Legends of the Pen: Great Hoop Start

John Fox's Legends of the Pen Archives:
Dec. 17: Previous Invitations | Nov. 25: Big and Tall Shop | Nov. 4: Clear The Deck For Football | Oct. 14: The Syracuse-Pittsburgh Rivalry | Sept. 23:The Syracuse-Colgate Rivalry

Syracuse men's current basketball start is the third 15-0 takeoff in Jim Boeheim's imposing reign as head coach.

Not to mention it being his 13th Orange squad to reach double-figures victories before its first defeat. That's coming out of the gate no worse than 10-for-10 in more than one-third of Boeheim's 36 seasons.

In contrast, only four of 36 seasons since he took office has begun with an 0-1 start -- the first 0-1 occasion, strangely, was suffered by the only Orange team ever ranked No. 1 in the pre-season rankings. (In similar irony, the two most recent opening-night losers are better known as the subsequent 2002-2003 national champions and the following season's defending champs.)

The first of the 15-0s didn't get to 16-0; Syracuse lost by three at Michigan next time out, later a combined five times to Georgetown and Pitt -- yet regrouped to within the final tick of becoming 1987 NCAA champion. The second 15-0, however, continued rolling to 19-0, before its Feb. 7, 2000 two-point

Carrier Dome come-uppance by Seton Hall, a more emphatic aftershock three days later at Louisville, and further rebuttals by St. John's, UConn and Georgetown.

The 19-straight tied what remains -- until at least three Saturdays hence-- Boeheim's career-best record, achieved in an earlier season when already fallen from unbeaten ranks. In his mere third year as coach, Syracuse lost on consecutive December 1978 days to Illinois and Kentucky, but not again until March -- Georgetown on a neutral-but-Hoya-backyard site. The Bouie&Louie combo's final regular season {1979-80) was a 26-0 "coulda-woulda-shoulda...didn't " A 14-0 start ended at Old Dominion after being 13-up with 5 1-2 minutes left. Worse yet, Game 23 ended a 57-game winning streak in the farewell use of Manley Fieldhouse (all but two under Boeheim) with 52-50 defeat by Georgetown, which never led until Sleepy Floyd's free throws at 0:05.

Now one senses "why not US!" vibes in the galloping new 15-0 horde -- talented freshmen blending with improved veterans of last season's Syracuse best-ever 24-1 record at the 25-game mark. Does history worry them in the least? Even should they win #16 Saturday at Seton Hall (the 19-0 spoiler of yore), #17 St. John's in its Madison Square Garden home and #18 Cincinnati, consider what's left to achieve 20-0: Pitt's homecourt and Villanova up here. In one five-year stretch ending in the early 1990s, one or the other of the pair shot down five straight unbeaten SU records of 10-0 and up, and -- more pertinent--the Panthers have won the last seven regular-season meetings.

Granted, records are made to be broken. Streaks, likewise. But breaking often takes time.

Boeheim's late father, James, Sr., wasn't born when young alumnus Ed Dollard coached 21 straight Orange wins between the Februarys of 1912-15-- then broke it with 23 straight, largely during America's participation in World War One. Penn won the streak-ending 17-16 game at Archbold Gym despite only two field goals.

Saluting Bowl Celebrations

If the "excessive salute" penalty with 1:13 left on the clock last Thursday, lengthening Kansas State's 2-point attempt at a tie by a deflating 15 yards, brought back memories to anybody at Yankee Stadium, it had to be the Syracuse linebackers coach. Dan Conley had "been there, at least been tempted to done worse."

That, too, had been a down-to-the-wire game between the Orange and a Big 12 Conference team come east. Not two days before New Years Day 2011, but two days before Labor Day as a 1994 opener-- '94 SU captain Dan's first game in the 23 months since his right knee's ninth surgery.

Syracuse had overcome Oklahoma's 24-0 headstart to take the lead at 29-27 with only 1:01 remaining, on Marvin Harrison's 48-yard reception -- much the length of the Pinstripe Bowl scoring play by K-State's Adam Hilburn before he obligingly placed the ball on the ground and raised his right hand.

Sixteen seasons earlier, most of the 48,421 Carrier Dome spectators were sent into excess -- as were a large number of piling-on Harrison teammates in end-zone rollick. Officials threw flags, their rulebook's newly-accentuated excessive celebration "run up their flagpole", an all-shook-up rookie SU kicker Sean Reali botched the PAT (first SU miss in 123), and with the ensuing kickoff's 15-yard penalty backing SU's tee to its 20, the opportunist Sooners soon booted a 48-yard field goal for 30-29 victory

USA Today writer Mike LoPresti's critical opening remarks in his Monday-morning wrapup were headlined hereabouts, "College football's new War On Taunting has turned silly."

Thursday's game was Dan Conley's first bowl victory as an assistant coach. His three as an SU player might have been four, except that the 1994 team was a leftout. It finished 7-4, but without that one precious outburst of joy it would have gone into November 7-0, and who knows thence!

Syracuse University Athletics

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