The Day the Zone Stood Still.

On Saturday, March 24, 2012, I saw the end of the single most incredible sport season I have ever had the pleasure of watching in my (barely) 24 years of life. It did not end with a national championship, and though that was the goal set at the beginning of the season, it could not conceivably be the determinant of a season that was so unorthodox. No, for this writer, the crux of the season was the heart of the team. This team had the Heart of a Champion, and I will argue to my grave that this team had the toughest road to the national championship than any other team may have had.

My retrospective on this Crazy, Crazy Season.

-This team's ability to play despite ALL of the off- court distractions was awe-inspiring. Never have I seen anything like that before. In complete honesty, I'm in a bit of a rut myself, and I'll be damned I was not inspired by this team's perseverance and fortitude. It was a reminder that those characteristics are ones that I can always strive to display more of my own life.

- I believe this was the team of Jim Boeheim's dreams. The staple of Coach Boeheim's teams is the zone defense. This is the best defensive team Boeheim has helmed. Also, the offense took on the personality of the zone. What I mean is that the zone is determined upon TEAM defense. While there may be spectacular defensive players anchoring the zone, it is only effective if all players buy into it. Having said that, there was no one Offensive Mega Star on the Syracuse team. It was in essence, offense by committee. This worked because the seniors bought into it completely. Despite not being prolific as other Syracuse legends before him, Kris Joseph for one became the all time leader of wins in Syracuse history (yes... even over Dave Bing, Earl Washington, Derrick Coleman, or Gerry Macnamarra). He knew his place in the offense and did everything he could to contribute. Scoop Jardine understood (finally) that he did not have to be the Hero at the end of the game. He was the key in facilitating the offense.

-On that note, Dion Waiters is something else. His game reminds me of Dwyane Wade's. The only difference is that Wade does it on a more consistent level against better competition. I think that he should stay in college for at least one more year to develop in this aspect, and he should be a lock for going in the early first round.

-While I cant stand Scoop Jardine as a basketball player, I think that he was perfect for the team this year. He was the glue that held this team together in the locker room, and it became apparent that he really put his soul into the mantra, "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts."

- While I stood by what Boeheim did and said for most of the season, I disagreed when he shot back at Arne Duncan, the secretary of education. I believe that academics should always be the primary focus of collegiate athletic programs, and more emphasis to that end can only help the product.

- In that light, I was probably one of the few Syracuse fans who was glad that Fab Melo was not playing in the tournament. For as much as I wanted to see my team win a national championship (and from a basketball point of view, there is no QUESTION we were a better team with him anchoring the zone), as an alumnus, I would not want some kid who is not held at the same academic standard as myself representing my university. As idealistic as that may sound, I believe that if he (Fab) wants to act the way he has, the pros are a better environment for him. There's no need for him to stay in college, where he wont be allowed to play if he does not perform as a student first. He can take his prima donna attitude to the NBA, where I'm sure he'll have a decent career.

All in all, it was the craziest season of sports I've ever followed, and I count myself lucky to have followed this team through this season's roller coaster season.
The highs were euphoric, and the lows were soul crushing.
Thank you Syracuse, for one hell of a season.

Now lets get ready for next year.