Author: Ethan Frank
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“Syracuse basketball is back. We’re coming.” Why Donnie Freeman’s Commitment to the Orange Means More than Most.
On Thursday, Syracuse secured its second commitment of the class of 2024, forward Donnie Freeman from St. John’s High School in Washington D.C., and Team Takeover of Nike EYBL. Freeman joins Elijah Moore as the second four-star to commit to the Orange and new head coach Adrian Autry, who is using his relationship skills at…
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Donnie Freeman Sets Decision Day
Syracuse’s top target in the 2024 class, Donnie Freeman, will be making his college decision on Thursday, May 11th in what will be a moment SU fans will be locking in to see if Adrian Autry can land his first major high school recruit. Freeman visited the Orange back in early April, and the SU…
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Naheem McCloud Visiting Syracuse This Weekend
Syracuse has been pretty quiet on the transfer portal recruiting trail since Chance Westry announced his commitment to the Orange back in mid-April. But, now that early May is upon us, the pickings are slim for SU to find its center in the portal, with the deadline for new players to enter on May 11.…
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Losing Justin Lamson is a Major Blow
News every Syracuse fan knew was possible in the back of their head came to reality over the weekend when it was announced that Justin Lamson, potentially the best, and easily the quarterback with the most potential on Syracuse’s roster entered the transfer portal. After playing well in the Spring Game and clearly outperforming Carlos…
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Syracuse’s New Recruiting Strategy
Since the official announcement that Adrian Autry was hiring Brendan Straughn as an assistant coach to fill out his staff, the Orange have been as active on the recruiting trail as they’ve been in years. As we documented earlier in the week, arguably Syracuse’s top target, Donnie Freeman, has seen multiple recruiting databases predict him…
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Time is Running Out For Syracuse to Find a Center
As has been the case all offseason around college basketball, the transfer portal giveth, but the transfer portal also taketh. For Syracuse, that has included losing Symir Torrence, John Bol Ajak, Joe Girard III, and most importantly, Jesse Edwards. But, the additions of J.J. Starling and Chance Westry can’t be understated, and they’ll provide a…
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Syracuse is the Place to Unlock Chance Westry
Syracuse got its second commitment out of the transfer portal earlier this week when Auburn guard Chance Westry pledged to the Orange. Westry later signed his letter of intent and intends to play a significant role for SU this season and into the future. As highlighted earlier in the week on the Fizz, Syracuse had…
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To Move Forward, Syracuse is Looking Back
Just when it looked like the roof was caving in on Syracuse, hope sprung anew as the Orange received their second commitment from the transfer portal in former Auburn Tiger Chance Westry. The Orange recruited the 6 ‘6 combo guard/wing out of high school, but he chose to play in the SEC, and after a…
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Adrian Autry’s Youth Movement Has Arrived Earlier Than Expected
When Syracuse’s season ended at the ACC Tournament in March, no one knew how the offseason would unfold. Certainly, no one knew how the next three days would unfold, with Jim Boeheim’s retirement and Adrian Autry taking over as head coach of SU. With continuity in the coaching staff considering the returns of Gerry McNamara…
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Adrian Autry’s First Test
Over the past 48 hours dating back to Monday night, Syracuse has gotten not one, but two uppercuts to the jaw. First, Jesse Edwards entered the transfer portal after failing to come up with an NIL agreement with the university (complicated by the fact that he’s an international player). Then, Tuesday produced the news that…
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Syracuse Hosts 4-Star Donnie Freeman on Official Visit
On the 20th anniversary of Syracuse’s first and only national championship, the Orange are hard at work trying to assemble a roster to go win a second, and with most of its players from last season returning along with bringing in some talented newcomers, SU has the potential to bounce back from two tough seasons…
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Analyzing Syracuse’s National Championship Watch Party
On Tuesday morning, Adrian Autry tweeted a picture of a group of his players gathered for dinner and to watch the national championship game on Monday night between Connecticut and San Diego State. The Huskies ended up winning comfortably, as they did all tournament, but from a Syracuse perspective, maybe the most interesting part of…
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Syracuse’s Offseason Theme: Continuity
It’s been three weeks to the day since Adrian Autry was introduced as Syracuse’s next head coach, and since that day, everything he’s done with his staff and his roster has been deliberate and strategic. First, it was bringing in J.J Starling, a player he recruited throughout high school, and now is maybe the most…
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Quiet on All Fronts = Good Sign for Autry
As the end of March approaches, all is quiet with Syracuse basketball. After the commotion that was the beginning of the month, with Jim Boeheim’s departure, Adrian Autry’s ascent, JJ Starling’s arrival, and announcements from Judah Mintz and Joe Girard III regarding their future, we’ve finally reached a stable point. That’s all to say that…
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Which Coach is Primed for More Success in 2023, Autry or Babers?
