Midnight Madness was about to end and the crowd was still waiting to erupt.

Up to that point, the most exciting part of the night was point guard Jonny Flynn grooving with an elderly woman in the front row during the dance competition. Last year, center Arinze Onuaku almost ended the event early by shattering a backboard with a thunderous slam dunk.

So as the slam dunk contest was finishing up and some people were already heading to their cars to beat the traffic, Paul Harris gave the fans the defining moment they were looking for.

Harris chose three young children from the stands, including Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim’s daughter, and lined them up in a single file line in the painted area near the basket. Starting at half court, Harris took a running start and easily flung himself over the three kids with room to spare and jammed the ball through the hoop.

Finally, the eruption. And not a moment too soon.

Harris’ electrifying leap and dunk concluded Syracuse’s Midnight Madness, held Friday night in a packed Manley Field House. The event marked the first opportunity for the general public to see this year’s version of the men’s and women’s basketball teams with the season now only weeks away.

The men open their campaign Nov. 16 against Le Moyne in the Carrier Dome. The women begin in Loudonville, N.Y., against Siena on Nov. 14.

‘I just wanted to pick some kids of the stands to liven the party up,’ Harris said afterward. ‘I know it was getting ready to go to an end.’

Leo Rautins, former Orangeman and father of current SU guard Andy Rautins, was the emcee for the night, introducing the players and trying to pump up those in attendance with stories from his college days in the early 1980s.

He had some help from the video board, too. Midnight Madness began with pre-recorded messages from ESPN analyst Bill Raftery, Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash and Denver Nuggets forward and former Syracuse star Carmelo Anthony. The latter two were recorded last week when the two teams played in an exhibition game at the Dome.

The women took the court first, coming down from different parts of the stands one-by-one. Head coach Quentin Hillsman came out last, dressed in a silver full-length hooded boxing robe and boxing gloves, eliciting one of the largest cheers of the night.

During the team’s short scrimmage, Hillsman showcased what will likely be his starting lineup when the season begins: prized sophomores Tasha Harris and Erica Morrow in the backcourt, with senior Chandrea Jones and junior Nicole Michael at the forwards. Heralded junior college transfer Juanita Ward – whom Hillsman called the best player he ever coached – will likely play center along with junior Vionca Murray.

Next came the men, with Flynn and guard Eric Devendorf receiving the largest applause when their names were announced. Boeheim walked onto the court with the Olympic theme song playing and accepted a large ‘gold medal’ from SU mascot Otto the Orange in honor of his assistant coaching job with the gold-medal-winning United States team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He was wearing the official Team USA dark blazer and white cap.

At the men’s scrimmage, Flynn, Rautins, Harris, Onuaku and forward Kristof Ongenaet played on what appeared to be the first team with Devendorf as the sixth man. At Syracuse media day earlier this month, Boeheim said Devendorf still needs a few weeks to completely heal from his torn ACL, which cost him most of last season.

The night ended with a 3-point contest – won by Devendorf and women’s guard Marisa Gobuty – and the dunk contest.

‘It felt good, man, knowing we have the support of the fans,’ Devendorf said. ‘We’re getting ready to have a good season.’

Two for the future

Two recruits were on hand to take in the festivities at Manley: James Southerland and Tobias Harris.

Southerland committed to Syracuse more than a year ago and will likely join the program next season after another year with Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Mass. Harris, a 6-foot-7 forward at Long Island Lutheran High School, is one of SU’s top priorities for the class of 2010.

jediamon@syr.edu

Published on October 26, 2008 at 12:00 pm