free
TUESDAY
march 6, 2018 high 43°, low 31°
t h e i n de p e n de n t s t u de n t n e w s pa p e r of s y r a c u s e , n e w yor k |
N • Campus construction
SU is installing all gender bathroom signs at more than 700 single-occupancy bathrooms on campus, an administrator announced Monday. Page 4
dailyorange.com
P • Rookies no more
0 • Getting serviced
Former Newhouse entrepreneurin-residence Mike Gursha and his brother, Doug, have combined their talents to create sports information startup Rookie Road. Page 7
Student Life columnist Obi Afriyie makes the case that Syracuse University students aren’t aware enough of the campus services available to them. Page 5
Students raise insurance concerns
SU’s strategic enrollment plan will focus on recruiting in the south and west
asst. news editor
Illustration by Sarah Allam head illustrator
A
draft of Syracuse University’s strategic enrollment plan, which will put a heavier focus on recruiting students from the southern and western regions of the United States, will be finished near the end of the spring 2018 semester. Dolan Evanovich, senior vice president
By Gabe Stern staff writer
for enrollment and the student experience, said a steering committee working on the plan will submit a draft to the Board of Trustees by May. The committee is expected to implement the plan in fall 2019. Evanovich is co-chairing the committee that’s developing the plan. Chancellor Kent Syverud announced the strategic enrollment plan in an address last January. Syverud said the enrollment plan would increase diversity of people with disabilities, international origin, socioeconomic see recruitment page 6
student association
Funding approved for trip to Washington rally By Ryan Dunn staff writer
Syracuse University’s Student Association approved a motion on Monday night to fund buses that will transport students to March For Our Lives, a demonstration that will address gun safety in schools. The demonstration will take place on March 24 in Washing-
ton, D.C., with hundreds of sister marches planned in other cities as well, including one in Syracuse. The March For Our Lives is a movement initially spearheaded by survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit organization that urges an end to gun violence, has also contributed to the planning effort.
Kip Wellman never played Division I basketball. But he still worked his way to sitting next to Jim Boeheim on the bench during Syracuse basketball games. Page 12
university politics
REACHING SOUTH
Story by Catherine Leffert
S • Coach’s corner
The funding approved by SA will cover four buses in total. Two of those buses will transport students to the march in Washington, D.C., and two will transport students to the local march. The Syracuse march will also be accessible by buses running in the Connective Corridor, which loops between downtown and SU’s campus. The possibility of allocating
funding for more buses will be discussed further at a series of meetings this week. Diasia Robinson, a senior international relations major and SA’s co-chair of diversity affairs, is organizing transportation to the march, which she said was prompted by student outreach. “Students have emailed me, called me, found me in Schine see funding page 6
Graduate students voiced concerns on Monday over a possible switch of Syracuse University health insurance plans that’s currently being considered by SU administrators. Three high-ranking SU officials hosted a discussion Monday in Lyman Hall regarding the possible changes, with a switch from Blue Cross Blue Shield to Aetna health coverage, officials said. “For many, it’s a really important area and one that helps to decide where they end up going to graduate school,” said Peter Vanable, dean of the Graduate School, on health insurance. As of now, the possibility of a new graduate student health insurance plan is preliminary, officials said. Administrators are seeking feedback from students about the potential switch. A forum was also held last Tuesday for students to learn more about the university’s discussions. But students who attended the forum Monday said they were concerned about the possible changes. “I have a lot of deep-seated mistrust in the administration” said Emily Bukowski, a Ph.D. student studying geography. “How much negative feedback on the plan do you guys need to have? If it’s bad, how many grad employees does it take to say ‘No dice?’” Skepticism expressed by graduate students during the discussion largely stemmed from an SU decision three years ago that required students to switch to a university health care plan if their plan, at the time, did not meet Affordable Care Act requirements. Four students attended the forum. One said they were married and is supporting a child on the graduate student health plan. Another said he had undergone two surgeries during his time as a graduate student. During the 90-minute discussion, students expressed concern about the continuity of health coverage, the transparency of Graduate School administration and the diverse set of health circumstances that graduate students could have. Gabrielle Chapman, associate dean of the Graduate School, and Associate Vice President for University Communications Sarah Scalese also spoke with students during the event. Vanable, in a campus-wide email to graduate students last month, outlined see insurance page 6
2 march 6, 2018
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In a Monday story titled “SU hurricane relief trip to Houston canceled,” the extent to which Student Association organized the trip to Houston was unclear.
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Get involved
Drone backing
Interested in writing a story for The Daily Orange News Department? Email news@dailyorange.com
Mayor Ben Walsh has pledged to support the growing drone industry in central New York. See Wednesday’s paper
NEWS
Election season Student Association leaders detail the timeline for the organization’s spring 2018 elections. See Wednesday’s paper
dailyorange.com @dailyorange march 6, 2018 • PAG E 3
WALSH’S FIRST 100 DAYS
state news Here is a roundup of the biggest news happening around New York right now.
City school district
UTICA LOCKDOWN
Utica College went on lockdown Monday morning following a threat of a person with weapons on campus. Students, faculty and staff were evacuated in the afternoon after waiting for hours for law enforcement to comb through the campus looking for an offender.
Mayor Ben Walsh has acknowledged that improvements need to be made in the Syracuse City School District. Throughout his campaign last fall, Walsh promised to be a “cheerleader” for the SCSD. Walsh has laid out plans to renovate school facilities and increase SCSD graduation rates, among other things, as the district enters the 201819 budget season. He has also said he wants to expand career and technical programs for middle school students in the district.
source: syracuse.com
KATKO AND WALSH
graphics by kateri gemperlein-schirm design editor
Together, we will push our graduation rate from just over 60 percent today to 70 percent, then 80 percent and beyond until we can be counted among the best urban school districts in America. Ben Walsh
mayor of syracuse
BEN WALSH, Syracuse’s mayor, has said he wants to improve graduation rates in the city’s school district. dan lyon staff photographer
$437
source: syracuse.com
60.5
MILLION Approximate proposed 2018-19 Syracuse City School District budget source: syracuse city school district
Rep. John Katko (R-Camillus) said his relationship with new Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh is much better than that of former Mayor Stephanie Miner. Katko said he and Walsh speak regularly and meet at least once a month. Miner considered challenging Katko for his seat in the House of Representatives in the past, but ultimately decided against it.
Percentage of students who graduated from the Syracuse City School District in 2017 source: new york state department of education
HARDCORE SHOW
Hardcore metal bands Slayer and Anthrax will perform at the Lakeview Amphitheater this summer as part of their final world tour. The show will be on Aug. 4, and tickets will go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. source: local syr
STEM WAGES
walsh’s first 100 days
Mayor aims to improve city school district By Jordan Muller asst. news editor
Mayor Ben Walsh, on the campaign trail, touted the fact that his oldest daughter attends classes in the Syracuse City School District. Now, in office, Walsh has again promised to look for ways to improve the education received WALSH by his daughter and other Syracuse students. Progress is needed to improve schools in the city, Walsh acknowledged in his January inauguration address, calling education and the condition of Syracuse schools a “critical issue” facing the community. Since taking office, Walsh has laid out plans to renovate district facilities, increase graduation rates and expand career and technical training programs. “Together, we will push our graduation rate from just over 60 percent today to 70 percent,” Walsh said in his
January “state of the city” address, “then 80 percent and beyond until we can be counted among the best urban school districts in America.” The SCSD graduation rate hovered just over 60 percent in 2017, according to the New York State Department of Education. About 61 percent of SCSD students graduated in 2016, so 2017 marked the end of a five-year period of growth that saw graduation rates increase more than 11 percent, according to the NYSDOE. “We have a lot of work to do, but that is a great start,” Walsh said in January of the graduation increase. The mayor, in his “state of the city” address, said a city task force is looking to expand career and technical education programs into SCSD middle schools. CTE programs currently offered by the district allow high schoolers to earn college credits and associate degrees, in partnership with Onondaga Community College. Walsh, in the address, said the CTE programs are “so robust and so rigorous that they are the envy of suburban school districts” in New York state.