March 2023 has been one of the busiest months in a long time for Syracuse University Athletics. To begin the month, the men’s basketball season ended and Jim Boeheim was replaced by Adrian Autry after 47 years as head coach. Syracuse women’s basketball narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament and is now dominating the WNIT. Syracuse…
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Judah Mintz Should Do What’s Best for Judah Mintz
With all of the positive momentum that has been going the way of Syracuse, there was always going to be the crash back down, and that was Judah Mintz’s NBA draft announcement. He’s the first major domino of last season’s roster to make a decision on staying or leaving, as there’s been radio silence from…
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Specialization Has Hurt Syracuse for Too Long
The Adrian Autry era is off to a roaring start for Syracuse. He’s brought back his assistant coaches and is in the process of hiring another one, and he hasn’t lost any significant contributors so far. Yes, Symir Torrence and John Bol Ajak are in the portal and were valuable members of SU during their…
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Syracuse Basketball Has Momentum Again
It’s been a long week for the Syracuse men’s basketball program. Just seven days ago, the Orange were taking on Wake Forest in round two of the ACC Tournament, and despite losing on a buzzer-beating three for the second time in three years, it doesn’t matter. Jim Boeheim then gave a very cryptic postgame press…
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What Happens to Gerry McNamara?
The bombshell that Jim Boeheim will not be returning as Syracuse’s head coach and associate head coach Adrian Autry is taking over, has dominated the headlines in Central New York, and the entire sports landscape for the last 36 hours. But, with all the conversation about why Boeheim is out, how things ended, looking at…
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Not Getting Marcus Adams Jr Continues SU Recruiting Narrative
Over the past few months, things have finally started to percolate on the recruiting trail for Syracuse. Elijah Moore committed in January to start the 2024 class, then William Patterson kickstarted the 2023 class last month, but the key to either of those classes would have been Marcus Adams Jr, who committed to Kansas Tuesday…
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Syracuse’s Top 2 Outside Coaching Candidates
After the season ended last year, we did a multi-week series profiling who Syracuse’s next coach could be. It started with current assistants Adrian Autry and Gerry McNamara, moved to Mike Hopkins, and even had a little splash of Rick Pitino. But, currently, none of those options seem to be looking like the best to…
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Competitiveness is Jim Boeheim’s Best Quality. It’s Driven Syracuse to the Brink
After another demoralizing performance by Syracuse against Georgia Tech on Tuesday night, it’s time for everyone to look in the mirror. Players, coaches. Administrators, and even fans for why they continue supporting this team. Without the celebration of the 2003 team on Saturday, there is absolutely no reason why anyone should go to the Dome…
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The End is Going to be Ugly for Jim Boeheim
A couple of months ago, we at The Fizz wrote a piece about how the end was near for Jim Boeheim, and how it wasn’t going to be pretty. Well, since then, it’s gone from not pretty to ugly, as Syracuse has lost back-to-back games by 18+ points for the first time since 1968, 55…
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The Season of Experimentation Starts Now
Congratulations to the Duke Blue Devils for finally ushering Syracuse into the next stage of its season. The Orange have four games left, two at home, and two on the road. The travels start Wednesday at Clemson and continue over the weekend at Pittsburgh, both games the Orange will be underdogs in. Then, SU gets…
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Syracuse Must Play an “A” Game to Beat Duke
The most one-sided rivalry in the ACC returns to Central New York this weekend, as Duke, whose fans do not care much about Syracuse, travels to the Dome to face the Orange, whose fans are obsessed with the Blue Devils. Especially with Coach K now gone, this “rivalry” has never been deader, especially with the…
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Judah Mintz is the Reason Syracuse is in Position to be in Position
Each game has built on the previous one. It’s like a step ladder, and Judah Mintz continues to take one, sometimes two steps up each game. Syracuse is now 16-10 overall and 9-6 in the ACC thanks in large part to Mintz’s play. He was key in the Orange’s 75-72 win over No. 23 NC…
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Syracuse’s Most Fun Players to Watch in the Last 10 Years
2022-23 is Syracuse’s 10th season playing in the ACC, which makes this a perfect time to do an unequivocal ranking of the Orange’s most enjoyable players to watch over that time span. This is a comprehensive list and not wrong (at least I’d like to think), but other answers will be tolerated. Since the move…
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What Does the Rest of the Country Think About Jim Boeheim Now?
