Author: Damon Amendolara
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Is Zion Cruz Headed to North Carolina, His “Dream School?”
The recruitment of Zion Cruz has been an exciting, and at times mysterious, one. He’s undoubtedly one of the best guards in the Class of ’22. He’s a gritty, creative guard, who thrives in the clutch. He’s the next iteration of the long and storied lineage of New York City floor generals. The Jersey City…
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Syracuse Staff Wants J.J. Starling to Be Part of Monster ’22 Class
J.J. Starling knows the Syracuse hoops program well. He knows what the Dome looks like when 30,000 make it the loudest college venue in America. He knows the hype when Duke or UNC comes to town. He knows the Orange flags and banners that wave across Central New York every spring. He’s a Baldwinsville product.…
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Is Syracuse Favorite Quadir Copeland the Nation’s”Best Kept Secret?”
The summer has been good to Syracuse. Kamari Lands started it off right, as a top 25 player nationally committed back in April. That allowed the perennially critical summer months to be a little less pressurized. Then 4-star sharpshooter Justin Taylor followed suit, making the ’22 class one of the nation’s best. And Taylor stated…
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Justin Taylor Will Help Recruit Filipowski and Copeland to Syracuse
The summer has already been a win for Syracuse. Four-star sharpshooter Justin Taylor has committed, forming a lethal combination in the Class of ’22 with Kamari Lands. Taylor is rated anywhere between 54th and 99th nationally according to services, totaling #84 as a composite ranking most recently. Considering the commitment of Donovan Clingan to UConn…
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Clingan/Filipowski Situations Make Lands/Taylor Commitments Even More Crucial
Donovan Clingan has chosen UConn, and analysts believe Kyle Filipowski is heading to Duke. Both were top targets for Syracuse. Orange fans may be deflated to see those two fading into the horizon. But SU followers should focus on the positive: the recruiting class already has two elite playmakers. Kamari Lands committed to SU back…
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How Did Syracuse Steal Charlottesville’s Justin Taylor from ACC Powers?
This has been an incredible recruiting cycle for Syracuse. While the saga of Dior Johnson left Orange fans smarting after last year, the haul of Kamari Lands and Justin Taylor is an enormous influx of talent for the Class of ’22. Lands is ranked as a top 25 prospect in the nation and Taylor slots…
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CBS Sports is Wrong on the Syracuse Win Total
It’s been an ugly offseason for Syracuse. Every publication is picking them to lose a ton of games. Opposing coaches are shredding the program. Bets are being taken about whether Dino Babers can keep his job. But winning money is a good thing, and you can capitalize on CBS Sports’ low expectations. In the site’s…
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Top 100 Linebacker DeAunte Hunter Calls Visit to Syracuse “Amazing”
DeAunte Hunter is being recruited by a school that played in the Peach Bowl, is a preseason Top 10 squad, and a trendy pick to crash the CFB Playoff. But it was his trip to Syracuse this weekend that the 3-star linebacker called “amazing.” The 6’4″, 200 lb. standout from Georgia is a top 100…
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Filipowski Enjoyed Hanging With Syracuse Teammates on Official Visit
The Summer of Flip is in full swing, as dynamic 6’10” Kyle Filipowski has risen up recruiting rankings, flashed dominance on the AAU circuit, and has embarked on a whirlwind of official visits to major programs. The visits began two weeks ago in Syracuse, and apparently it went well. Not only did we see Filipowski…
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One Day We May Compare Others to Kyle Filipowski: Head Coach
How good, how special, how talented is Syracuse super recruit Kyle Filipowski? It may be unfair to compare him to a player in college or the pros, because it might be limiting his overall game. The 6’10” forward is a do-everything talent. He’s a big man that runs the floor, has great handle like, a…
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Arizona State’s Cheating Scandal Involves Syracuse Recruit Eric Gentry
The writing on the wall is ugly for Herm Edwards. For a coach that has preached doing things the right way for his entire life, it sure rings hollow this morning. There is reportedly stacks of evidence that Arizona State blatantly broke NCAA recruiting guidelines over the last year, and they ultimately landed a Syracuse…
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Is Auburn Now A Basketball Recruiting Rival for Syracuse?
The Bruce Pearl factor is real. Not only is he teflon, since nothing sticks to him long term. But he’s also locking official visits and high praise from northeastern recruits. Recently, 5-star combo guard Zion Cruz said the Tigers were the top school on his list. And now highly coveted Chance Westry took an official…
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What Else Did the Opposing Coach Say About Syracuse in Athlon’s Preview?