Students can study topics such as computer forensics, electrical trades, culinary arts and cybersecurity through the district’s CTE programs, Walsh said. Between 2014 and 2018, CTE offerings have grown from six to 26 topics. In January, Walsh said he chaired his first meeting of the Joint Schools Construction Board, which is supervising a multi-year effort to renovate all SCSD schools. He said he saw “real passion and commitment to create the quality academic and recreational facilities our children deserve.” The JSCB is also ensuring city resident-, minority- and womenowned business participation on the renovation projects, Walsh said. The mayor added that the second phase of the project, being advanced this year, is expected to cost $300 million. Walsh has also embraced SCSD engagement in a regional drone initiative that hopes to establish a 50-mile drone corridor and expand the unmanned aerial vehicle industry. At Fowler High School’s Pub-
lic Service Leadership Academy, Walsh said students are learning the skills necessary to pilot, engineer and repair drones. And students can earn a high school diploma and a college degree in partnership with OCC and Mohawk Valley Community College at no extra cost within five to six years, he added. The Syracuse Teachers Association, a union representing SCSD teachers, did not endorse Walsh or any other mayoral candidate. In a letter to union members obtained by Syracuse.com, STA President Megan Root said the union did not feel that any candidate was “100% on board with our agenda.” Still, Walsh reached out to SCSD officials to aid his transition into office. The mayor tapped SCSD Superintendent Jaime Alicea to chair the team’s education committee, which consists of 21 members, Syracuse.com reported. In January, Walsh met with about 60 Fowler High School students, whom he said were invested in Syracuse’s future. jmulle01@syr.edu
speakers
Pussyhat Project co-founder talks craftivism By Joshua Carney staff writer
ZWEIMAN
The Syracuse University School of Architecture welcomed cocreator and cofounder of the Pussyhat Project, Jayna Zweiman,
to campus Monday night for a presentation in Slocum Hall. The Pussyhat Project, an international network and movement of women’s rights supporters, gained attention in 2017 during peaceful protests after President Donald Trump’s election. It has been called the largest crowd-sourced art advocacy project in history. The “pussyhats” are pink and
pointy-eared. The hats symbolize support for women’s issues and were worn during the Women’s March on Washington, D.C. “This is something that you can create with your hands, that can convince someone else,” Zweiman said. Zweiman said she developed the project after discovering a love for knitting. She started knitting while recovering from an accident.
Immediately after the results were announced indicating thenpresidential candidate Donald Trump won on election night, Zweiman said she went to her local knittery. Her response to Trump’s election was a crowd-sourced approach to advocacy across a network of 175 local garment stores. Zweiman and others created pussyhats for see zweiman page 4
Syracuse was ranked 44th out of the United States’ top cities for STEM professionals and fourth for best wages for STEM workers by WalletHub. Other upstate New York cities also ranked high, including Albany, Buffalo and Rochester. source: syracuse.com
ALBANY CRIME
The Police Benevolent Association of New York State recently wrote a letter to the United States Department of Education urging the department to investigate the University at Albany’s alleged failure to address reports of serious crimes. Crimes including rapes and robberies went up sharply in the last few years, but PBA claimed the university did not notify the campus community. source: times union
GLAZED & CONFUSED
Popular Syracuse doughnut shop Glazed & Confused will open a second location in Rochester by this summer. The flagship shop only opened in Syracuse in November, but the owner said he hopes to open in Rochester’s Park Avenue neighborhood soon. source: syracuse.com
BIG WINNER
A Syracuse woman used money she previously won from a lottery ticket to pay for her next winning ticket worth $10 million. The ceremonial prize check will be presented to the woman at Tops Friendly Markets on Nottingham Road in Syracuse on Tuesday. source: cny central
BEST PLACE TO LIVE
Syracuse was ranked 28th on U.S. News and World Report’s top 30 cities to live in the United States. Several residents said they were shocked by the ranking. source: cny central
4 march 6, 2018
dailyorange.com news@dailyorange.com
on campus
Construction update: Bathroom sign, utility work continues By Sam Ogozalek news editor
Syracuse University is installing all gender signs at more than 700 single-occupancy bathrooms on campus, an official said Monday afternoon. Pete Sala, the university’s vice president and chief facilities officer, in a campuswide email on Monday detailed the sign work and other ongoing construction projects at SU. Here’s the list of projects Sala detailed in his email: from page 3
zweiman people to send or wear themselves to women’s marches following Trump’s inauguration. What ensued was a collective effort nationwide by thousands of women to knit and distribute thousands of pussyhats. The Pussyhat Project supports women’s issues and the overarching women’s movement, but it has also become an intergenerational mechanism for women to support other women. “I really love that it’s a project that’s very trans-generation, and that people who aren’t on social media can be a part of it,” Zweiman said. The idea of women supporting women was fundamental to the Pussyhat Project, she added. “Seeing grandmas making hats for their granddaughters and vice versa shows it’s not just in one direction,” Zweiman said. The overarching objective of the project is “about changing spaces and how we live,” Zweiman said. The hats created a way for people who couldn’t attend women’s marches to stand in solidarity with the women’s
• All gender signs: The signs read, “Anyone can use this restroom regardless of gender identity or expression.” Some signs have already been installed at Schine Student Center. • Campus utility work: A project involving utility lines running beneath a lawn near the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications will continue throughout the spring semester, Sala said. That project is expected to be completed before SU’s commencement in May, Sala said. Currently, excavators are digging up portions of the area. Sala also said utility work will start rights movement. There is a great diversity in what people wear the hats for, Zweiman said, and “everyone is in charge of how they wear it.” Zweiman’s latest project in craftivism is the “Welcome Blanket,” she said. The objective of the project is to re-conceptualize the 2,000-mile border wall proposed by Trump’s administration as 2,000 miles of yarn by making individual welcome blankets for new immigrants. Zweiman is working with the Refugee Resettlement Agency to create a project that symbolizes “2,000 miles of inclusionary distance.” Zweiman plans on developing the Pussyhat Project into a nonprofit organization focused on creating an information network for intersectional women’s issues, and a design incubator to promote more “craftivist” projects, she said. The takeaway from this experience, and the motivation for Zweiman moving forward is connected to her original objective, that “design can be an agent of change,” she said. “Overall, it created this image of such power made by individuals,” Zweiman said. “That’s empowering for a lot of people to see.” jcarney@syr.edu
on the Quad during spring break and be completed by March 19. Utility upgrades in the Q-1 parking lot will progress throughout the summer, Sala said, moving toward the Heroy Geology Building and the west and south side of Steele Hall. That work is expected to be finished before the start of the 2018-19 academic year. • Graham Dining Hall: A new fitness center will open later this month at the dining facility on Mount Olympus, between Day and Flint Halls, Sala said. • Archbold Gymnasium: The $50 million renovation project that will transform the
gym into a 7,000 square-foot fitness center continues to move forward, Sala said. • The existing southern portion of Archbold, which is closest to SUNY-ESF, will be removed and a larger building addition will be constructed to support a new natatorium, which will house the university’s pool. • National Veterans Resource Complex: The NVRC’s foundation is currently being laid, Sala said. The NVRC is a $62.5 million project that will centralize campus veterans’ programs in a hub at the intersection of South Crouse and Waverly Avenues. sfogozal@syr.edu | @Sam13783
JAYNA ZWEIMAN, a co-founder of the Pussyhat Project, spoke with Syracuse University community members Monday during a forum in Slocum Hall about the Women’s March movement. molly gibbs asst. photo editor
ongovhealth
Onondaga County Health Department
O
OPINION
dailyorange.com @dailyorange march 6, 2018 • PAG E 5
student life column
SU students should stop sleeping on university-provided services
L
et’s be honest: Many Syracuse University students don’t know about the services they’re entitled to. We know when parties at Castle Court are happening and where to get chicken tornadoes at Mayfest, but students haven’t gotten the reality check when it comes to student services. We hear our college tuition costs more than $45,000 a year, and we wonder, “Where does that money go?” Instantly, we’re filled with frustration, speculating what the university does with its tuition revenue. But for Joseph Zavaglia, one of the lawyers employed by Student Legal Services, the question isn’t what the university’s not doing, but what students aren’t aware of. “They don’t know what they don’t know,” Zavaglia said.
For example, a recent Student Legal Services meeting was held to discuss the office’s annual budget. Many students are unfamiliar with the fact that the office’s funding comes out of the student activity fee included in tuition costs. Nearly $280,000 in funding for employee and operating expenses were proposed for the 2018-2019 budget, per the proposed expenditures plan. And yet there were only 1,245 cases opened by the office last year, said Christopher Burke, director of SLS — a small number considering the more than 22,000 students enrolled at SU. Burke said students don’t utilize these services and those like it because of the business of their academic and social lives, paired with a general lack of awareness.
