Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse , Jonny Flynn
Can History Repeat Itself ?
Posted by The Rosen Report at 12:32 PM on Monday, March 16, 2009
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It was just six years ago,
when an 18 year old freshman from Oak Hill
Academy lead his school to a national championship.
His name was Carmelo Anthony.
When the Syracuse Orangemen
were awarded a #3 seed in the 2003 N.C.A.A tournament, a national championship
was not expected. The way the bracket was situated, an appearance
in the elite eight would have deemed the season a successful one.
Entering the tournament, speculation
arose whether or not this would be Anthony’s first and only chance
at a National Championship. Rumors around the Syracuse campus
were that Melo would be one and done. If there was going to be a time
for the freshman to shine, it would be in six games in late March.
That is what transpired.
The Orangemen were National
Champions. Anthony earned the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player
Award. Syracuse was the best college basketball team in the land.
Well, at least for one night and that is all that mattered.
So here The Rosen Report sits,
pondering what is in store for the 2009 Syracuse Orange.
One thing is for sure – The
2009 Orange do not have a Carmelo Anthony. What they do have is a sensational
sophomore, named Jonny Flynn.
And with that, the comparisons
between the 2003 and the 2009 team will begin.
Just as speculation arose whether
Anthony would return for his sophomore year, similar questions surround
Flynn and the possibility of whether or not he’ll return for his junior
year.
Let me continue.
Just as the 2003 Orangemen
entered the tournament as a #3 seed, the 2009 Orange do as well.
One more….
Just as the 2003 Orangemen
upset the #1 seed Oklahoma Sooners on the way to the Final Four, the
2009 Orange will upset the #1 seed North Carolina Tarheels on their
way to Detroit, Michigan (the site of this year’s Final Four)
Okay, maybe one more….
Just as the 2003 Orangemen
needed to defeat a higher ranked team in the National Championship game,
the #2 ranked Kansas Jayhawks, the 2009 Orange will defeat the #1 overall
seed Louisville Cardinals on their way to cutting down the nets in the
Motor City.
Last one…I promise
And just as the 2003 team entered
the N.C.A.A. tournament with little hopes of winning a national championship,
this year’s Orange came to New York with little hopes of winning the
Big East tournament, let alone making it to the finals.
But who would have known Syracuse’s
run at a national championship would begin even before the start of
the N.C.A.A. tournament.
It did not begin with a Big
East Championship. It did not start with an appearance in the
finals. It did not start with a loss to Louisville in the championship
game.
1:22 am.
The Scoreboard read:
6 OT
This is where the Orange championship
run began.
It started during the wee hours
of the morning on Friday the 13th.
Then followed by another overtime
victory in the semifinals against the West Virginia Mountaineers.
A victory in the finals against
the Big East regular season Champion Cardinals would have been more
than impressive, but the Orange simply ran out of gas.
Once again, the scoreboard
read: Louisville 76 Syracuse 66
The Orange did not get the
chance to cut down to the nets Saturday night at the World’s Most
Famous Arena.
But all was not lost.
This trip to New York will
be a memorable one. Heck, it already is.
The Orange left New York with
their heads held high. They should be proud of what they accomplished.
They proved they can compete with the “Big Boys” of the Big East.
They deserved to be mentioned in the same breath as the elite teams.
They also left New York unbeknownst
to what seed they would be awarded, but with “Selection Sunday”
no more than twenty-four hours away, the Orange would soon find out
that history will be on their side.
And with that, Syracuse was
awarded a #3 seed in the South Region. The same seed the 2003
Orangemen were, on their way to winning a national championship.
In a few days from now, Syracuse
will continue their journey towards a national title when the N.C.A.A
tournament tips off on Thursday.
For Syracuse, the road to the
Sweet 16 appears to be an easy one, until they meet the #2 ranked Oklahoma
Sooners.
After a victory over the Sooners,
the ACC regular season champion UNC Tarheels will be up next for Cuse
in the Elite Eight.
After defeating the Tar Heels,
the Orange will earn themselves a trip to the Final Four.
Then a victory over fellow
Big East rival Pittsburgh Panthers will have Syracuse filling up one
spot in the National Championship game.
Their Opponent: Louisville
Cardinals
It will be a rematch of the
Big East Championship, but the Cardinals will be watching Cuse celebrate
this time around.
And, once again, the Syracuse
Orange will be national champions.
The Rosen Report started off
with the question: “Can History Repeat Itself?”
Not only can it, but it will.
1:22 am
It’s the early hours of the
morning for most, but for the Syracuse Orange, it will be remembered
as “The Morning the Orange Championship Run Began”.
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