Posted: D.A.

For decades, the northeast hoops cognescenti have understood to win the Big East, a program needs three ingredients:

1) On-court leadership.

2) Savvy coaching.

3) A Canadian.

The ’09-’10 Syracuse Orange proved the age old adage with Canuck Andy Rautins (and his father Leo is a native Canadian as well), but his departure left a gaping hole in a third of the puzzle for next season.

That’s why SU is hard after Kevin Pangos.

The 6’1″ PG from Holland, Ontario is drawing plenty of interest south of the border and the Toronto Sun is reporting Syracuse is in the mix.

“Kevin Pangos of Newmarket, the youngest Canadian ever to suit up for the national team, is being pursued by Michigan, Cincinnati and Gonzaga (of course, they love Canadians), but Syracuse and UNLV appear to have interest too.

Pangos still has another year of high school (and possibly two, depending on how fast he graduates) before he heads off to college.”

For the record, Slam Online’s profile reads like this:

“This young gun has been making noise for quite some time in Canada but seems to be disregarded. Pangos is arguably the most complete point guard in the 2011 class. Pangos‚Äô game is interestingly molded around Canadian native, Steve Nash. The most eye catching aspect of Kevin‚Äôs game is his intelligence on the floor, he is an extension of his coaching staff as he is constantly poised and patient. When the ball is in his hands, expect production.”

Knowing the playmakers coming in to the Dome with the ’10 class, a dependable point guard would be an asset. Obviously, Brandon Triche looks to have a lock on the position in the future – but you should never mess with hoop mojo.

To win the Big East – you’ve got to have a Canuck. Bring Pangos to the 315.