OBI AFRIYIE
STICK TO THE STATUS QUO By no means does SU perfectly advertise and educate students on the abundance of services available to them. The university may rather have students sit in on Syracuse Stage plays and freshman orientation forums than introduce them to department chairs and center coordinators involved in on-campus organizations. But students are equally to blame when it comes to their ignorance of services they can utilize. Students may not care about certain issues until they’re personally affected and are faced
with the task of actively searching for assistance. And unless they’re involved in certain campus organizations — such as Student Association, like I am — or serve as orientation leaders or resident advisers, many won’t know about available services. There’s no simple solution for this. But what students must realize is how much the staff who run these departments care about them and their success. They work hard, doing a necessary but thankless job while understanding they face an uphill climb with every initiative they start. I also believe positive changes are on the way. Through projects like Invest Syracuse, SU has committed to making facilities like the Counseling Center and the LGBT Resource Center more
accessible. But these services won’t have their desired effect if students don’t promote them. With more than 300 registered student organizations on campus, sharing knowledge is a simple but effective way of incentivizing students to use the resources best suited to them. Because in actuality, there aren’t two sides. There’s one side, painted orange. We all want an amazing student experience for every student who calls this university home. And we want to qualify for the ACC Tournament. And jobs postgraduation. And Kimmel burritos. Or maybe that’s just me.
Obi Afriyie is a senior cultural foundations of education and history dual major. His column appears biweekly. He can be reached at ooafriyi@syr.edu.
scribble letter to the editor
Trump’s federal policy plan is fake conservatism The biggest faker of all is none other than President Donald Trump. He is posing as a conservative, but he’s actually a fake conservative. What is my evidence? You can look this up for yourself on the internet. In 1999, he proposed that Congress pass a new “national wealth tax” of 14.25 percent — not an income tax — on all individuals who have a net-worth wealth of $10 million and higher. That’s a very liberal idea. He wanted the money generated by it to be spent on two items: totally eliminating the national debt, and spending the remainder
on the Social Security Trust Fund to make it more solvent for additional years. I’m assuming that we all know that it’s currently fully solvent through the year 2034, meaning there’s no reason to cut benefits right now — which less than truthful conservatives don’t want the public to know. This man has been posing as a conservative. He has been manipulating all of us and playing us for fools and suckers — both his supporters and his critics.
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from page 1
funding Student Center to ask if SA was planning a bus to the March of Our Lives,” Robinson said. “I think that this is something that students are really excited about at Syracuse University and ESF.” SA Vice President Angie Pati said it’s the organization’s job to represent the student body, and the decision to provide funding to send students to the event doesn’t indicate that SA itself is taking a stance on what has been characterized as a “guncontrol rally” by multiple publications. “Our job as SA is to be representatives of the student body, and to represent issues that they feel passionately about,” Pati said. “This is how we are advocating for them, and they can voice what they believe in, but it’s not us voicing our opinion as an organization.”
Other Business
Pati addressed the recent decision to shelve a from page 1
insurance four main goals that a student health insurance committee is focused on as it considers a switch in plans: improving value, maintaining access to “better coverage and benefits at a lower cost,” “continuity of coverage regardless of a graduate student’s assistantship status” and making sure that vision and dental benefits are included in the health care option. Bukowski said she knows students with various health conditions. She said the ability for students to choose which health care plan they receive, a provision that’s in the current graduate student health plan, is crucial for people like her. “I spent a lot of time picking my health insurance,” she said. “I picked the one (based) on my paycheck, my health care needs. I’m deeply uncomfortable with not being able to choose.” The possibility of using Medicaid as a
planned disaster relief trip to Houston. In an interview with The Daily Orange on Sunday, Pati said SA opted to not organize a trip to Texas to help with Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. Instead, she said, SA would focus on developing a new, long-term international advocacy initiative. SA members also discussed the impact of the Puerto Rico aid trip, and some expressed a desire to return and strengthen ties with the island. Pati stressed the importance of ensuring that aid trips are made with the goal of helping the local community as much as possible. “Are we really making the impact that we want to make, or are we just doing disaster tourism?” Pati said. Members generally agreed that SA would reexamine Houston aid and said some sort of aid should be given to Houston in the form of a relief trip or a donation. rarozenb@syr.edu
supplement for the student health plan was also discussed at the meeting. Patrick Oberle, a doctoral student studying geography, said he wished he knew about that possible supplement option earlier for financial reasons. Another student, who said they claimed two dependents on their taxes, said insurance takes up a third of his paycheck. “(For) grad students in their late 20s, early 30s … having a family is incredibly hard,” said Brian Hennigan, who’s in his seventh year as a graduate student at SU. “That comes down to better stipends, but they’re still low.” The student health insurance committee plans on sending a survey to graduate students about the possible switch, administrators said. Vanable said he has been working closely with the Graduate Student Organization to determine possible health insurance plans, adding again that plans are still in a preliminary stage, for now. gkstern@syr.edu
SKYTOP
from page 1
members of the Board of Trustees are also serving on the committee. Some specific details of SU’s enrollment plan have not been released by the university. Syverud said he assumes that SU will have “unique Syracuse strategies” that will “probably not want to be shared too broadly with our competitors before we execute them.” Evanovich said that, currently, the university has a “sophisticated” recruiting system. SU reaches out to students about two years before graduation, when they’re sophomores or juniors in high school, he said. SU also sends recruiters across the country and world to speak with high school students, he said. Chad Howard, vice president of business development at a consulting firm, Sanger & Eby, said he has noticed a national trend of out-of-state recruitment. Sanger & Eby frequently advises colleges and other businesses on issues related to marketing, “talent engagement” and corporate communications. “We’ve actually recently done some research from some community colleges we’ve been working with and out-of-state recruiting is definitely on the rise,” Howard said. He added that, recently, many students have been exiting high school to go straight into the workforce for economic reasons. Kathleen Jenkins, vice president of strategic planning for Sanger & Eby, said recruitment has increased across the country. SU’s peer institutions, such as Boston College, Boston University and University of Rochester, have similar academic strategic plans, but do not detail specific out-of-state recruitment strategies. George Washington University has a strategic plan called Vision 2021, which outlines increasing international enrollment and recruitment of underrepresented groups by making the university more affordable for students outside of the capital.
