan. “But then you 4, 2015 against Notre mature up, come to Dame, just three the realization that games into her return it did happen and from tearing it the you made it through. first time.

My testimony is that Faced with yet those two injuries another ACL tear, saved my career, and TAMMI REISS Sykes sulked. For ultimately my life.” su assistant coach most of the ensuHow Sykes looks at ing months, pain the world, her thought irked her. The ability she showed early had process and her stepping into a leadership dimmed. Reiss said Sykes’ first step has role have changed this year. Looking back, regressed because of the injury. she said the injuries taught her not to take Sykes has shown glimpses of her skillset. anything for granted. Sykes isn’t dwelling on Her sophomore year, she averaged a team-high what could have been.

16.6 points per game on 50.5 percent shootThere’s a stark contrast in her tone when ing from the field. Her 24-point game against she talks about what drives her. She takes on Albany in the 2016 NCAA tournament, also a mellow demeanor and her voice softens, far her first 20-plus point game in more than two from her normal, jubilant self. She wants to years, sent Syracuse to its first-ever Sweet 16. become a household name, or the “master She posted 17 points in both the Sweet 16 and prototype,” Oliver said.

Her maturation began with a resolution near the top to, hours after a national championship loss, forgo the WNBA Draft and stick for her fifth year at Syracuse. Now, the seasons drained by injury, the decision to come back for a final year, the prospect of another NCAA tournament run have added up.

Before tipoff on opening night against Rhode Island, Sykes said she’ll grab a seat on the Syracuse bench. She’ll look to the crowd, Brittney Sykes’ points per game last year, good for third on give her signature nod and take it all in.

Syracuse, but six points “It’s finally here,” Sykes said. “This is fewer than her average my last go-around. So why not have a lot of three years ago fun with it?”

sykes

“

SHE POSSESES THE ATHLETICISM THAT GIVES YOU THE ABILITY TO PLAY IN THE WNBA. SHE IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE BEST ATHLETES I’VE EVER SEEN.

10.3

mguti100@syr.edu | @MatthewGut21

BRITTNEY SYKES possesses a hint of fret at some of her past seasons marred by injuries. After a productive 2015-16 campaign and busy summer, the 5-foot-9 senior looks to break out and bring the spark she used to. evan jenkins staff photographer

from page 14

that with the time Day spent in the weight room and gym this summer, she’s in the best shape she’s been in since arriving When the rest of the team returned for at SU, and poised to be one of the team’s the second session strongest assets. of summer classes With just one to begin preseason season remaining in practices, there was her SU career, Day’s a noticeable buzz opportunity to take around the proher game to the next gram regarding the level is limited. But new and improved as was the case in Day, tea m mates high school, she’s and coaches said at lived in the gym and media day. made basketball her Graduate assistop priority. If she’s tant coach Maggie able to fully piece her Morrison, a former game together, the Orange guard who’s Orange will thrive spent the last three because of it. seasons with Day at “Everything (with Syracuse, said she Day) is about toughimmediately noticed ness,” Hillsman said.

Day was more “She’s really gotten aggressive, much herself to the level more vocal on and where she plays hard, QUENTIN HILLSMAN off the court and perand that’s what’s su head coach forming as “a better really important for all around player.” her is staying aggresMorrison sees Day in more of a leader- sive. I’m hoping she’s able to do that all ship role this year, and expects her final season and make us a better team.” season at SU to be her best. She thinks mjfel100@syr.edu

day

“

SHE NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO STEP OUT A LITTLE BIT AND SHOOT THE BALL FROM 17 FEET. HER GAME HAS TO EVOLVE SOME FOR US TO BE SUCCESSFUL THIS SEASON.

BRIANA DAY enters her senior season trying to help Syracuse get back to the national championship. The 6-foot-4 senior center has improved each year at Syracuse and has gotten stronger and into better shape. evan jenkins staff photographer

basketball guide 2016

14

the daily orange

A DAY’S

WORK

Once lanky and awkward, Briana Day has emerged as the centerpiece of Syracuse’s frontcourt

By Matt Feldman staff writer

I

n eighth grade, when Briana Day decided to hang up her track spikes and join her middle school basketball team, the tall center said she was “awful” compared to where she’s at now.

