Come to think of it …

***

DeShaun Williams appears to be putting Syracuse in the past.

The talented but ignominious shooting guard — who while here seemed to be above the law more than he was above the rim — transferred to Iona in August rather than attend community college to resuscitate his GPA.

I hesitate to call the following news, because it is nothing if not expected. Williams, who as a transfer must sit out this season, was in the Iona locker room after a Jan. 18 game. On the mend following minor knee surgery, he leaned on crutches (something he did many times here, though none of them wooden). A former Daily Orange sports reporter covering the game attempted small talk with Williams. Here’s how the reporter relayed the conversation:

‘You from Syracuse?’ Williams asked.

‘Yeah, I went there,’ the reporter said.

‘Well,’ Williams shot back, ‘(screw) off.’

***

For those of you who think the NCAA had it out for Billy Edelin, ask Melanie Croser. The NCAA initially suspended the Penn State guard 21 games for playing in an unsanctioned summer league in her native Australia. In January, the suspension was reduced to 16 games.

Croser is similar to Edelin in that she never made it through her initial semester in college. In her case, that was at Hawaii. She attended a junior college last year and this year transferred to Penn State.

When the NCAA suspended Croser, Penn State contacted Hawaii and found the school willing to admit that it should have warned Croser about the risks of summer-league participation, said John Bove, Penn State’s Director of Athletic Compliance. Penn State took this case to the NCAA, which reduced the penalty by five games.

The bottom line is that college basketball coaches need to inform players of this rule their first week on campus.

Said Bove: ‘I’m sure, Hawaii, Penn State and Syracuse all learned and are employing better methods.’

***

Speaking of Edelin, Manny’s owner Bill Nester reports that his entire stock of more than 100 ‘Free Billy’ T-shirts sold or were distributed during a radio promotion. The shirts, which Nester said did not turn a profit, went for $5 and were intended to rally support around Edelin.

Nonetheless, Billy’s father, William, stopped into the store before the Feb. 3 Georgetown game with a question.

‘In a joking manner, I asked when we’re going to get our cut,’ William Edelin said. ‘I know we can’t because that would be a violation. We don’t need any more problems with the NCAA.’

This guy is a comedian, right?

***

No. 3 (Gerry McNamara) basketball jerseys are outpacing the sale of No. 15’s (Carmelo Anthony) at Manny’s. Why? Nike refused to produce replica jerseys of a freshman, so the only No. 15’s for sale at Manny’s are made by the company Dodger, Nester said. McNamara, like Anthony, is a freshman, but the No. 3 jerseys are left over from last season, when Preston Shumpert wore No. 3. Since names are not applied to jersey backs, a Shumpert jersey can pass for a McNamara shirt. The only authentic stitched jersey Nike agreed to produce is No. 13, worn by senior Kueth Duany.

***

Next fall marks the 30th anniversary of Jake Crouthamel’s third consecutive Ivy League championship as head football coach at Dartmouth. Crouthamel compiled a 41-20-2 mark coaching the Big Green from 1971 to 1977 before becoming director of athletics here in 1978. Imagine the drama if Crouthamel pulled a Glen Sather — fire the coach and hire himself — around mid-November with the Orangemen, say, 2-6, entering their Nov. 15 game with Miami.

***

Is it me or is it ludicrous that the men’s basketball team practiced on Christmas?

Evidently, a 92-65 dismantling of Georgia Tech on Dec. 21 was not enough to earn the players the holiday off. So, in preparation for a Dec. 28 home game versus Albany, the Orangemen practiced at 8 p.m. on Christmas, which, according to a Hancock International Airport official, remains the snowiest day this winter (10.2 inches).

The Post-Standard reported that only eight players, four of them walk-ons, made it to the workout. Jeremy McNeil told the paper that he left Texas at 7 a.m. but could not get to campus until 11 p.m.

‘I spent Christmas at the airport,’ he told the Post-Standard.

Carmelo Anthony made it as far as Minersville, Pa., in his 1998 Chrysler before calling it a day.

‘I just couldn’t get any further,’ he said. ‘I had to stay in this hotel that was like the only place in town. It was terrible. I was in some hotel in some random place on Christmas.’

***

Signing Day brought to mind one of Paul Pasqualoni’s all-time best quotes. Asked on Nov. 5, 2001, to evaluate upcoming opponent West Virginia, which had pasted Rutgers, 80-7, the previous Saturday, Pasqualoni said: ‘What they’ve got going they’ve got going and they’ve got it going.’

***

On the topic of the quoteworthy, a speedy recovery to Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun. In addition to being a top-shelf coach and individual, Calhoun joshes SU head coach Jim Boeheim as well as anyone. Calhoun called Boeheim ‘sunshine’ at Big East Media Day in 2001. That day, he also said of Boeheim: ‘Has he become the resident expert of the Big East, the sage? Personally, all I want to see is him at a PTA meeting when he’s 78. That’s my greatest dream in life.’

***

A flip through the Syracuse men’s hoops media guide reveals some intriguing records.

Here are 10 that may never be duplicated:

99: Highest team scoring average (1965-66)

84: Most rebounds (vs. UMass in 1965-66)

80: Margin of victory (SU 106, Oswego Teachers 26; 1945-46)

68: Points by a Syracuse opponent (Niagara’s Calvin Murphy, Dec. 7, 1968)

66: Consecutive games scoring in double figures (Dave Bing, 1963-66)

63: Largest losing margin (NYU 122, SU 59; 1961-62)

57: Longest home winning steak (March 5, 1976 to Feb. 13, 1980)

32: Rebounds by a Syracuse opponent (UMass’ Julius Erving, Feb. 22, 1971)

22: Assists by a Syracuse player (Sherman Douglas, Jan. 28, 1989). This is also the NCAA single-game record.

.083: Lowest win percentage (2-22 in 1961-62)

My bet is that 84 boards is the safest mark of all.

***

Congratulations to Michelle Bento. An assistant coach with the Syracuse women’s basketball team the last four years, Bento left in June to become head coach at Santa Clara. Despite a 2-3 start, the Broncos are 15-6 overall and at 6-2 are in second place in the West Coast Conference. Winning the WCC tourney in San Diego would give them an automatic bid to the NCAAs.

Bento made the transition to head coaching with relative ease. For this, she cited the five games in Italy and two days of relaxation in Paris that her team experienced in August. She also praised SU head coach Marianna Freeman.

‘In my time at Syracuse,’ Bento said, ‘Coach Freeman gave me a lot of freedom. She knew my desire to be a head coach.’

***

Twenty-three years ago today, Georgetown coach John Thompson uttered those searing words: ‘Manley Field House is officially closed.’

The Orangemen went 190-30 (.864) at Manley, losing their final game, 52-50, to the Hoyas. SU is 324-64 (.835) in the Carrier Dome.

Chris Snow is a staff writer at The Daily Orange, where his column appears on Thursdays. E-mail him at [email protected].

Published on February 12, 2003 at 12:00 pm