The warm afterglow of the 2003 national championship ended in late April. That's when Carmelo Anthony, the precocious freshman who had led the Syracuse Orangemen to the school's first NCAA title, announced that he would enter the NBA draft.
The tears Anthony shed at his news conference weren't the only ones in upstate New York. Anthony had captured the hearts of Orange Nation. His effervescent smile and well-rounded game stamped him as a fan favorite even before he lifted the Orangemen onto his broad shoulders and carried them to the championship. "He did more for Syracuse basketball than any player we've ever had here," said coach Jim Boeheim.
But, as Boeheim knows, it's time to move on. "There's nothing unusual in losing a great player," Boeheim said. "The good thing is we've got six guys who played a lot for us last year, [including] three starters on the national championship team."
FRONTCOURT
It's easy to focus on Anthony's offense, but Syracuse will miss his rebounding more than his scoring. He led Syracuse in rebounding in 23 of 35 games. Returning frontcourt starters Hakim Warrick and Craig Forth, plus reserve center Jeremy McNeil, must pick up the slack on the boards.
Great things are expected of Warrick, who provided some of the more memorable images in the Final Four, including a thunderous dunk over Texas' Royal Ivey and the game-saving block of Michael Lee's 3-pointer in the title game.
Warrick, the Big East's Most Improved Player in 2003, possesses eye-popping athleticism. In Anthony's absence, Warrick must start popping ordinary jumpers to go along with his highlight-reel dunks. He already has a turnaround jumper that's nearly unstoppable. Warrick picked up some motivation over the summer when he was left off the USA's Pan American Games team.
The combo of Forth and McNeil gives SU a center who can do a little of everything, but not at the same time. Forth is the better passer, but he hurts his offense when he tenses up after a miss. McNeil is an intimidating shot-blocker who provides little scoring.
Sophomore Matt Gorman is an excellent shooter. He could give the Orange some offense off the bench. Freshman Terrence Roberts is an inside scorer who reminds some of Derrick Coleman and John Wallace.
Josh Pace, who experienced a rebirth in the NCAA Tournament, will get the first shot at Anthony's vacant small forward position. Pace is an excellent defender and rebounder for his size, but he lacks any kind of an outside shot. Incoming freshmen Demetris Nichols and Louie McCroskey might solve SU's perimeter shortcomings.
BACKCOURT
Had it not been for Anthony, Gerry McNamara might have been the Big East's Freshman of the Year. McNamara's numbers of 13.3 points, 4.4 assists and 2.4 steals nearly mirror those of former Syracuse star Pearl Washington, who averaged 14.4 points, 6.2 assists and 2.4 steals as a freshman.
However, McNamara's contributions go beyond mere statistics. He drained a game-winning 3-point shot against Notre Dame with 2,000 fans from his hometown of Scranton, Pa., at the Carrier Dome. He suffered a huge gash over his eye in the NCAA Tournament against Oklahoma State but didn't tell the referees until he hit a clutch 3-pointer.
With the departure of senior Kueth Duany, McNamara may move to the off-guard position this season to give Billy Edelin the chance to play the point full-time. Edelin missed the first 12 games last season under an NCAA suspension. He never completely settled in, but he still had a career-high 26-point game against Notre Dame's Chris Thomas and contributed 12 points in the NCAA final.
FINAL ANALYSIS
Syracuse, no longer the most storied program without a national title, should once again be among the top teams in a power-packed Big East Conference. The backcourt of McNamara and Edelin is both young and experienced. Warrick is poised for a sensational junior season. Forth and McNeil must produce better numbers.
The rest of the pieces are there in Pace, Gorman and the stocked freshman class.
"I just think you have to look at everybody," Boeheim said. "We've got a lot of guys with a lot of experience. Gerry and Billy will get more shots. Hakim and Craig and Jeremy have got to step up a little bit, and they should. I just look at it as everybody stepping up."