She was too big for her body, and her coordination wasn’t nearly where it is today.

Day had a lot to improve on in her first years of playing, but since she didn’t start until eighth grade, the improvement would have to come much quicker than it did for her peers if she wanted to become a target for collegiate programs. “(My sister Bria and I) weren’t always good. I’m glad nobody has footage of (us playing in eighth grade),” Day said. “It was just so bad, we wore glasses, we didn’t have contacts yet we just looked so ugly, it was bad.”

But Day knew that with time in the gym, she could change that.

Day has built on what she learned as a young player, living by her credo of dedicating herself to her craft even now as one of the top centers in college basketball. The starting senior center for the No. 14 Orange, Day has learned that when something doesn’t come easy, the remedy is almost always the same. It’s how she took her Millbrook (North Carolina) High School squad to back-toback state championship appearances, and how she plans on helping to bring SU back to the national championship game.

With a 6-foot-4 frame and some of the most untapped potential the Raleigh, North Carolina,

basketball community had ever seen, Day’s high school head coach Chris East insisted that she had the potential to be a top player. “(The Day twins) were a little raw when they first came in as freshmen, but they just worked,” East said. “The best part is, both of them wanted to get better. I’ve never seen kids that have a motor like they do, these kids took it to another level.”

After spending nearly two years lifting, shooting and drilling in the school’s gymnasium, the Day twins led Millbrook to a state championship appearance in 2011. The following season, surrounded by six sophomores, they led the Wildcats to a state title — a new height for the program, East said.

In the spring of 2016, weeks after the Orange lost to Connecticut in the national championship game, and seven years after East had said something similar, SU head coach Quentin Hillsman told Day that he wanted to see her tap deeper into her potential.

He said he especially wanted to see her improve her

mid-range game in the offseason in order to be an asset to the 2016-2017 squad.

“She needs to be able to step out a little bit and shoot the ball from 17 feet,” Hillsman said at the Orange’s preseason media day. “Her game has to evolve some for us to be successful this season.”

She stayed in Syracuse for both academic sessions of the summer, preparing for her final goaround as a senior. Most of Hillsman’s players go home for the first session and return for the second.

It was a six-week period that Day spent almost solely playing basketball, and extra time in the Carmelo K. Anthony Center that helped her in almost every facet of their game. Bria Day said the twins went back to North Carolina for a short visit, but otherwise, it was a full summer of basketball.

“You could stay here all summer, and do nothing, and it wouldn’t really matter,” Hillsman said, explaining it was the time in the gym that mattered.

“That’s just the way it is.”

double day

23

Briana Day has 23 career double-doubles

Briana Day tallied 301 of the Orange’s 1532 total rebounds last season (20 percent)

20%

432

Briana Day and her sister Bria, who is also on the team, combined for 432 rebounds in the 2015-2016 season

basketball guide 2016 the daily orange

15

basketball guide 2016

16

the daily orange

THE

JUMP

More than a year after injuries, Brittney Sykes has one more shot to be the player she once was

final go

14

Brittney Sykes ranks eighth in Syracuse’s all-time games started, with 104. She’s made 31 or more starts in each of her seasons at SU, excluding her 2014-15 redshirt campaign.

38

asst. copy editor

Brittney Sykes’ rank among Syracuse’s all-time career points leaders. Her 1,214 total points (11.6 per game) rate her first among active players.

32

16.6

*REDSHIRT SEASON

GAMES STARTED

31

By Matthew Gutierrez

3

Brittney Sykes’ points per game as a sophomore three years ago, the most in her career

2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16

YEAR

Brittney Sykes placed 10th in program history with 77 steals last season. In March, the 5-foot-9 redshirt senior guard set the Syracuse NCAA Tournament game-high record with five swipes against Albany.

77

STEALS

64 46

5*

*PLAYED IN ONLY THREE GAMES (REDSHIRT SEASON)

2012-13

2013-14

2014-15

YEAR

2015-16

B

rittney Sykes insists she’s ripe for stardom. Her summer was ordinary enough: she assisted on the new director of athletics search committee, hoisted 500 3-pointers a night and pondered her year ahead.

