Syracuse Orange Basketball: Murphy Homecoming Takes Backseat to Boeheim

The Syracuse Orange got to see a familiar face on the sideline tonight as they welcomed back former Assistant Robert Murphy to the Dome. Murphy had been one of the best recruiters for Syracuse and was also an emotional spark plug, writing raps and songs for the Orange. 

Murphy's team surprised the Orange by not surprising them at all. The first Orange possession saw them going against a fast, rotating 2-3 zone defense. Once the Orange went on defense, they were surprised by the shooting ability of Eastern Michigan and were fighting with Darrell Lampley and the Eagles. 

Once again, the Orange held down the Dome behind another amazing 19-point performance of James Southerland, who is doing all he can to show that he belongs in the seven-man rotation. 

The 84-48 win was just as every other home game has gone for the Orange so far—dominating and showcasing the depth of this team. 

One of Murphy's Syracuse raps pays homage to his mentor Jim Boeheim and it was Murphy's mentor who stole the show with his postgame press conference something that led to a good sized crowd in my dorm lobby. 

How Jim Boeheim handled that conference is indicative of who he is and how he will handle this from now on. He stuck to his statement for the most part, holding it up any time someone tried to pry for knowledge on the Bernie Fine investigation. He stuck by the statement that he was only defending a lifelong friend.

More important, he spoke about his role within Syracuse as strictly a coach. He does not make the decisions outside of the rosters and play calls, even getting laughs as he excitedly took credit for calling the electrifying plays that led to an alley-oop and dunk on consecutive possessions to start the second half. 

He kept his sense of humor and showed that above all he is the professor and wants to see Syracuse basketball succeed. He said that the emotional standing ovation he received at the start of the game should have been saved for the players and that this is not Jim Boeheim basketball; it is Syracuse University Basketball. 

Boeheim left us all with a teaser saying, "The only thing I know...Ah I don't even know that," and walked off with his wife who watched the entire conference. The night featured a Classic Syracuse Orange home game and a classic Jim Boeheim still coaching his alma mater.