Syracuse, N.Y. - Carmelo Anthony thinks Syracuse basketball can still get where it wants to go in this new era of college athletics, but he’s clear about what it will take.
“Think about it like a start-up company that’s been going for a while,” Anthony said, “but now we really got the support that we really need to go out there and scale this business.”
Anthony spoke to syracuse.com | The Post-Standard last Tuesday, a day before the second annual Summer Slam at the Skaneateles home of SU booster Vinny Lobdell. The event was expected to raise $1 million for Syracuse’s athletic programs, and attendance nearly doubled from the inaugural Summer Slam, growing from 300 last year to a sold-out crowd of 500 this time around.
Anthony’s appearance was one of the marquee draws. Lobdell said the former Syracuse star signed dozens of bottles of his signature wine and Maker’s Mark bourbon that were set to be given out or auctioned off during the event.
“I don’t really ask him for anything,” Lobdell said of Anthony. “He just shows up, and that’s the type of guy he is.
“He believes in this community. His son’s here. He believes in this program.”
There’s been plenty of speculation about whether Syracuse has boosted its team budget enough to land better players, and Anthony made it clear he believes a specific number is needed for the Orange to compete at a high level again. He wouldn’t say what that figure is.
“A number. It’s going to take a number,” he said.
“I’ve heard a lot of numbers being thrown around out there, but the people that know, know a number and that number has been talked about. That number has been discussed, you know, internally and behind closed doors.
And people that really understand it understand that that number has to be reached.”
For Anthony, though, this is about more than just money. He wants Syracuse to feel like Syracuse again.
“I really want to see it get back to where it should be,” he said, “and I really want to see the culture back into Syracuse basketball.”
That culture piece, he said, includes bringing former Orange players back around the program more often. In recent years, their presence at the JMA Wireless Dome has noticeably faded, and Anthony sees that as a problem.
“These are guys who understand what it takes to win on a college level and understand what it takes to develop on a college level,” Anthony said. “So, yeah, it’s very important to keep those voices around who’ve been here before and who really represent what we all represent.”
In Other News...
Why Nazir Ward Could Matter More Than Syracuse Fans Realize
Nazir Ward arrives at Syracuse with the kind of rsum that usually earns a closer look, even if it does not come with much national buzz. The redshirt junior spent last season at Western Kentucky, where he was on the field for every game and showed a little bit of everything in the secondary, from tackles and backfield disruption to a takeaway and several pass breakups. He came to Syracuse after entering the portal in December and committing on January 11, giving the Orange another experienced defensive piece as they keep reshaping the back end of the roster.
What makes Ward especially interesting is the way Syracuse plans to use him. He is reportedly moving from defensive back to safety, and that shift could put him in direct competition for a starting job in a secondary that figures to be one of the more closely watched parts of the defense. Ward also joins a familiar pipeline from Miami Northwestern, alongside Tedarius Hughes, Darius Johnson and Calvin Russell, which gives Syracuse another layer of continuity as it tries to sort out who fits where before the season starts. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Schedule Reveal Says A Lot About Gerry McNamaras First Test
The first season under Gerry McNamara is going to be judged in part by how Syracuse handles the non-conference slate, and the early schedule reveal already says plenty about the challenge ahead. After a 15-17 finish last year, the Orange have gone into roster-building mode with transfers coming in and holdovers like Kiyan Anthony and Sadiq White still in place, but the tone of the calendar is unmistakable: Indiana in Indianapolis, Oklahoma in Norman, Providence in Boston and Canisius at the Dome give McNamara a mix of road tests and familiar pressure points before the real grind begins.
Binghamton also sits on the list, which matters for more than local bragging rights. Syracuse handled that matchup comfortably on Opening Night last season, and Anthony was the only returning player from that game, making the rematch a small but telling marker for how much the roster has changed. With the non-conference schedule now mapped out, the only real question is how the Orange want to be measured before league play arrives. [Read more 🡒]