2005-06 Syracuse Orange men's basketball team
Encyclopedia
The 2005–06 Syracuse Orange men's basketball team represented Syracuse University
. The Head Coach was Jim Boeheim
, serving for his 30th year. The team played its home games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. The team finished with a 23–12 (7–9) record, while being eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The team was led by Gerry McNamara, the team's lone senior. Also seeing time in the starting lineup were juniors Darryl Watkins
, Louie McCroskey, Demetris Nichols
and Terrence Roberts
, and freshman Eric Devendorf
.
, Hakim Warrick
and Craig Forth
to graduation, leaving McNamara as the only consistent returning starter from the 2004–05 team. After starting the season 15–2, Syracuse struggled, losing four in a row to Connecticut
, Villanova
, Pittsburgh and Seton Hall. The Orange would go 4–5 the rest of the way, including an emotional 92–82 loss to Villanova at the Carrier Dome, despite 29 points from McNamara in his final home game.
After McNamara's home send-off, Syracuse then captured the most unlikely of its Big East Tournament Championships, fueled by the heroics of Gerry McNamara. Prior to the conference tournament two separate publications, Sports Illustrated
and the Syracuse Post-Standard
conducted polls of Big East players and assistant coaches. In each poll, McNamara was voted the Big East's "Most Overrated" player.
In the first round he hit a running one-handed three-point shot with less than a second left in the game to spur Syracuse past the University of Cincinnati
, 74–73. Following the game Jim Boeheim unleashed a passionate defense of his star player to the attending media.
The next day McNamara hit a three-pointer in the closing seconds of regulation to tie number-one ranked University of Connecticut
and eventually led Syracuse to an overtime 86–84 upset. McNamara finished with 17 points and 13 assists, one assist shy of the Big East Tournament record.
Syracuse fell behind Georgetown University
in the tournament's semi-finals, Syracuse's third game in three days. McNamara hit five three-pointers in the second half—including one in the last minute of the game—to slash the Hoyas' lead to one. He dished out an assist to freshman guard Eric Devendorf
to put Syracuse in the lead following a Georgetown turnover and forced another turnover in the closing seconds to clinch the game, 58–57.
McNamara had 14 points and 6 assists in Syracuse's 65–61 championship game win over the University of Pittsburgh
. Syracuse became the first team to win four games in four days and capture the Big East Tournament Championship.
However, the thrill of Syracuse's unlikely run to the Big East Championship was dampened by a first round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament. Severely hobbled by his leg injury and exhausted from the run in the Big East tournament, McNamara was only able to score two points in just 23 minutes of play as fifth-seeded Syracuse was upset by 12th-seeded Texas A&M University
, 66–58.
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
. The Head Coach was Jim Boeheim
Jim Boeheim
James Arthur "Jim" Boeheim is the head coach of the men's basketball team at Syracuse University. Boeheim has guided the Orange to eight Big East regular season championships, five Big East Tournament championships, and 28 NCAA Tournament appearances, including three appearances in the national...
, serving for his 30th year. The team played its home games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. The team finished with a 23–12 (7–9) record, while being eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The team was led by Gerry McNamara, the team's lone senior. Also seeing time in the starting lineup were juniors Darryl Watkins
Darryl Watkins
Darryl "Mookie" Finesse Watkins is an American professional basketball player. He is a former college basketball player for the Syracuse Orange who has a reputation for his shot-blocking ability.- High school :...
, Louie McCroskey, Demetris Nichols
Demetris Nichols
Demetris Nichols is an American professional basketball player. He played small forward for the Syracuse Orange men's basketball team, and has been a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, and New York Knicks.-High school:He was coached by Mike Hart at St...
and Terrence Roberts
Terrence Roberts (basketball)
Terrence Roberts is a former college basketball player for the Syracuse Orange from Jersey City, New Jersey who currently plays for Universitatea Cluj in Romania.-High school:...
, and freshman Eric Devendorf
Eric Devendorf
Eric Devendorf is an American professional basketball player from Bay City, Michigan who came from Oak Hill Academy and played for the Syracuse University Orange. He currently plays for the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League....
.
Season Recap
Syracuse started off the season losing Josh PaceJosh Pace
Josh Pace is an American professional basketball player. A former college basketball player for the Syracuse Orange, he playes for the Hawke's Bay Hawks in the New Zealand National Basketball League.-High school:...
, Hakim Warrick
Hakim Warrick
Hakim Hanif Warrick is an American professional basketball player in the NBA who is currently with the Phoenix Suns. Commonly nicknamed "Helicopter" and "Skinny", the 6'9", 219 lb forward was a major part the Syracuse Orange's run to the 2003 National Championship, often being most remembered...
and Craig Forth
Craig Forth
Craig Forth is a former college basketball player for the Syracuse Orange from East Greenbush, New York who was a member of Syracuse's 2003 NCAA National Championship team...
to graduation, leaving McNamara as the only consistent returning starter from the 2004–05 team. After starting the season 15–2, Syracuse struggled, losing four in a row to Connecticut
Connecticut Huskies
The Connecticut Huskies, also known as the UConn Huskies, are the athletic teams of the University of Connecticut in the United States. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Big East Conference for all sports except Men's Ice Hockey and Women's Ice...