That’s about as normal as her last three summers have been. Two she spent recovering from ACL injuries, which had cut down her career and lengthened her path to a pro career.

This offseason, Sykes stayed in Syracuse for both summer sessions. After dinner every night, one of Sykes’ roommates, Isis Young, said Sykes would go back to the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center for extra shots. She hadn’t had this much time to prep for a season since 2013.

“Now that she has confidence in her knee, she should have an unbelievable breakout year,” Syracuse assistant coach Tammi Reiss said. “I think she’s ready to show people the real Brittney Sykes, not the Brittney that came off two ACLs last year.”

Sure, she started every game, averaged more than 10 points per contest and helped lead Syracuse to its first-ever national championship game. But last season did not represent the kind of player she is, Sykes and those around her said.

She said she could have added more to a national title-contending team. A medical redshirt two years ago gave Sykes a fifth year of eligibility and a second chance to prove that. Sticking with her strengths has put her on an ascent with just one more level to reach: “She wants to be that player she was,” Regina, her mother, said.

Sykes thrived at University (New Jersey) High School. Yet when Sykes’ freshman year basketball coach, Felicia Oliver, told her she’d grow into a Division I prospect, Sykes looked up at her coach, gazing in disbelief.

“I don’t see that,” Oliver recalls her star guard saying.

But coaches did. They inquired about Sykes, a lean guard with a knack for getting to the rim. She drew offers from Rutgers, Duke, Notre Dame, Penn State, Georgetown and Syracuse, among others — so many that Oliver didn’t know what to do with a mailbox full of letters. At times, they’d just pile up in a bin. see

sykes page 13

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from page 18

said. “That the maturity level is there, the intestinal fortitude is there, the leadership is there. And those are all things we reinpostseason run. She would rave to both force throughout every workout, throughout of them about how excited the run made every conversation.” her. Although SU hadn’t accomplished the Still, the fiery “prove-it” side of Peterultimate goal it also shocked most of the son came through during these sessions. basketball world.

She was taking part in a ball handling and She didn’t talk much about the loss to shooting drill, making the first five shots in Connecticut. They both knew she was dis- a row before missing one. Peterson then hit appointed with the loss, but she focused the next four to finish the rep. McClendon more on the wins and then more on the remembers seeing Peterson annoyed with upcoming season. herself afterward. She didn’t care that she’d “When they beat (No. 1 seed and 33-1) made all the shots but one. She was still South Carolina, that was truly like ‘Oh my upset with the miss. god, we can’t believe this,’” Georgia Peterson Norris has seen that attitude from Petersaid. “So I don’t think anything after that son from the days they were playing against would have destroyed their mood.” each other on a curbside hoop, and even she Moving past setbacks is something Peter- sees a change in her. Norris knows that Peterson wasn’t always good at, said Tom Jenkins, son has more weight on her shoulders, yet she her Sports City U AAU coach. isn’t too worried about Peterson overstress“That was one of ing herself to the point the things that I felt where the game isn’t like she had to learn fun anymore. to compartmentalize “She’s hungry. She a little bit more,” Jenplans on leaving it kins said. “Because all out there,” Norris in high school, and in said. “She plans on A AU, if there was a being a 40-minute loss … she didn’t want girl, 40-minute playnothing to do with er. She’s just ready to nobody, and she took get right back after it.” it very hard.”

A few weeks away Peterson went from the start of back to work out with the regular season, her personal trainer, Peterson still hasn’t Ronnie McClendon. rewatched the tape of She’d been working the national champiCARLA NORRIS out with McClendon onship loss to UConn. peterson’s aunt since she was in high Her mother says that school. This summer, she took the training she doesn’t remember if that’s ever hapup a notch. pened before, for her daughter to skip out on The intensity of the drills stayed the rewatching a game. same. The difference was that in high school, But for Peterson, not watching isn’t the sessions usually lasted between 60 to related to do with bitterness from the loss.

