As the calendar flips to the month of June, so does the continuation of what’s been a most transformational offseason for Syracuse basketball.
Summer sessions begin with, what else, but “June” workouts
Sorry, could not resist. The busy summer period has gotten underway with players returning for both individual and team workouts at the Melo Center under the auspicious of Gerry McNamara and his new staff, especially director of strength and conditioning, Matt June.
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The summer weeks begin the time to build the core base for a team that brings 10 new players, many from Siena, to the roster, along with key returnees Sadiq White and Kiyan Anthony.
It is a group that will be challenged to end the program’s unfathomably long NCAA drought, competing for 8-10 precious NCAA bids in a balanced middle group of 18 ACC teams.
A time to unite both with hard work and fun events built in the schedule
The Orange-flavored summer basketball lineup begins with Boeheim’s Army, which allows us to reminisce watching former SU players compete for an increased big payday. This year’s team will first compete in the reconfigured The Basketball Tournament in games against a Seton Hall alumni team.
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It will be a best two-out-of-three-series, with games downtown at The Oncenter July 23, and (if necessary) July 24.
On the day off between the first two games of the Boeheim’s Army series – July 22, the ‘Cuse basketball program’s top summer social event takes place again in lovely Skaneateles.
Hosted at his family home, longtime CNY business entrepreneur and university athletics donor and booster Vinny Lobdell welcomes the public to “Summer Slam”, which this year has the built-in uniqueness of members of Orange Nation having the opportunity to meet a new team and staff in a relaxed setting.
The changes start at the top
Following a season in which soon-to-retire athletic director John Wiildhack fulfilled the first year of his appointed five year term to the NCAA Div. I Basketball Committee, new AD Bryan Blair was intimately involved in McNamara’s hiring with chancellor Mike Haynie.
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Blair has in turn hired a talented senior leadership team to oversee the revenue sports and women’s programs. For men’s basketball, that position falls to incoming Deputy Athletics Director and Chief Strategy Officer Charles Small, who joins Blair at SU after a short tenure as AD at Valparaiso and the past two years as a senior AD at Washington.
Small will work closely with new associate AD for men’s basketball and operations Peter Corasaniti, who moved up into that role under McNamara’s new structuring, providing more resources for the expanded (and unprecedented) 10 person staff.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/syracuse as A summer of workouts and team bonding ahead for Syracuse basketball .