Saturday, The Fizz published damning comments from an opposing coach concerning the state of Syracuse football. The quotes were from an anonymous opposing staff in Athlon’s annual college football preview guide. The coach took shots at SU’s scheme, their recruiting approach, and believes the program is on the verge of wreckage. (Note to opposing coach:…
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Anonymous Opposing Coach Trashes Syracuse Football in Athlon Preview
(Update: Here’s Sunday’s post with more from the following anonymous coach who ripped into SU. He criticizes the offensive line and says the 10-win season was a mirage.) If you’re a Syracuse fan and are looking forward to the time worn tradition of picking up the Athlon preview issue and thumbing through it at the…
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Resist the Urge to Expand the CFB Playoff to 12 Teams
It’s tempting, oh so tempting. Those straight-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies are staring at you on the counter, and one just isn’t enough. The chocolate is gooey, your fingers deliciously sticky. The inside is warm, creating a tingle in your mouth. It feels like you can eat the whole tray. So you go for a second.…
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Damn, Kyle Filipowski Looks Fire in That Syracuse Uniform
Last weekend rising prep star Kyle Filipowski took his official visit to Syracuse. He toured campus, experienced the Melo Center, and sat down with the coaching staff in person. He apparently also donned the Orange and did a mock media guide photo shoot. Savvy move by SU. And yeah, it was pretty damn awesome. That’s…
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UNC “Doesn’t Have a Very Good Staff Right Now” & “Doesn’t Scare the ACC”
The titans of the ACC have been fading fast over the last five years, and now both Roy Williams and Coach K will be retired within 10 months. As we’ve documented here at The Fizz, it leaves Jim Boeheim as the last man standing. Chris Mack, Hubert Davis, and Jon Scheyer are far from the…
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Syracuse Ranked 4th in Kyle Filipowski Race, Will Zoom With Duke
It may not be the Summer of Flip just yet, but it’s certainly getting hotter. Kyle Filipowski is turning heads across the AAU landscape and rising up the prospect rankings. He is pressing up in the rankings and will likely be a 5-star recruit by the time basketball season rolls around. He has a group…
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Can Gary Gait Rescue Syracuse Lacrosse From The Downward Spiral?
This was about as bad as it could get for John Desko, and the rest of Syracuse lacrosse. Blowout losses, first-round NCAA tournament exit, and the grotesque Chase Scanlan incident marred the ’21 season. It ended up costing Desko his job. We may never know exactly what percentage of each contributed to the change, but…
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Will Coach K’s Retirement Help Syracuse Recruiting?
The dinosaurs that have roamed the college basketball universe for decades are starting to fade away, killed off by the Ice Age known as the transfer portal and the meteor named “NIL.” A little over a decade ago, Lute Olson retired after a quarter century at Arizona while Bobby Knight sneered at his last press…
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Are Dwight Freeney and Marvin Harrison CFB Hall of Famers?
Another year, another College Football Hall of Fame ballot for two of Syracuse’s greatest players of the last 25 years. Marvin Harrison (#18 on the Fizz 100) and Dwight Freeney (#12) are on a ballot of 78 players and 7 coaches from the FBS. The Class of ’22 will be announced early next year, and…
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If Brad Stevens Quit Coaching, Indiana is Better Off Without Him
The massive news out of Boston today leaves everyone’s jaw agape. Danny Ainge is leaving the Celtics. The organization is looking for a new coach. And Brad Stevens is heading to… the front office? Wasn’t Stevens not long ago considered a coaching prodigy? Wasn’t Ainge’s hiring of Stevens seen as a coup? Isn’t Stevens credited…
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Elite Corner Jahlil Florence “Excited” to Visit Syracuse First
Jahlil Florence has options. Good options. The San Diego corner is being recruited by Oregon, Michigan and Washington. But he’s flying all the way out to Syracuse for his only official visit of the month (6/24), and is fired up about meeting with Dino Babers and co. He told 247 Sports there’s a familiarity already…
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Here’s How Many Syracuse Wins DraftKings Projects
DraftKings released its regular season win totals for every FBS team, unsurprisingly Alabama and Clemson are at the top of the list. They both are projected to have a 11.5 total, and if you like the Tide and Tigers to run the table undefeated, the over is at even money. The under is -125. Oklahoma…
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Donovan Clingan Named Best Connecticut Prospect in 20 Years