recruitment status and veterans, especially across racial and ethnic lines. “We want to continue to attract the most talented, diverse group of students that are going to be successful here, have a great experience here, graduate and go become wildly successful alumni,” Evanovich said on Wednesday. “That’s the model that we’re working on.” Syverud, in an interview with The Daily Orange in December, said university leaders need to look “really closely” at how the demographics of the country are changing and how to get ahead of other schools. The college recruiting marketplace is competitive, Evanovich said. He said he wants SU to compete with schools such as the University of Texas; University of California, Berkeley; and the University of Southern California. “We really want to improve our graduation and retention rate,” Evanovich said. “That’s part of the enrollment planning process, not only bringing students here, but making sure the students that we enroll have a retention rate that’s incredibly high, a graduation rate that’s incredibly high and have a great experience.” SU’s four-year graduation rate was 69 percent, according to U.S. News & World Report’s data profile of the university. In fall 2016, total enrollment at SU was 22,484 students — a 3,800 increase based off the university’s enrollment in Fiscal Year 2003. Evanovich said creating the strategic enrollment plan was a priority for the university when he was hired about a year ago. And the steering committee of about 25 members have been working for the past seven months to draft the strategic enrollment plan, Evanovich added. The committee is made up of all of the university’s deans, undergraduate students and graduate students, Evanovich said Wednesday. Syverud in December said
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Not your business
Screen Time columnists give their five major takeaways from Sunday’s 90th Oscars ceremony. See dailyorange.com
Our Humor columnist has tips on how to answer pesky questions from family this break. See dailyorange.com
PULP
Celtic culture SU student Blake Condolora fuses a love for photography with his Celtic heritage in his new book. See Wednesday’s paper
dailyorange.com @dailyorange march 6, 2018
Senior’s 4 tattoos honor heritage
OF THE
GAME
By Raven Rentas staff writer
MIKE GURSHA, an SU alumnus, helped his brother create Rookie Road, an interactive sports rulebook that helps people learn the rules of sports such as basketball and football. kai nguyen photo editor
Brothers create startup to teach fans the finer details of their favorite sports Road, an online interactive destination with tutorials for learning the rules of different sports. Now, Mike is the CEO of Rookie Road, and Doug is the startup’s product architect. s a computer science and engineering student at the “He’s been really essential to the success of the company,” University of Michigan, Doug Gursha felt left out of Doug said. “I approached him... (because) he just has so much a large part of his school’s culture because he didn’t knowledge in the startup space.” understand the rules of football. He tried to learn about the As CEO, Mike is in charge of hiring employees and maksport by watching videos, looking sure they’re on board with ing things up online and even Rookie Road’s long-term goals. downloading the NFL ruleproduct architect, Doug is in Having a partnership...is kind of As book, but the information he charge of web development for found was hard to understand. just like being in a relationship or the site. The Portland, OregonDoug started gathering startup employs writers, being in a marriage. You just have based the information he found and designers and engineers to writing it out in a way that was to ultimately listen to each other. create content that teaches the easy to comprehend. Eventurules of basketball and football. ally he started building his Rookie Road launched its Doug Gursha own website. He wanted to basketball content in February, rookie road founder and product architect create a centralized destinajust in time for March Madness. tion for sports learning, and was serious about turning the While the idea of working with a sibling might seem personal project into a company. daunting to some, the Gursha brothers enjoy working He turned to his older brother, Mike, an entrepreneur and together because they’ve found a balance between their Syracuse University alumnus. Together they created Rookie see startup page 8 By Caroline Bartholomew asst. feature editor
A
from the studio
SU junior to release 2nd of 3-part EP series asst. digital editor
Charlie Burg always explored music growing up. He started playing piano at 7 years old, and a few years after that, he picked up his dad’s acoustic guitar. Since then, Burg has been playBURG ing the bass and
drums, singing and writing his own music. But things really changed for the artist’s career when he transferred from Michigan State University to Syracuse University, he said. Burg, who grew up in a suburb outside of Detroit, is now a music industry junior who’s gearing up for his second out of a three-part extended play release. Though the date has yet to be announced, the artist said it will be released sometime in April, but
he will be dropping singles before then. The Daily Orange sat down with the artist to talk about his career and upcoming releases. The Daily Orange: How long have you been performing? Charlie Burg: I’ve been playing shows I think since I started my first band freshman year of college. But before that I was doing the musicals in high school, talent shows, coffeehouses. I think playing at these coffee and tea houses around Detroit
PAG E 7
tattoo tuesday
RULES
By Lydia Niles
•
(was) great for getting my start in performing. I would just play on the streets and jam with people walking by and stuff. The D.O.: Do you like performing? C.B.: Yeah it’s probably the part I like most about doing music because it gives me a chance to just be live, connecting with people in the moment, and that energy makes me feel very fulfilled. The D.O.: Where do you get your inspiration from?
see burg page 8
As a little girl, Kelly Veshia recalls constantly drawing floral patterns on her body and pretending that they were tattoos. Veshia, now a senior at Syracuse Universit y w ith majors in psycholog y a nd VESHIA Russian Studies, proudly sports four real tattoos and plans on getting many more. Veshia got her first tattoo, the cross located on the back of her neck, at age 18. She was nervous at first, she said, but now finds the tattooing process to be therapeutic and relaxing. Her mother and siblings all have at least one tattoo, making the process easier for her. She got the cross as a permanent reminder to have faith, which she believes gives her a more positive outlook. Veshia also got a tattoo of a serotonin molecule on her left forearm for similar reasons, and she refers to serotonin as the “happy neurotransmitter.” “When I’m low or depressed, I look at it for a little serotonin boost,” Veshia said. Both of these tattoos serve to enrich Veshia’s life. Having them forever engraved on her skin encourages her to always look at the bright side. Veshia’s two other tattoos hold different meanings related to her family and heritage. Her most recent tattoo of Polish folk art flowers is on her back, underneath the cross. Coming from a Polish family, Veshia wanted to honor her roots, which she said she and her family are very proud of. The tattoo Veshia holds closest to her heart is the series of lilac flowers on her right forearm. She got this tattoo in honor of her mother. When her grandmother was alive, she constantly kept fresh lilacs in her house, Veshia said. But her grandmother died when Veshia’s mother was 18, leaving her mother devastated as they were very close. Veshia’s mother now keeps a lilac bush next to her house in remembrance of her own mother. Veshia recalls picking lilacs with her mother and bringing them into their house while growing up. While Veshia never got to know her grandmother, she associates lilacs with her own mother because of this tradition. “When my mom smells (the lilacs), she thinks of her mom,” Veshia said. “When I smell them, I think of mine.” When she was 8, Veshia’s parents got divorced. Since then, she credits her mother for being both her mom and dad for over ten years. “She’s my best friend,” Veshia said. “I could never fully express how much I appreciate her.” In the future, she plans to get see veshia page 8
8 march 6, 2018
dailyorange.com pulp@dailyorange.com
arts
Baltimore Woods exhibit captures animals’ personalities By Pietro Baragiola staff writer
Art and nature come together at Baltimore Woods Nature Center’s newest exhibit, which opened over the weekend. The nature center in Marcellus is hosting “Natural Passions” until April 25. “Fox Trio” and “Wood Duck” are just a couple of the different pieces that visitors will have the chance to admire. This exhibit has work from two artists. Diana Whiting is a wellknown photographer who tries to capture the soul of animals and landscape in her works. Gail Norwood combines her joy for nature and art through her soft renderings in pastel, graphite and colored pencil, according to a Baltimore Woods press release. “We wanted to focus on those artists who, through their work, focused on the central New York scene and the Eastern Woodlands,” said Karen Smith, gallery coordinator of the Baltimore Woods Nature Center. Smith explained that while the center tells the artists which topics or scenes to focus on, it’s up to the artists to pick the work they find most appropriate for the mission of the gallery. This exhibit is also a chance for the artists to sell their masterpieces to the public, Smith said. “We want to connect people to nature,” she added. Whiting lives in Skaneateles and won awards such as second place from the National Audubon Society for a photo contest. She’s had her work from page 7
burg
C.B.: I’m really inspired by the music that
I grew up listening to, which is like classic Detroit Motown. Grew up listening to Al Green, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations. I like to write about very specific moments … I feel like the more particular your writing is, the more humanizing it makes the music, and that makes it feel personal and easier to connect. The D.O.: Do you think your music sounds like any of those people you draw inspiration from? C.B.: It’s funny. I feel like when people ask me my musical influences in terms of artists, you know, I’ll say, “I love GoldLink, I love Kaytranada, the whole LA selection,” from page 7
startup skillsets. The brothers, who have always been close, use their talents to keep the company moving forward. “He’s a product guy, and I’m a strategic guy, so ultimately our ways of thinking are different from each other,” Mike said. “Obviously we’re brothers, so we have a bit more than just a business relationship, but I’d say in business in general, having a partnership with a partner or a co-founder is kind of just like being in a relationship or being in a marriage. You just have to ultimately listen to each other.” As a child growing up in the Silicon Valley in the 1990s, Mike immersed himself in technology. He landed an internship at Google at 17 and graduated from SU in 2010 with majors in television, radio and film and entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises. After graduating, Mike worked for several tech companies and startups before returning to Syracuse in 2015 as the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications’ first entrepreneurin-residence. He taught several classes about the intersection of business and content creation. It was at the end of his time at Newhouse that Mike got involved with Rookie Road. As an adviser for Rookie Road, Cathy Gordon Harr said she’s impressed with how focused and motivated the Gurshas are. Harr has known Mike since he interned at Google. “I see a lot of people who want me to do the work rather than them doing the work,” Harr from page 7
veshia more tattoos that represent who she is. One that she’s excited to get is a Stegosaurus skeleton because it reminds her of herself.
