Orange and Rautins "Knee-d" Not Feel Blue This Year

The weather this time of year in central New York is historically snowy and cold. Try telling that to Andy Rautins.

As of late, the Syracuse junior has been red-hot from 3-point land.

If Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim displayed Rautins’ 3-point shot on the side of a milk carton at the beginning of the season, no one would’ve blamed him.

The 6’-5” Rautins is the Orange’s best 3-point marksman. But through the first three games of the year, he was shooting a very pedestrian 20 percent (4 of 20) from behind the arc.

Despite the early struggles, Rautins had to take solace in the fact that he was back on the court competing and helping his teammates win. The same can’t be said for last year’s campaign.

Rautins could only watch from the sideline as Syracuse struggled through an up-and-down season.

In August 2007, Rautins, while playing for the Canadian team (coached by his father,  former Syracuse star Leo Rautins) in the FIBA Americas Tournament, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and missed the entire year.

Syracuse struggled without Rautins (a career 35 percent three-point shooter) as not only did they miss his zone-busting ability, but also his length at the top of the patented 2-3 zone and the veteran leadership he would’ve brought to the table.

So instead of driving long-distance daggers through the hearts of Syracuse’s opponents, Rautins began the slow process of rehabbing his knee.

The time away from the court allowed him to hit the weight room in an effort to pack on the necessary muscle required to endure the nightly rigors of Big East play. One look at Rautins this year and the physical improvements to his body are obvious.

But as the season began and Rautins’ jumpers were producing more “clangs” than “swishes,” the question that had to be asked was had the extra muscle he packed on his frame altered the mechanics of his shot?

Rautins quickly dismissed that theory as soon as the level of competition grew.

He was one of the main reasons Syracuse defeated Florida and Kansas on back-to-back nights in November to capture the CBE Classic tournament.

Rautins sank a combined eight of 17 threes in the two games. He followed that up with a 4-for-9 effort in Syracuse’s next game against Virginia.

But as quickly as he found his stroke, he lost it again.

In the five games that followed, he connected on only five of 27 threes.

At this time, fellow 3-point threat Eric Devendorf (the Robin to Rautins’ Batman from behind the arc) was suspended from the team right as Syracuse faced a road game at Memphis.

With Devendorf out of the lineup, and even though Jonny Flynn has proven to be a reliable, if not clutch three-point shooter, teams would be able to key on Rautins in an effort to neutralize the Orange’s long-range attack.

Rautins sank two of his five 3-point shots against the Tigers as Syracuse earned another impressive non-conference win but it was in the Orange’s next game that Rautins really broke out.

With Devendorf still suspended and the Eagles of Coppin State paying a visit to the Carrier Dome, Rautins erupted like never before in his Syracuse career as he tied a school record by burying nine of 16 threes en route to a game-high 29 points.

As Big East play began at home versus Seton Hall last night, Rautins showed no signs of letting up. His long-range onslaught continued as he sank a preposterous seven of 10 threes.

Devendorf, fresh off the suspension, showed no signs of rust by draining three triples of his own, giving Syracuse 30 points between the two players just on threes and showing how deadly the duo can be when they’re both on.

Rautins is now making just under 39 percent of his threes on the season and with Syracuse off to a 13-1 start, the Orange must now be taken seriously as a legitimate threat to win the Big East even though they were picked to finish eighth in the pre-season coaches poll.

The Big East has been as hyped as any conference has in recent memory and rightfully so with Connecticut, Louisville, Pittsburgh, and Notre Dame all returning loaded squads. Marquette, with as good a three-guard offense as any team in the nation, and West Virginia have both exceeded early expectations, and Georgetown, fresh off thumping UConn on the road, will also have something to say in determining the final league standings.

As conference play unfolds, there will be very few, if any, nights off in the Big East.

With the way he has been shooting the ball as of late, Andy Rautins probably won’t mind.