MegECass110 Talks About Syracuse Sports For Once

Jonny Flynn looks to be the Orange's Superman this season.

So when someone JOKINGLY called me a traitorous whore for writing yet another article about Boston College football and not talking about the travishamockery known as Syracuse University football, I had to laugh. As many of you know, I grew up a BC gal, I now go to Syracuse, and have suffered through the worst (1-10) and most likely second-worst (they're 2-7 with USF, UConn and Cincinnati left) seasons in Syracuse football history in my three years here. Hence, my college football fandom remains primarily with the Eagles, and secondly with the Orange. Unless Donovan McNabb and Marvin Harrison come back, it's looking like I'll attend SU for the worst era ever for SU football. So you'll have to excuse for my lack of Orange pigskin passion.

But now, it's a whole new game. It's basketball season, baby. My basketball experiences on the Hill have been so much more than I expected: the miracle run by the Fightin' Gerry McNamaras in the 2006 Big East tournament (and camping out with my friends for 40 hours in 20 degree weather for GMac's final home game), and rushing the court after we beat Georgetown this past February are two things that I will never, ever forget. Hell, even the two lowest points--losing in the first round of the 2006 NCAAs and getting snubbed from The Big Dance altogether in 2007--were unforgettable.

So now it's 2007-2008. The Orange have the second best recruiting class in the nation and one of the youngest teams in the country. These guys are going to be so fun to watch, it's ridiculous. Here's some video evidence from Midnight Madness (and yes, that's Bill Raftery on the mic)...

The 2007 recruits are highlighted by forward Donte Greene and point guard Jonny Flynn. Greene is from Maryland, and went to the same high school as Carmelo Anthony. Flynn is a 5'9ish dynamo from Niagara. Both were McDonald's All-Americans last year. Greene scored a game-high 26 in an exhibition against LeMoyne, and Flynn had 9 assists in another exhibition against St. Rose. Flynn is also a high school teammate and close friend of SU sophomore Paul Harris (who was touted as one of the nation's best freshmen last year, didn't quite live up to the hype, but still had a solid freshman season). Greene and Flynn were the Preseason Big East Rookies of the Year.

Flynn is the guy I've been waiting for since I came here. He's an unselfish, adorable, spunky, showboatin son of a bitch. The man can dance, I'm telling you. Senior turnover machine Josh Wright will fill in when needed (hopefully as little as possible). And Greene is a monster. He's huge (6'11"), and he has a gorgeous three-point stroke. These two played at the McDonald's game and all through the summer for USA Basketball's Under-21 team, and they already have good chemistry.

It's not only those two. Freshmen center Rick Jackson and guard Antonio "Scoop" Jardine played together in high school in Philly, and came to the hill together. Jackson had 17 points and 16 boards against LeMoyne. Junior college transfer Kristof Ongenaet has a nice shot and is from Belgium (he will be referred to forevermore as the Belgian Waffle. This is not negotiable). Junior guard Eric Devendorf was named to the preseason All-Big East team. Wright is the only senior that plays significant minutes.

So if you don't have a college basketball team to watch, I recommend the Orange. They're young, they're fast and they have fun playing together. And watch them for me; since I'll be studying over in Europe from January to May, I'll be getting my basketball from ESPN.com. I'll get used to it.

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