featured in numerous publications, including the National Wildlife Federation magazine. “I think art is a universal way of communication. In my case, I want people to connect to a natural world that has increasing negative pressures on it,” Whiting said. She hopes that by sharing her work, people will be inspired to support conservation efforts. She references her personal experience, explaining that some of her friends have become more attuned to certain kind of ani-
mals after seeing them as art. When Whiting photographs wildlife, she said she looks for the animals’ stories, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible while capturing their behavior and essence. If she finds that things like feedings and tending to young are in any way disturbed by her presence, Whiting leaves the scene so these activities can continue. “A lot of wildlife and birds are accessible to most of us, but can go unnoticed,” she said. “It is hard for anyone to want to protect some-
The artists displaying their work at Baltimore Woods hope their art will inspire viewers to support conservation efforts. courtesy of baltimore woods
and people will be like, “What! Your music doesn’t sound anything like that.” But … it makes sense to me the way that influences my music. I’m super into Daniel Caesar, huge Coldplay fan, Weezer, Paramore. The D.O.: How has your transition been to SU? CB: I think transferring to SU was one of the best decisions for my music that I’ve ever made. I linked up with two guys in the Bandier Program, Andrew Idarraga and Benji Sheinman, and they like do management for me now. Since working with them, things have just been moving so much quicker and just growing at a much faster rate...I love them to death. They’re really passionate about what they do. Their support and passion for my music has inspired my own passion for my added. “My job as an adviser is to give them options, to make some suggestions, but at the end of the day it’s their company.” Harr added that the brothers’ success stems in part from them filling a hole in the sports community. “If you know something about a sport and someone comes to you and says, ‘Explain this to me,’ it’s very hard to do because you’re so familiar with it that you don’t know how to go back to the most fundamental thing,” Harr said. With any startup there’s an aspect of uncertainty, but Mike’s experience and knack for spotting good ideas earned him the trust of influential people in the business world. This includes BuzzFeed CFO Mark Frackt, an SU alum and another one of Rookie Road’s advisers. “You tend to look at the person and say, ‘Is this somebody...who I think can figure this out, knowing that the original idea likely will iterate a few times before that person figures out what the ultimate business is?’” Frackt said. “Mike...understands what it takes to start up a company.” Later this spring, Rookie Road will launch baseball, soccer and ice hockey content. The Gurshas plan to add more sports to the site later this year. Meanwhile, their small team of writers, designers and web developers is hard at work to ensure that Rookie Road’s content stands out. “Find the right people to surround yourself with,” Mike said, “and you will be able to build remarkable things.” cbarthol@syr.edu
“It has plates on its back and tends to keep itself guarded until it gets to know people,” Veshia said. “I’m the same way.” Veshia’s favorite place to get tattoos is Ms. Dixie’s Tattoo in Troy, which she describes as a bright, eclectic shop. She said that it’s
music. Just knowing that I’m working with a team that believes in my craft, it made me further believe in my own craft. The D.O.: What’s next? CB: I’m doing like a three-EP series right now. I put out the first one in September and the second one is coming out in April. They’re all sort of thematically related in a way – in my own way. I’ve put out the first single already and (am) putting out the second one in a couple of weeks. I’m really excited about it so it means a lot to me … (I’m) just trying to get an internship with a record label this summer and, like, be in the music industry for three months. The D.O.: Is there a reason you’re doing the three part series? CB: Yeah, there is a reason, and it’s stupid. I wrote a full-length album, and it was like a
thing they don’t know or care about, so art can be the facilitator for that connection.” Whiting’s favorite picture is “Fox Trio,” taken during six weeks of quiet observation. It represents three foxes whose eyes have been lit by the day’s last rays of sun. She said foxes are among her favorite animals. Norwood lives in Cayuta, north of Ithaca, and is vice president of the Chemung Valley Audubon Society. She also volunteers at the Lab of Ornithology at Sapsucker Woods. Having spent part of her childhood in the countryside outside of Skaneateles with all sorts of wildlife, she now dedicates her time to volunteering with raptors at the Tanglewood Nature Center and the Cayuga Nature Center. “I love wildlife and birds in particular,” she said. “I photograph them first and then start drawing them. Art is important, as it is a creative outlet for my feelings and thoughts.” Norwood explained that the most important feelings to express through art are the “personalities” of the animals that she has drawn because each are special in their own way. Smith said visitors will not only have the chance to enjoy the art, which will all be available for purchase, but can also explore Baltimore Woods. “Natural Passions” will be available for viewing from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. pbaragio@syr.edu
big, long album, like 15 songs or something. And then I got with my guys in Ann Arbor that lived there over the summer to record the album, and it just never got recorded. It just wasn’t working out. So then it was August, and I was like, “Shoot I don’t have an album, so maybe I’ll just perfect six songs and chop up the album.” The D.O.: Do you want to be on the business side or the performing side? CB: That’s why I’m getting a degree so that I have options … right now it feels the most natural to be pursuing the artist path, but I don’t know, I just know what makes me feel good and what makes me feel fulfilled. I’m just going to keep on using that as my little tether – finding ways to connect with people because that’s what’s most important to me. lnilesst@syr.edu
Rookie Road released its basketball tutorial content in time for March Madness. The site will soon host content for sports such as baseball and hockey. kai nguyen photo editor
different from the typical tattoo shop, which she believes to be depicted as hypermasculine. “You don’t have to be hypermasculine or aggressive to have tattoos,” Veshia said. She said that she always feels more comfortable at Ms. Dixie’s.
Veshia loves the tattoo culture and how one can decorate their body with expressions of their personality. “They display things about me without having to say anything,” Veshia said. rarentas@syr.edu
march 6, 2018 9
dailyorange.com sports@dailyorange.com
media cup
Hacks, pensioners exultant in 41-22 quashing of fanboys By W.F. Whence staff sculptor
Oh, how the intrepidity of thine fanboys croaked, collectively disgorging imbecilic opprobrium quondam like they procured voluminous moons heretofore. In the Media Cup on one unescorted solar cycle bestowed by the Romans, the Hacks of The Daily Orange constrained the radio fanboys of WAER, 41-22. Upon desistance of the rudimentary parcel of sport, the fanboys had stowed the brownball singularly betwixt the ferric halo. Alas, amidst the bisected pause, the Hacks apperceived prodigious pluck inward the viscerous of the dungeon within the coliseum bestowed Carrier Dome. Said senior staff writer Sam Fortier of the embankment: “Like I’ve never had more hair on my chest.” The Hacks’ thwarting endeavor bred from dewy rampart cunning. Abdicating the trapefrom page 12
wellman SU assistant coach Mike Hopkins to suggest he take a look at an unusual job candidate for one of the winningest programs in college hoops: a high school junior varsity basketball coach in Kentucky who had never played or coached at the Division I level. “No problem,” Hopkins told her. He owed her a favor and asked to have Kip give him a call. There was no position at the time, but Wellman, now 36, started out as a volunteer and stuck around. After a brief stint at Western Kentucky, he has served for five seasons as Syracuse’s director of basketball operations. It’s a job that includes several duties, including the most visible one: sitting next to Boeheim on the bench. Wellman is never a few feet from the head man, always with a sheet of paper rolled up in his hand. “I just give Coach (Boeheim) what he needs and wants,” Wellman said. “Once you get an opportunity, you have to do with it as much as you can.” A few days after Hopkins called that day back in 2005, Wellman and his father filled a U-Haul with a couch, TV and mattress, and drove 10 hours up to Syracuse. They crashed at an apartment Wellman had found on Google. He drove to Manley Field House with his father, Roger, to meet Boeheim and Hopkins. Boeheim questioned him. He challenged him. Roger said Boeheim needed to know that he can trust you, that you can deliver, and that, maybe, you could be his right-hand man someday. Casual fans see him on TV almost exclusively in the background of a shot fixated on Boeheim, but Wellman tracks player fouls, timeouts, inbound plays and game trends. Boeheim said the assistant coach opening last spring that followed Mike Hopkins’ departure came down to two people: Allen Griffin, who got the job because of Boeheim knew him longer, and Wellman. When asked about Wellman this week, Boeheim rattled off a number of attributes that, he said, makes him essential. “He could be a good coach someday,” Boeheim said. “He’s an invaluable member of the staff. It makes all of this possible for the coaches to focus. He’s a good resource. He’s very important. Very, very important.” ••• y the time he was 10, Wellman knew what he wanted to be. No occupation crossed his mind other than to be a college basketball coach. One day after a summer basketball camp at nearby Transylvania (Kentucky) University, he came home and told his parents he didn’t want to coach at the professional or high school levels. He wanted to coach college ball. Wellman had been watching, with rapt attention, pickup games at the University of Kentucky. They featured his father and several college coaches, including former Kentucky head coach Rick Pitino. In 1996, Kip insisted he miss school one day. He and his father flew to New Jersey, where they watched Kentucky play Syracuse in the national championship, in what was Hop-
B
zoidal coalescence, the quintuplet on the plaza caged their corresponding litigants onliest. This stratagem yielded corollary most prominently upon copy editor Eric Black levitating to biff the objective remotely from the unpropitious slinger. As the orb upreared beyond the purlieus, the Hacks’ zealot confederates vociferated from the retrograde of the plaza. The zealots paraded prognostic placards proclaiming chattels like “He Protecc, He Attacc, He’s Eric Black.” When Black forsaked the sphere, this prognostication rang unfeigned. “I wasn’t letting anything soft make it to the rim,” Black decreed. Sturdy parapets girded the Hacks’ predilection of permeating the fanboys citadel. Ofttimes, the Hacks sphere delegate protruded into the fanboys ramparts, verifying ringent leeway. As the Hacks bombarded the fanboys structure, their whacks loitered eminently overhead, customarily tottering unhindered.