This week MaxPreps took a look back at two decades of high school hoops stars, and identified the top player in each state. There were a few Syracuse connections on the list. First, one of Syracuse’s current targets landed on the rankings. Bristol Central’s Donovan Clingan won the top spot as Connecticut’s best product since…
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Check Out Syracuse Targets Filipowski and Taylor Show Out in AAU This Week
June marks a big month for Syracuse basketball. Two of SU’s biggest recruiting targets will make their official visits to The Hill. On June 5th and 6th, 4-Star Kyle Filipowski (Class of ’22) will come to campus to tour the facilities and meet the staff in person. He’s recently made a massive jump in the…
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Ranking the 5 TV Networks/Timeslots for Syracuse Football
This week Syracuse announced the first five timeslots and television partners of the football season. We still have the bulk of the ACC schedule to go, but let’s take a rip at this quintet of games. 5) UAlbany: Saturday, Sept. 18th, 12p. ACC Network at Carrier Dome This is by far the least intriguing setup…
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Here’s the Reasons Syracuse Can’t Be Discounted on Ty Rodgers Yet
Signs aren’t positive for Syracuse still being in the mix for Ty Rodgers, but it’s a little premature to rule them completely out. This week Rodgers named the six schools recruiting him hardest, and SU wasn’t on it. The Orange also aren’t on his official visits in June. But as we’ve seen things change quickly…
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Hot Recruit Kyle Filipowski is a Throwback and Coach’s Dream
By now we know that Syracuse’s competition for 4-star big man Kyle Filipowski is going to be stiff. Every day seems to bring out a new blue-blood looking for his commitment. His basketball talents are one part of that reason. He’s 6’10”, has a huge wingspan, and has been making jaws drop in AAU summer…
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Syracuse CB Duce Chestnut Named Top 100 True Freshman
Syracuse suffered through a gristly season, winners of only one measly game. Nothing went right, especially health. The only bright side to all the losing and injuries is hopefully the long term growth of the roster. The starters that lost time opened the door for so many young players to get their moment. Into this…
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Syracuse Hands ’24 Miami CB Tomauri Johnson His First Offer
On Sunday young defensive back Tomauri Johnson tweeted he had received his first offer from Syracuse. The Orange have also offered his high school teammate and defensive back mate Jaheim Miller, standing at 6’0″, 170 lbs. Johnson is tall and lean, stepping to the line of scrimmage in coverage at 6’3″, 160 lbs. He’s Class…
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Can Creighton Steal 5-Star Zion Cruz Too?
Recently, Creighton shocked everyone by landing Arthur Kaluma. More accurately, the Bluejays shocked everyone but themselves. Creighton is coming off its first Sweet 16 since 1974. For perspective, that was four months before Richard Nixon resigned because of Watergate. The Steelers had yet to win a Super Bowl in franchise history. Willie Mays had retired…
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The Five Best Things About This NBA Postseason
This may turn out to be one of the most unpredictable and fun NBA Playoffs of our lives. Why? Let’s get this party started.¬† 5) The unearned: Take a look around the field and notice how many teams have massive question marks about their playoff bonafides. It seems like every playoff team has an unanswered…
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Advantage or Disadvantage for Syracuse to Host Filipowski’s First Visit?
Kyle Filipowski is nasty. He’s 6’10”, great handle, explosive first-step, finish on the break, shoot from outside, nasty. His summer AAU circuit is turning heads and sure to raise his profile and rating by the time the fall basketball season rolls around. He’s also being courted by a number of elite programs, including Duke, Ohio…
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Will Dino Gaudio Ugliness Cause Louisville to Lose Recruits?
Once again, it’s not good in Louisville. For a program that dealt with multiple black eyes during the Rick Pitino era, the appetite for drama is low in Cardinals Land. Chris Mack was supposed to be the safe choice, a solid coach without any baggage. He was perfectly boring. But he brought with him assistant…
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The Resurrection of Carmelo Anthony is Catnip for NBA Stars
Tonight begins the NBA Playoffs… kinda. The Play-In Tournament tips off in the East, with the Hornets/Pacers in an elimination game, then the Wizards/Celtics trying to keep their seasons alive. The West gets underway on Wednesday night. The Blazers get to watch all of this unfold while comfortably sitting at home, waiting for their first-round…
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