Jim Boeheim has always been an interesting figure in the spectrum that is college basketball. Never been as successful in the postseason over the last 20 years as his peers Coach K and Roy Williams, but he is the second-winningest head coach of all time for a reason. Compared to other coaches like Jay Wright,…
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Fizz Instant Reaction: Syracuse Beats BC 77-68
Ethan Frank breaks down all the stats and storylines from Syracuse’s nine-point win over Boston College to sweep the season series from the Eagles.
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Fizz Report Card: Syracuse Downs Boston College 77-68
The first half was a lot of back-and-forth action with the two teams going back and forth for the first 20 minutes. Jesse Edwards established himself early, while Judah Mintz made plays on the perimeter, but the Eagles stayed right with it, not giving into the Orange’s physicality. In the second, Boston College came out…
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A Loss to Boston College Would be the Nail in Syracuse’s Coffin
Syracuse is on extremely thin ice right now. After three straight losses and a string of embarrassing press conference moments, Jim Boeheim’s seat may be the hottest it’s ever been, and he’s getting national attention all around the college basketball landscape. It’s been said many times, but some people decide to get out of the…
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Marcus Adams Jr. Puts Syracuse in Top-5
Syracuse basketball just gained the commitment of class of 2024 guard Elijah Moore over the weekend, and now the Orange are zeroing in on another target. Forward Marcus Adams Jr, has placed SU in his top-5 schools after taking an official visit to the university over the weekend. Adams attended the Virginia game on Monday,…
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Fizz Five 2/1- UVA Recap, 2023 Football Schedule, Elijah Moore’s Commitment
Liam Griffin and Ethan Frank hop behind the mic on this week’s edition of Fizz Five to discuss what has been an eventful stretch for SU Athletics, for both good and bad. 1. UVA Recap (1:02-8:04)2. Football Schedule (8:04-14:48)3. Elijah Moore’s Commitment (14:48-21:26)4. Could Marcus Adams among others join Moore? (21:26-25:45)5. Men’s Basketball State of…
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Elijah Moore can be the Start of a Recruiting Wave
Syracuse and Adam Weitsman are in hot pursuit of 2024 4-star shooting guard Elijah Moore, who’s making his college decision on Saturday. Experts around the recruiting world have predicted Moore will take his talents to SU, but nothing is certain until he announces it. Moore visited Syracuse with Weitsman on Tuesday for the North Carolina…
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Syracuse’s End-of-Game Performance is Indicative of Young Team
Once again, Syracuse had a chance to take down one of the top teams in the ACC Tuesday night but faltered late in a 72-68 loss in the Dome to North Carolina. There were questionable moments, like Judah Mintz getting called for a flagrant one-foul that essentially ended the game with ten seconds left. Plus,…
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Jim Boeheim’s Teams Always Have the Same Singular Characteristic
Syracuse has had a season of ups and downs. Upset losses to Colgate, Bryant, and Pittsburgh at home. The rock-bottom loss at Illinois. But, there have also been the ups of going to overtime on back-to-back nights at the Barclays Center, sweeping Notre Dame, and crushing Georgetown. Outside of that Illinois game, one thing remains…
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