Senior staff writer Tomer Langer incandesced eminently by disposing himself remotely as a pariah of the cogency altering demarcation. The roundure sought his mitts, and the Israeli clobberer discharged a crescenting conjecture shooting through the snare. As the undertaking became complete, the zealots doxologized, “He-brew Ham-mer!” “WAER was still in scramble mode,” Langer tormented, “and left me wide open beyond the arc. I knew the minute it left my hands that it was good. The ball sailed smoothly through the net, almost foreshadowing how easy it was to win the game that night.” While the perceived flat circle vamoosed, The D.O. cut capers its stash of Hacks nonetheless fastening the summation. With a trifling four 60-second intervals tarrying, Hacks Langer, Fortier and Joe Bloss enlisted to the plaza, romping as a trio in the waning eclipse of their orbit. Langer brickbatingly tower hoofed when
endowing the orb. Bloss offal smeared the repugnance to mondo applicability. Fortier impassed his ambition despite the frolic twilighting. “In past years we lost to WAER, and it stung,” Langer said. “We made it our goal to not lose on our senior year. We could have played every day from now until graduation and WAER wouldn’t have won a single game.” “This was only my second time experiencing Media Cup,” Bloss said. “Why was the other team so bad?” “Shellacking sh*t-talking WAER schmucks is a crowning life achievement second to none,” Fortier said. The postliminary saturnalia hied at the tintinnabulum, as zealots and Hacks paralleled onto the plaza to tranquilize in the jocundity. To the ancillary, Langer and Fortier interplaited, sousing in the trice.
kins’ first year at Syracuse. “I knew right then that coaching was what I wanted to do,” said Wellman, who attended dozens of UK games with his dad. “I was watching the games, but I was always watching the coaches: What are they doing? I always loved the innovation of being a coach. Being around it at a personal level inspired me to pursue coaching.” His mother, Mary Susan, noticed Kip almost exclusively talked about teammates’ strengths at the dinner table. He gravitated to what they did bring, rarely pointing out what they didn’t. He was not afraid to put his hand on a teammate’s shoulder from a young age, she said, and he “always had a big heart.” He routinely sends his mother flowers, just because. That affection became apparent on the court, as well. Danny Haney, Wellman’s coach at Lexington Catholic High School, said Wellman wasn’t vocal, but he brought his teammates in huddles. Haney said Wellman’s teams lost fewer than 10 games during his three years as the varsity team’s starting point guard. If players weren’t in position, Wellman told them. He was “pretty encyclopedic,” Roger said, open to looking at every coach’s particular style and strategy. He adored Pitino’s intense coaching style and tried to learn something about every coach he watched. “With Kip, I had a coach on the floor,” Haney said. “He literally knew when to call timeouts for us.” Wellman declined an opportunity to walkon for Billy Donovan at Florida, instead playing at Division II Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida. But after finishing his playing days, Wellman had a slight problem. To fulfill his dream and coach Division I hoops usually required D-I playing experience. What Wellman did have was credentials that struck Boeheim and Hopkins.
12-hour days studying film, putting together scouting reports and reading about plays. When Hopkins invited him to SU, there was no position. It was a lowly intern-level role. He worked so hard and watched so much film that he sometimes ended up sleeping at his desk in Manley. “I was in the office 24 hours a day,” Wellman said. “I got here and I didn’t know anybody, didn’t know anything.”
at Wellman. “You’re a resident religious expert here,” Boeheim said, according to Roger. “Tell me what I said, if it was a cuss word, if I used God’s name in vain.” Wellman was incredulous. He hesitated. “I don’t know about up here,” Wellman said, “but where I’m from, that was a cuss word.” “I have no idea what I said,” Boeheim said later. “I say the craziest things.” But that’s what Boeheim said he needs from his right-hand man: to keep him in check, to ensure he’s not missing the little things during the speedy nature of games.
••• hen Hopkins invited Wellman to come to Syracuse in 2005, before construction of the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center, or just “the Melo,” Wellman felt indebted. Hopkins had taken a chance on him, and Wellman felt he had to prove himself to Hopkins and Boeheim, his father said. On the day Wellman arrived at Syracuse, Boeheim sat with him in Manley Field House. It was a reality check, Roger said, and Boeheim was saying that, “You not only have to be good, you have to be a little bit lucky.” He was really trying to discourage Kip,” Roger said. “Here’s a kid from the South all his life, plays college ball in Florida, going to Syracuse, New York. It was an experience for him.” Boeheim wanted to let Wellman know that becoming a coach for a big-time program would not come easy. Roger was not particularly happy that his son had turned down job offers at local companies, including banks and his own successful trucking business. “Coach was saying, ‘You sure you want to do this?’” Roger recalled. “It was, ‘Let me tell you how hard this is going to be.’ Kip was not fazed one bit.”
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••• n the volunteer role, which Wellman filled for several months in 2005, he worked
I
I just give Coach (Boeheim) what he needs and wants. Once you get an opportunity, you have to do with it as much as you can. Kip Wellman
director of basketball operations
From the get-go, Hopkins served as Wellman’s mentor. Wellman emulated Hopkins as he worked toward his master’s degree in higher education. He worked in a back room in a corner of Manley, where the men’s lacrosse offices now reside. He walked past the reception desk to a huge conference room, which he shared with a colleague. In time, he earned the respect of the room thanks to his thoroughness and knowledge of the game. “I had a little rinky desk that was like this big” — Wellman gestured about one foot between his hands — “and I had a computer on it, a telephone, had a TV there, watched all of the games. It was a tremendous learning experience, like getting your PhD.” Wellman asked to stay onboard by going to graduate school at SU, and Hopkins approved it. When they weren’t on the court, Wellman and Hopkins were watching film or completing scouting reports. Before one of Wellman’s first games, Hopkins told him he would complete the report, but that Wellman should do it too. Wellman poured several hours into the several-page report on SU’s next opponent, Florida. He handled whatever tasks trickled down from the coaches, performing a lot of necessary but grueling grunt work. He mulled over VHS tapes and DVDs, cutting down hours of tape into videos that lasted only a few minutes long. With that attention to detail, Wellman established himself as one of the hardestworking, brightest men in the program, Boeheim said. ••• ellman’s religious background prepared him well for one of his first days at Syracuse. During an early-season game, Boeheim was called for a technical foul, Roger said, because Boeheim cursed near a referee. It is unclear what exactly he said. After the game, Wellman sat in the coaches meeting inside the locker room. Boeheim turned and looked
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W.F. Whence is a germanificated staff sculptor who re-germanificated to sculpt this glistening prose.
••• rom 2009-12, Wellman coached at Western Kentucky. Then WKU underwent a coaching change, forcing Wellman out of basketball altogether. He was living in Florida with his parents, unsure exactly what his next step in life would be. But he had been texting Hopkins, who called one day asking if Wellman would be interested in coming back to Syracuse. There was a job opening for director of basketball operations, which Stan Kissel served from 2005-12. Hopkins knew whom he wanted to hire, and Wellman knew where he wanted to be. Perhaps Hopkins saw a little bit of himself in Wellman: the late nights studying teams, organizing trips down to the minute, keeping a spotless office. Hopkins brought him back on board in summer 2013 as director of basketball operations, Wellman’s current role. Now, Wellman is the one eager to notify both Boeheim and his players about opponent weaknesses. He is the one concerned about inbounds plays. He is the one who jumps off the bench to inform Boeheim of any foul trouble. Players said they often see Wellman chatting with Boeheim during practice but aren’t exactly sure what they’re talking about. They said he is the perfect sidekick to Boeheim, with the ability to remain stoic. “I talk to him a lot during the game,” junior point guard Frank Howard said. “On the sideline, about how many timeouts and how many fouls we have. He knows that every time, always staying composed.” Back more than a decade ago, Boeheim wanted someone he could trust. It didn’t matter that Wellman hadn’t been a college basketball star, or one of the few people he has allowed to sit on the SU bench without Division I playing experience. Wellman has built a life in central New York with his wife, Allison, whom he met at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, only because she liked basketball and struck up a conversation when she saw his Syracuse hat. They have a daughter, Saylor, who just turned 3, and live in the Sedgwick neighborhood of Syracuse. During a team gathering at Boeheim’s house, Saylor rolled over for the first time on, fittingly, Boeheim’s own bed. Wellman said he is in no hurry to leave Boeheim’s side, although his goal is to become a coach someday. He said he’ll keep watching Boeheim and his staff, and keep learning, keep studying, keep searching for more.
