Pitarresi: SU will be good, face tough time

The Syracuse Orange look pretty promising.

 

The basketball Orange.

 

Thursday was media day for the basketball team, which always has high hopes and will again this year. Given that Eric Devendorf and Andy Rautins are back from injuries and that Jonny Flynn, Paul Harris, Arinze Onuaku and Kristof Ongenaet all are back after solid to spectacular seasons, the future certainly appears good.

 

This will be a very good basketball team, if it can play a little defense.

 

However … the Big East will be The B’East this season. Coming off a season in which underclassmen dominated the league’s all-star team and other honors, there a half-dozen of more very, very good teams. SU has tremendous competition ahead from UConn, Pitt, Louisville, Notre Dame and the rest. The Orange could be very good and still just .500 in the league. That really could happen.

 

Coach Jim Boeheim said Thursday this team will be more mature that last year’s. It’s going to have to be to deal with the kinds of challenges it will see this season. We’ll see.