No. 5 Syracuse men share something with Lady Raiders
Teams that lose preseason exhibition games are supposed to go on to mediocre seasons.
At best.
But Texas Tech women’s basketball is on the verge of proving they they don’t have to settle for mediocrity.
On Nov. 9 the Lady Raiders lost their exhibition game to Lubbock Chrisitan University, an NAIA school that sits less than five miles away from United Spirit Arena. Despite the loss, Tech never allowed shame or embarrassment to sink in. Instead, losing that preseason game was, in some ways, the best thing that could have happened to this young Lady Raiders team.
Now riding a nine-game winning streak with 10 victories already under their belt in non-conference play, Tech (10-1) has done just about everything possible to prove that its preseason loss wasn’t going to be the defining moment of its season.
And the Lady Raiders are not alone in doing so: The now fifth-ranked Syracuse men’s basketball team went through an almost identical scenario to start its season.
After reaching the Sweet Sixteen in the 2009 NCAA Tournament, Syracuse entered the current season with quite a bit of bravado.
That bravado hit a wall on Nov. 3 when Le Moyne College, a small, Jesuit school in Syracuse, N.Y., upset the Orange 82-79 in an exhibition game at the Carrier Dome. Le Moyne is a Division II team in the Northeast-10 Conference.
The word embarrassed got tossed around a whole bunch after that loss to the Dolphins, said Mike Waters, a sports reporter who has been covering Syracuse men’s basketball for 22 years at the Post-Standard.
“It was a wake-up call,” Waters said. “They kind of had a swagger that they weren’t entitled to before that game. That game exposed that. This team had no right to have any swagger.”
It was a lesson Syracuse – and Tech – learned the hard way.
The Lady Raiders entered the 2009-10 season with eight new faces and a whole lot to prove. There may not have been a swagger before the LCU game, but the loss certainly put their season in perspective.
“Overall, it was a mistake on our part, but we’re growing from it,” senior forward Ashlee Roberson said. “We don’t take anyone lightly. You have got to respect everyone.”
That was head coach Kristy Curry’s mantra before many of Tech’s games this season. With opponents like Arkansas Pine-Bluff, San Francisco, Prairie View A&M, Mercer and four teams out of the Southland Conference, there was plenty of opportunity to relapse at home.
The Syracuse men’s team created a mantra of its own: “We remember Le Moyne.”
When asked to this day about the possibility of a letdown or trap game, Waters said that’s the answer he still gets from many of the senior players.
“We remember Le Moyne.”
“It has really given them something tangible for the veterans and coaches to point to and say, ‘We can’t overlook anybody,’” Waters said.
The Orange (12-0) went on to beat ranked California and North Carolina on back-to-back nights and are on a 12-game winning streak to open their season. They will begin Big East play on Tuesday.
Syracuse’s exhibition loss was the result, primarily, of a stubbornness to abandon a man-to-man defense. Syracuse and head coach Jim Boeheim are well-known for their 2-3 zone defense, and Boeheim had his team in a man-to-man against Le Moyne. He refused to switch even after a close first half and after the Dolphins took the lead in the second.
When the media entered the locker room after the game, every player was there to answer for what happened. No one hid in the trainer’s office and no one ducked out early.
Curry and the Lady Raiders haven’t shied away from talking about what happened against LCU, either.
“I think a lot of what happened was we had come out and had a close scrimmage against New Mexico State and won one half by 20,” Curry said. “And so our approach was, ‘Oh, it’s just an exhibition.
“I knew coming in to the situation that it was going to be the best exhibition test that we’ve had, probably in my entire career to be honest with you.”
Other Division I women’s teams lost exhibition games this season, but none are enjoying the success that Tech is.
Minnesota (8-4) lost an exhibition game to Winona State this season. Alabama (7-5) lost to North Alabama. Memphis (5-6) lost to the Houston Jaguars.
Fans may be compelled to drop their support after an exhibition loss, but that’s not something Curry said she can afford to worry about.
“I think that a lot of people want instant gratification,” Curry said. “You really can’t worry about the things you can’t control.
“As much negativity, and all the people that really don’t matter thought about it, all that mattered was that we felt like within our family in the long run, as hard, and as bad, and as ugly as it was, you can really learn from it.”
Said Roberson: “Our fans are our fans. If they love us they will be there. We didn’t give up on them. Our fans are the main thing that keep us going.”