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tennis
George’s coaching experience develops talent at Syracuse By Anthony Dabbundo staff writer
Shelley George’s father always asked her one simple question. “Are you any good?” he asked. Every time Jim Freeman, a former NFL player for the Steelers and Rams, would challenge his daughter, she responded assuredly and confidently. “I’m the best,” George said. GEORGE George has spent her entire life trying to prove to her father why she deserves to call herself the best. As a player, a coach and a person, George fuels that desire by taking on new challenges and demonstrating her talents. As an assistant coach of the Syracuse (9-2, 2-2 Atlantic Coast) women’s tennis team, George said she preaches the same philosophy to her players that her father taught her. Her presence on the sidelines during practices and matches has helped SU in her nine seasons as assistant coach. “When I grew up in Iowa, we were brought up to believe that we could do anything that we wanted to do as long as we worked hard and believed in ourselves.” George said. George grew up playing basketball. But one day as a junior high schooler, she tagged along to her mother’s tennis lesson. After hitting a few balls, she caught a famous coach’s eyes. Don Klotz, a former University of Iowa coach whose name now adorns the Hawkeyes courts, from page 12
roundtable in its first win against a ranked opponent this season, as junior point guard Frank Howard pointed out. That’s strong defense — remember WFU’s six-straight 3-pointers? — and reliance on the big three scorers. Any contributions Marek Dolezaj can bring, and any sort of job players can do to minimize turnovers, are plusses. It’s not necessary a formula to beat quality teams, but it’s a way to scrape by. Sam Fortier: Erase Bryant Crawford. Wake Forest goes as their do-it-all guard does, and if Syracuse’s defense prevents him from draining three corner 3s down the stretch — as he did in WFU’s Jan. 3 win — than the Orange should be fine. He greases the wheels, assisting on nearly one-third of his team’s buckets, per KenPom.com, and is a serviceable shooter from all over the floor. SU’s thin frontcourt should be worrisome against 7-foot-1, 280-pound big man Doral Moore, but as long as the Orange keeps him off the boards they should be OK. So, OK, there’s a lot to do to beat Wake Forest in a venue it’s faced some mighty struggles in, but Syracuse should — should — be able to do it. Tomer Langer: Contain Doral Moore on the inside and hope he doesn’t get the ball too much. Moore is fairly athletic and posed some issues for the sometimes slow-footed Paschal Chukwu on the inside the last time these two teams matched up. SU head coach from page 12
schedule Virginia, might foreshadow the possible outcome of the Orange’s next four-game stretch. SU faces two consecutive top-ten opponents in No. 4 Florida on Wednesday and No. 5 Maryland this upcoming Sunday. Those are followed by a back-end of the stretch that doesn’t get easier, with the March 16 matchup with Harvard the only buffer between a game four days later against preseason-No. 14 Cornell. The Big Red has received votes for the top-20 every week since it fell out in Week 3’s Inside lacrosse poll. No players are displeased with the Orange’s early games, as it was able to capture three straight wins while simultaneously gaining its footing following an abbreviated practice schedule due to a lost fall. But, they cautioned that early success isn’t the best indicator of how the team is prepared to handle top competition. “Seeing teams (is) decent,” Swart said. “But, now I think it’s time to really get serious.”
saw George hitting balls with her mother and offered her lessons. From that moment forward, George fell in love with the sport. Every day before school, she would head to the courts and play. When the school day ended, she was off to basketball practice. Then, after getting home and eating dinner, her day came full circle as she went back to the courts for more tennis. She went on to a four-year college tennis career, two at St. Ambrose University and two at the University of Iowa. Then, George led the City High School women’s tennis team in Iowa City for 18 seasons. She served as the Missouri Valley President of the United States Tennis Association while working at the North Dodge Athletic Club in Iowa City. She produced numerous collegiate athletes and developed some of the top talent on the tennis tour, including Madison Keys, the No. 14 ranked player in the world. “Her serve is a Shelley George miracle,” Luke Jensen, a 1994 French Open doubles champion and former SU head coach, said of Keys. “Shelley taught her that serve and it’s one of the biggest on tour.” When Jensen and former Syracuse athletic director Daryl Gross called George in 2008 to offer an assistant role, the former Iowa tennis star saw the opportunity as a new challenge. George left her family, friends and blossoming future in the USTA behind. Jensen said she was one step away from potentially being president of the USTA, yet she took the job in Syracuse. “I thought it would be a really fun chal-
lenge,” George said. “Daryl Gross and Luke Jensen were the two biggest motivators to me, it was about developing collegiate athletes.” George coached under Jensen until he left unexpectedly during the 2012 season. With the job vacant, George applied to be the head coach. With all of her experience teaching young athletes in both high school in Iowa and college at SU, George seemed to be the natural choice to replace Jensen. Gross gave George a phone call informing her that Syracuse had other ideas. The former athletic director gave assurances that George would still have a job as an assistant, but the school decided to go a different direction. Under Jensen, the school focused on American talent. By hiring Younes Limam, SU pivoted to the international scene. Today, six of the team’s eight players hail from outside the United States. “We were going from an all-American program to an all-international program,” George said. “I had no international recruiting experience at that time.” But that didn’t stop George from doing what she does best: teaching. George crafted her coaching style through 32 years of experience working with young players. Syracuse’s top-ranked player, Gabriela Knutson, said she’s tough yet firm, reassuring but demanding. Jensen said George has a knack for communicating with the young women on the court, always seeming to find a way to get through to them mentally. Whenever Knutson finds herself struggling in a match, she yells under her breath as she
walks back to her bench in frustration. Against Boston College on Feb. 16, Knutson trailed 4-1 in the first set. George took a seat beside Knutson and listened to her voice frustrations. Then, the coach offered her input. She talked the junior through her anger, helping her to relax and play her game. George suggested small changes in Knutson’s approach that could make a difference. After their talk, Knutson won 11 of the final 12 games of the match. Much like George helped craft Keys’ serve, Knutson said the biggest difference in her game in the last two seasons is her improved service. By focusing on hitting the ball at the apex of the ball toss and increasing knee bend, Knutson has turned her serve from an occasional liability into a weapon. George’s technical advice has helped move No. 18 Knutson up in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings. “She pushes me to reach my full potential, she’s had really tough love for me,” Knutson said. “But I will always turn to her if I have any problems.” Not only does George coach the players, but both Jensen and Limam have learned from how she relates to players on the court. George was always the first to pick up on disagreements within the team, Jensen said. Even when she coached for Jensen, who was formerly among the best doubles players in the world, he said George was the first to notice when certain doubles pairings weren’t effective. “She’s making me a better coach every day,” Limam said. Jensen added: “She’s a rock star in our game.”