90 minutes, never exceeding the hour-and- In fact, she says, it’s quite the opposite. She 45-minute mark, McClendon said. This feels she’s grown from the game and doesn’t summer, the sessions lasted three to four need to see it again to feel the difference. hours. Peterson was in the gym at least four Peterson talks about how the Syracuse days a week, McClendon said, and would players got to live out a dream by playing on sometimes come in twice in the same day. college basketball’s biggest stage, about how The two would work on offensive and they surprised teams by making it that far defensive drills on the basketball court. Next, and how the experience from that moment is they’d move on to strength training before something the whole team can carry forward. hitting the treadmill. No two sessions were Peterson says that Syracuse as a whole ever exactly the same, according to McClen- won, despite the loss in the game. The same don, in an effort to break up the monotony. player who, according to Jenkins, once went On top of that, Peterson was running more into a shell after losses, was finding positives outside of her work with McClendon. Norris in a heartbreaking defeat. said she told Peterson to run more on her own “I’ve already taken away from that game in high school but she didn’t like doing it so she what I need to take away from it, and I’m wouldn’t. In an effort to get into the best shape ready to move forward,” Peterson said. of her life, though, Peterson needed to change.

“You move forward by just understandMcClendon remembers that when Peter- ing that you had a once —” son approached him, telling him she wanted She stopped herself short of saying “once to ratchet up the workout level, he smiled at in a lifetime.” Syracuse’s point guard has her, expecting that day to eventually come. grown as a person and as a leader this offsea“Anytime that happens, it pretty much son. Still, she has one thing left to prove. solidifies that the kid’s arrived,” McClendon tdlanger@syr.edu | @tomer_langer

peterson

“

SHE PLANS ON BEING A 40-MINUTE GIRL, 40-MINUTE PLAYER. SHE’S JUST READY TO GET RIGHT BACK AFTER IT.

ALEXIS PETERSON led Syracuse in scoring with 16 points per game last season. She’s going to be expected to take on an even larger role this year after the Orange lost four big contributors from last season’s team. evan jenkins staff photographer

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LOOKING

PAST Alexis Peterson’s growth as a leader has her moving forward from previous setbacks

By Tomer Langer asst. copy editor

A

lexis Peterson still feels like an underdog.

There was no sense of anger or vengeance in her voice, though. Peterson sounded calm when talking about how she’s grown as a player and as a leader this year, ready to accept the challenge of guiding a relatively young team after the departure of many role players.

“I think that’s to our benefit,” she said about being viewed as the underdog.

“It’s to be expected,” she replied when asked about SU being picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Syracuse is coming off the best run in its history, making it all the way to the national championship game, ranked No.14 in the preseason and head coach Quentin Hillsman had just finished calling Peterson, along with Brittney Sykes, part of the best backcourt

22% Alexis Peterson accounted for nearly 22 percent of the Orange’s scoring per game last year

in the country.

Still, she felt like an underdog.

Peterson’s basketball career has been about proving people wrong. It started with the boys she played with growing up in youth leagues. Then it was for college coaches, like Jim Foster, then the head coach of Ohio State, who deemed the 5-foot-7 Peterson too small to play in the Big 10 and didn’t offer her a scholarship.

“I proved him wrong,” Peterson said flatly.

That aspect is still a huge part of Peterson’s character. But, as she gets ready to go into her final season, another layer is developing. A heightened maturity level and a newfound ability to put away the past and focus ahead is allowing Peterson develop into the total leader she’ll need to be for Syracuse this season.

When she came home for the summer, Peterson talked frequently with her mother, Georgia Peterson, and aunt, Carla Norris, about Syracuse’s see

peterson page 17

lead the way 28 26 24 ALEXIS PETERSON ‘15/’16

593

KAYLA ALEXANDER ‘12/’13

IASIA HEMINGWAY ‘11/’12

573

22

POINTS

Alexis Peterson set the record for most points in a season for Syracuse, which was fueled by her NCAA Tournament performance

18 Alexis Peterson played phenomenally at the start of the NCAA tournament before tailing off toward the end

11

552 ARMY

POINTS IN SEASON

ALBANY

SOUTH CAROLINA

TENNESSEE

OPPONENT

WASHINGTON

CONNECTICUT

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t h e i n de p e n de n t s t u de n t n e w s pa p e r of s y r ac u s e , n e w yor k

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