, Villanova
Villanova Wildcats
The Villanova Wildcats is the name of the athletic teams of Villanova University. They compete in the Big East for every sport except football, where they compete in the Colonial Athletic Association .-Men's basketball:The Villanova Wildcats compete in the Big EAST and are currently coached by Jay...
, Pittsburgh and Seton Hall. The Orange would go 4–5 the rest of the way, including an emotional 92–82 loss to Villanova at the Carrier Dome, despite 29 points from McNamara in his final home game.
After McNamara's home send-off, Syracuse then captured the most unlikely of its Big East Tournament Championships, fueled by the heroics of Gerry McNamara. Prior to the conference tournament two separate publications, Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
and the Syracuse Post-Standard
Syracuse Post-Standard
The Post-Standard is the major daily newspaper servicing the greater Syracuse, New York, metro area. Affiliated with Syracuse.com, it is owned by Advance Publications. The Post-Standard features regular political commentary from Sean Kirst and local commentary by Dick Case. It is home-delivered in...
conducted polls of Big East players and assistant coaches. In each poll, McNamara was voted the Big East's "Most Overrated" player.
In the first round he hit a running one-handed three-point shot with less than a second left in the game to spur Syracuse past the University of Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
, 74–73. Following the game Jim Boeheim unleashed a passionate defense of his star player to the attending media.
The next day McNamara hit a three-pointer in the closing seconds of regulation to tie number-one ranked University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
and eventually led Syracuse to an overtime 86–84 upset. McNamara finished with 17 points and 13 assists, one assist shy of the Big East Tournament record.
Syracuse fell behind Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
in the tournament's semi-finals, Syracuse's third game in three days. McNamara hit five three-pointers in the second half—including one in the last minute of the game—to slash the Hoyas' lead to one. He dished out an assist to freshman guard Eric Devendorf
Eric Devendorf
Eric Devendorf is an American professional basketball player from Bay City, Michigan who came from Oak Hill Academy and played for the Syracuse University Orange. He currently plays for the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League....
to put Syracuse in the lead following a Georgetown turnover and forced another turnover in the closing seconds to clinch the game, 58–57.
McNamara had 14 points and 6 assists in Syracuse's 65–61 championship game win over the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
. Syracuse became the first team to win four games in four days and capture the Big East Tournament Championship.
However, the thrill of Syracuse's unlikely run to the Big East Championship was dampened by a first round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament. Severely hobbled by his leg injury and exhausted from the run in the Big East tournament, McNamara was only able to score two points in just 23 minutes of play as fifth-seeded Syracuse was upset by 12th-seeded Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
, 66–58.
Key Contributors
- Gerry McNamaraGerry McNamaraGerry McNamara Sucks because he did not get drafted into the NBA.Gerry McNamara is a former American basketball player and current graduate assistant coach. He is a former guard for the Syracuse University men's team, from 2002 to 2006...
(16.0 pts, 5.9 ast, 2.7 reb) - Demetris Nichols (13.3 pts, 1.4 ast, 5.8 reb)
- Eric Devendorf (12.2 pts, 2.3 ast, 2.5 reb)
- Terrence Roberts (10.7 pts, 1.6 ast, 7.6 reb)
- Darryl Watkins (7.1 pts, 0.7 ast, 7.3 reb)
- Louie McCroskey (3.8 pts, 1.3 ast, 3.3 reb)
- Josh Wright (4.3 pts, 1.6 ast, 1.4 reb)
- Matt GormanMatt GormanMatt Gorman was a professional basketball player for the Sheffield Sharks. He played college basketball for Syracuse University during their first National Championship in 2003. He is now a director of the Watertown Teen Center, which is operated by the Children's Home of Jefferson County...
(2.6 pts, 0.3 ast, 2.1 reb) - Arinze OnuakuArinze OnuakuArinze Onuaku is a 6'9", 275lb professional basketball player from Lanham, Maryland who was on the Syracuse Orange basketball team. He went undrafted in the 2010 NBA Draft. He is currently playing with the LKL team, Klaipėdos Neptūnas....
(2.0 pts, 0.1 ast, 2.8 reb) - Andy RautinsAndy RautinsAndrew Jay "Andy" Rautins is a , 205 lbs. guard for the New York Knicks of the NBA. He was born in Syracuse, New York. He is a Canadian citizen and played for the Syracuse Orange and Canadian Men's National Basketball team...
(2.9 pts, 0.7 ast, 0.9 reb)
See also
- Syracuse Orange men's basketballSyracuse Orange men's basketballThe Syracuse Orange men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball team representing Syracuse University. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big East Conference...
- 2006 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament2006 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament-Games:*1st round: Wednesday, March 8Noon2PM7PM9PM*Quarterfinals: Thursday, March 9Noon2 PM7 PM9 PM*Semifinals: Friday, March 107 PM9 PM...
- 2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball TournamentThe 2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2005–06 basketball season...