Jim Boeheim said after the Boston College loss last week that Chukwu is playing on sore knees. And while Syracuse’s center did have a nice double-block sequence against Clemson on Saturday, there were multiple times the Tigers got easy buckets on the inside. A lot of the focus will be on Wake Forest’s 3-point shooting after the Demon Deacons hung around in Syracuse back in mid-February by raining from deep. But if SU stretches the zone too far out, Moore can cause matchup issues in an area in which the Orange is depleted.
dens this season already, timeouts be damned. Playing nearly 40 minutes a night is tiring, freshman forward Oshae Brissett admitted Saturday, but he hits the ice baths hard in between games to get himself right in the approximately two- to four-day rests he usually has. But there’s none of that now. While a short bench doesn’t guarantee a loss or anything that drastic, it’s going to impact this team and tire them out more than normal. T.L.: Conceivably, yes. I just think it’s a bit overstated how much. SU’s short bench has played a factor all year, even when there’s been rest in between the games, because if guys aren’t on their game, Boeheim has no one else to put in. And, for any team, it would be hard to have to play on the first day and win five-straight games to secure the ACC Tournament crown. But the Orange is used to its playing style, and I don’t think the back-to-back days element will be too different than it is for other teams, because teams tend to ride their star players and shorten the bench in important games, anyway.
one or two quadrant one teams, and withstand the rigors of one of the toughest conference tournaments in college hoops. That, of course, means big games from the big three every night and a fourth scorer in Dolezaj. Without the latter, the NIT may be Syracuse’s final destination. S.F.: Two. If Syracuse beats Wake Forest, that impresses no one. But beating a wellrested, top-10 team on the second night of a back-to-back? That would automatically replace Clemson as the Orange’s marquee win of the season and get some double takes from the Selection Committee. No matter what, this won’t be an anxietyfree process. Syracuse fans should intently watch other bubble teams like UCLA, Marquette, Alabama, Baylor, Oklahoma State and, yes, Mike Hopkins-led Washington. Two wins won’t inspire the most confidence, but it’ll get the Orange into the NCAA Tournament in the same way an action hero always slides underneath a heavy, descending door just in time. T.L.: Can I say 2.5? It’s definitely more than one and it really depends on what other bubble teams do as well. Sam is right in saying that if SU beats Wake Forest and then goes on to beat UNC, it would be the marquee win of the season. That being said, picking up really your only marquee win of the season in March might not be enough to sway a committee that looks at a team’s body of work and doesn’t put as much stock into recency. Two wins would give the Orange a jolt, and I think three wins would assure a spot.
With games on consecutive days throughout the ACC Tournament, will SU’s short bench play a factor? M.G.: You’d like to think so. But because
Syracuse didn’t play a preseason tournament against formidable opponents, we don’t really know the answer. Syracuse had little rest between its home loss to No. 1 Virginia and its impressive win at Louisville, so it’s possible that SU can play when tested on short rest. Where it would get murky is if SU must play three or four in a row. Syracuse played three games in five days back in November, but that was in the Carrier Dome versus, you know, teams that visit the Carrier Dome in November. S.F.: Yes. Jim Boeheim’s strategy, which to his credit has seemed to work this season, is that media timeouts provide players adequate rest to get through a game without fatigued legs dooming his team at the end. That works for single games. Now, the ACC tournament schedule foists an untenable workload on Syracuse players who have shouldered heavy burFollowing Syracuse’s win over Oregon in its second game, Nicole Levy wouldn’t guarantee the stellar offensive performances from SU in its first few games would continue. At that point, Syracuse had the top-ranked offense in the nation, a statistical category the Orange still led in as of March 5. But looking ahead then, Levy knew the schedule would continue to get gradually harder. Against Virginia, Syracuse still had its bright moments. Occasional offensive explosions highlighted the day for the Orange as it put together a strong performance against the Cavaliers’ seventh-ranked scoring defense. Swart had a career performance of her own, scoring four goals to double her previous season total. But the SU defense struggled to contain the UVA offense, which far outranks Syracuse’s previous opponents at 11th in the nation. Assistant coach Regy Thorpe noted prior to the Virginia game that being on the road could provide another difficulty for the Orange to overcome against the Cavaliers on Sunday,
How many games does Syracuse need to win to make the NCAA Tournament? M.G.: The magic number here might be three. Two wins would probably be attractive in the eyes of the Selection Committee, but that still puts Syracuse in cloudy bubble territory, I think, while three wins this week in Brooklyn punches Syracuse’s ticket to the Big Dance. Three wins would prove that Syracuse can play away from home consistently, beat but said SU was excited for the challenge as it opened the “meat” of its schedule. “UVA, Florida, Maryland and then bookend with a Harvard,” Thorpe said, “it’s going to be a good measuring stick to see where we really are.” Despite the relative ease SU had winning its early season matchups, Thorpe said Syracuse was able to make significant progress as a team. Early mistakes helped bolster the film SU could use to accelerate growth. Thorpe said he’s proud of how his team has been making use of film to be sure that the first few games don’t go to waste. Redshirt-senior midfielder Taylor Gait said that the Orange has always played a “lighter” early season schedule. It hadn’t ever done anything to hinder Syracuse’s performance because in the past, she noted, SU has been a “playoff team.” “I really think it’s just so we can play and we can learn and we can build as a team early in the season, to be able to play Maryland, to be able to play UNC,” Gait said, “to be prepared for those teams.”
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Following the Virginia loss, Syracuse is out of time to rest. SU’s next two opponents bring the same, if not more, firepower than the Cavaliers. That’s just the beginning of what will remain a tough schedule, which still holds eight presently-ranked teams — and three more that received votes — ahead. But Gait said she feels the Orange is prepared. By playing teams that allow Syracuse to “build the chemistry,” the Orange has garnered the resources to mend mistakes and build on early successes. Virginia was its first, but returning to Syracuse to play top-five Florida will be SU’s next test. After that, the Orange’s schedule begins to take shape and SU feels that there will be a lot to be learned from this stretch. “The schedule’s going to change here and we’re going to get into the ranked teams,” SU head coach Gary Gait said. “The next threegame run here is probably the toughest run in the country. “For anybody.” mmcclear@syr.edu | @mikejmccleary
S
Helping out Shelley George has become an invaluable asset for Syracuse tennis as an assistant coach. See page 11
Raking
Pick and choose
Bryce Holmgren has been feeling it at the plate for Syracuse softball early this season. See dailyorange.com
S PORTS
Syracuse track and cross country specialize in certain events to maximize points. See dailyorange.com
dailyorange.com @dailyorange march 6, 2018 • PAG E 12
KIP WELLMAN started out in a volunteer position on SU’s coaching staff before becoming director of basketball operations. Former assistant coach Mike Hopkins helped Wellman join the staff 13 years ago. Since then, Wellman has become one of Boeheim’s most reliable aides on the bench. alexandra moreo senior staff photographer
Sidekick O
ne afternoon 13 years ago, a Southland Christian Church service in Lexington, Kentucky, had finished and Roger Wellman was sitting in his car ready to drive home. Walking past was Janet Greene, the sisterin-law of Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim. Wellman and Greene were active in the church community, and Wellman’s son, Kip, had given informal basketball lessons to Greene’s son. Soon, they were catching up. “How’s Kip?” Greene remembered asking.
How Kip Wellman became Jim Boeheim’s right-hand man By Matthew Gutierrez senior staff writer
men’s basketball
“He’s coaching high school,” Roger Wellman said. “You’re not going to believe this, but one of his favorite programs is Syracuse.” A few moments later, Roger Wellman added: “Jim is one of his favorites. Do you think you could mention Kip’s name to Juli?” “Absolutely,” Greene recalled saying. The two dispersed, but the foundation for a Jim Boeheim-Kip Wellman connection had been poured. Greene could not reach Boeheim that week, so she phoned see wellman page 9
women’s lacrosse
Roundtable: WFU, tournaments No. 8 Syracuse in midst of toughest stretch By The Daily Orange Sports Staff
Syracuse split with Wake Forest during the regular season. What does Syracuse need to do to fend off a pesky Demon Deacons team? Matthew Gutierrez: First,
overcome whatever sort of ghosts lie under the Barclays Center floor that have doomed Syracuse, because SU has lost four in a row at that place. Fellow beat writer Tomer Langer, a native of the area, may know the answer. Aside from that, all the Orange really has to do is stick to its identity, which was on full display Saturday see roundtable page 11
By Michael McCleary asst. digital editor
TYUS BATTLE and Syracuse will play in a rubber match against Wake Forest on Tuesday. alexandra moreo senior staff photographer
Freshman Sam Swart didn’t know what it was like to lose in college. The three-game win streak to start the Orange’s schedule was her first glimpse of NCAA play as Syracuse won handily — by margins of 12, six and seven goals, respectively. But she had her eyes set on one particular game on the calendar: Sunday’s matchup with then-No. 11 Virginia. “As practice goes on, we can really see what’s going on,” Swart said.
“But, I think these games this week can really tell us where we’re at.” The Cavaliers game was the first chance Syracuse had against a topranked opponent and on Sunday, Swart had to learn. Following a 17-16 loss to UVA, No. 8 Syracuse (3-1) experienced its first hiccup in what was the beginning of its toughest stretch of the season. To this point, Sunday was the Orange’s first real test on what is the 33rd strongest schedule in the country, per analyticslacrosse.com. The game in Charlottesville, see schedule page 11