As Syracuse and Tech are proving, losing those preseason games doesn’t have to be the kiss of death. And the opposite is also true. Winning an exhibition game does not guarantee a brilliant season at the D-II or NAIA level.
LCU is 6-3 with a 2-2 record in the Sooner Athletic Conference. Le Moyne, which had a target on its back after its exhibition win led off ESPN’s SportsCenter, is 7-4 overall with a 3-3 record in conference.
To comment on this story:
david.just@lubbockonline.com l 766-8736
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Jim Carlen said something like this and was off to South Carolina in a flash:
“As much negativity, and all the people that really don’t matter thought about it, all that mattered was that we felt like within our family in the long run, as hard, and as bad, and as ugly as it was, you can really learn from it.”
“I don’t want to talk about Tennessee anymore.”
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we just need to be more consistent offensively
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Oh my gosh David, did Coach Curry pay you to write this piece.
“Despite the loss, Tech never allowed shame or embarrassment to sink in.”
How can you write that? Did you personally ask every player? You weren’t even here yet, if I remember right.
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The Lady Raiders are fielding a young talented team with a lot of potential…they will get better and I think it is going to be fun to watch.
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Syracuse has a swagger, as all good teams do. To their credit, the players and coach did not make excuses for the Le Moyne loss. That loss was a big deal. Boeheim said, “Through the whole game, LeMoyne really out-played us from beginning to the end,’’ “They were much more disciplined. Their movement was better. Their screening was better.’’ Syracuse has the talent. They have worked hard since that loss and obviously made great strides. The team that beat North Carolina, Cal State and Florida is a discplined, well coached team. Remember Le Moyne!
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This is one of the worst reported stories I’ve read. Get your facts straight buddy! Syracuse did not I repeat DID NOT enter this season with bravado. Quite the opposite. If you were awake and knew about College Basketball, you’d know that Syracuse lost three of their top scorers from last season . Jonny Flynn, Eric Devendorf and Paul Harris accounted for 45 pts. per game last season. The ORANGE entered the season under the national CBB radar, the exhibition game was nothing more than an experiment, and IT WORKED. Coach Boeheim was out to prove to his team that with their size and athleticism, they would only succeed playing the 2/3 zone. Last year, because of smaller guards, they would play more man to man. The team insisted on trying some man to man, so Boeheim let them play. That’s why everyone showed up for press call after the game, no hiding out. The players got their answer, Jimmy B proved yet again why he’s a HOF Coach, and the rest, so far, is history.. Thanks.
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Is this coach curry’s first year with players she recruited? I havent been watching much. Is that wimp of a husband still hanging on her coattails? Isnt he pretty? Go lady raiders.
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this is her first year of non jr college players, all high school. And its amazing that syracuse people come and comment on a texas tech website….. weird.
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I think Curry sacrificed the future by recruiting JC.
Of course, she felt like she had no choice, given the dearth of talent she inherited from not-so-sharp Marsha.
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As the article states, maybe that preseason loss was a blessing in disguise. Perhaps it was a wake-up call since the Lady Raiders have gone 10-1 since then, losing only to highly ranked Tennessee. Let’s hope they can keep the momentum rolling into conference play. Go Lady Raiders!
Wreck ‘em Tech
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The only team in the top twenty-five this team has played is Tennessee and they got their derrrières spanked. I’ll believe that there is something behind this 10-1 season when the Lady Raiders play high caliber teams and prevail. Victories over New Mexico and UCLA have given me some much needed hope. But win, lose, or draw, I love the Lady Raiders and they deserve our support. Baylor and Oklahoma were not always top programs so perhaps Curry is slowly (too slowly in my opinion) building a new improved championship team. Let’s hope so!
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I have not been a fan of Coach Curry, but she has done a good job this year. This is her fourth year and she deserves all the credit if they succeed and all the blame if they fail. I hope the attendance improves and fans come out and help the team win. I wish people like Seven Burke would remember that Coach Sharp won our only National Championship. She also led the team to the Sweet 16 the year before she retired. To say that the cupboard was bare talent wise is just not true. If it was true that we did not have any talent then it shows how good a coach Marsha Sharp was. The past is the past. Coach Curry is our coach now. Lets all get behind her and the team. Hopefully we can return to the NCAA playoffs.
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