Winter Guide 2024
C
• Dickens Christmas Skaneateles’ 31-year tradition brings Dickensian charm to the small, central New York town every winter.
N • ‘Lack of resources’
3 Students and faculty in AAS say the department lacks adequate resources and are worried for its future in Trump’s term.
S • Mount Mutombo
Page 16 SU, Georgetown alumni reminisce about Dikembe Mutombo’s legacy in the rivalry ahead of its 100th-ever matchup.
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INSIDE
The best quotes from sources in today’s paper.
NEWS
“We are fighting against something way bigger than us, with Project 2025, we don’t know what our future holds for us as the AAS department.” - Darla Hobbs, SU Pan African Studies graduate student
Page 1
CULTURE
“We do this because it fills a void in people’s lives. I’m fortunate that’s how I make a living.” - Jim Greene, event organizer
Page 4
OPINION
“While trudging through snow is brutal, there’s something about winter in Syracuse that makes it feel more alive than at home.” - Autumn Clarke, columnist
Page 10
SPORTS
“(Mutombo) was a great statesman, and an ambassador for the game of basketball.” - Jim Boeheim, former SU men’s basketball head coach
Page 16
COMING UP
Noteworthy events this week.
WHAT: Pre-Kwanzaa Celebration
WHEN: Friday, 6:30-9 p.m.
WHERE: Community Folk Art Center
WHAT: SU Brass Ensemble Holiday Concert
WHEN: Friday, 7-8:30 p.m.
WHERE: Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
WHAT: “The Nightmare Before Christmas” Screening
WHEN: Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.
WHERE: HBC Hall, Gifford Auditorium
stephanie wright editor-in-chief
‘We will never be silent’
African American Studies students express concerns over the department’s future
By Ahna Fleming deia manager
Darla Hobbs, a graduate student in Syracuse University’s Pan African Studies program who minored in African American Studies as an undergraduate, said the AAS department’s lack of resources makes her feel like she has to focus on more than just getting her degree.
“We carry — and I believe that my cohort could probably agree when I say this — we carry the weight of keeping our department alive on our shoulders,” she said. “Just because of what every single student that came before us went through to give us this opportunity. So in order to keep the legacy of this department alive, it’s a very heavy weight to carry.”
The AAS department operated the entire spring 2024 semester with no chair. Alumni, students and faculty formed an affinity group in April advocating for AAS, prompting university administration to appoint an interim chair, professor James Haywood Rolling Jr., in May.
Members of the department are still working to get adequate resources. The department does not have a librarian for its Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, and students and faculty said it doesn’t have enough professors to fulfill its curriculum. After the spring 2024 semester, AAS lost another professor with the retirement of S.N. Sangmpam, who had been with the department for nearly 35 years and taught two core curriculum courses.
Jelani Dowe, a senior studying political science on the pre-law track at SU, decided to minor in AAS and is now considering joining the department’s Pan African Studies graduate program. He said it hurts to know he may lose the opportunity to participate in the master’s program because of its lack of attention and resources.
Dowe said the department is a tight-knit community, but has noticed its dwindling staff.
Sangmpam had agreed to be Dowe’s advisor and guide him in writing his honors thesis, but “abruptly” retired last spring, he said.
“There’s often a lot of talk about DEIA initiatives and diversity being key on this campus, yet a department such as AAS is understaffed
and forced to deal with administrative changes abruptly,” Dowe said.
Rolling, the department’s recently appointed interim chair, acknowledged the decision behind his appointment as interim chair was made hastily, but said he was convinced he could help the department because it was a “full-circle moment” for him.
Present-day politics reminds us that we must continue to approach our growth and expansion with a ‘we’re all in this together’ mindset.
James Haywood Rolling Jr. aas interim chair
“I owe my career to the AAS department at SU, and I want to help the department flourish in the years to come,” Rolling wrote in a statement to The Daily Orange. “Although the department had gone too long without a chair and a swift resolution was being demanded, the haste that was required at
that point made it crucial for me to start out with some careful relationship-building.”
Horace Campbell, a professor of political science and AAS, said he wonders whether SU is following the lead of universities in the South and participating in what he called the “antiwoke movement.” Republican politicians have said in recent years that curriculum critical of U.S. racial history “significantly lacks educational value.”
“Trump and the MAGA don’t want African American Studies,” he said.
A university spokesperson wrote in a Wednesday statement to The D.O. that SU is committed to being a welcoming university that values all life experiences, encourages diverse viewpoints and celebrates uniqueness.
“Syracuse University’s commitment to these foundational values will never waver,” the spokesperson wrote.
Rolling, who is an alumnus of the AAS department, said AAS departments nationwide were “typically born out of contention,” as faculty and administrators have advocated to meet the needs of historically marginalized students, he wrote.
“Present-day politics reminds us that we must continue to approach our growth and expansion with a ‘we’re all in this together’ mindset,” he wrote.
MakerSpace’s move to Marshall Street draws emotions
By Shivika Gupta asst. news editor
Four decades ago, legendary musicians like Cyndi Lauper, James Taylor and the Talking Heads headlined concerts at The Jabberwocky, a Syracuse nightclub.
The nightclub’s location transformed into the Kimmel MakerSpace at Syracuse University in 2013. John Mangicaro, the space’s instructional technology engineer and manager and a 45-year SU
employee, used to perform at the nightclub concerts himself.
Mangicaro’s experiences at The Jabberwocky left such a strong impression on him that, when figuring out where to build the MakerSpace 27 years later, he chose its former location.
“The creativity of this place, it was all inspired right here by the original music,” Mangicaro said.
The Kimmel MakerSpace has offered students a space to access hands-on learning for over a decade.
On Dec. 18, the space will close in preparation for SU’s demolition of Kimmel and Marion halls over winter break. As MakerSpace is set to relocate to Marshall Square Mall in Spring 2025, many students have expressed mixed feelings about the move.
The MakerSpace houses technology like 3D printers, textile machines, milling equipment, laser engravers, electronic tools and embroidery machines for students’ use. Mangicaro said the space also adds equipment based on students’
requests. Many students work at the MakerSpace as well.
Jonathan-Carl Cully, a junior studying mechanical engineering at SU, has worked at MakerSpace since his freshman year and said he quickly fell in love with it upon arriving on campus. After learning about the move, Cully and his colleagues said they understood the decision, but felt sad knowing the space’s doors would be closing.
“Out of nowhere, we were told we would need to be out by Dec 18.
It wasn’t surprising, but it did feel sudden,” Cully said.
Cully was first inspired to work for MakerSpace after his older brother, an SU alumnus, worked in the space and encouraged him to apply. While working there, he particularly enjoyed watching students from outside his major work on their projects. He also appreciated its 24 hour schedule, as he would often stay late into the night, working on projects and spending time with friends.
see makerspace page 7
The AAS department operated the entire spring 2024 semester with no chair. Alumni, students and faculty formed an affinity group in April advocating for AAS, prompting SU to appoint an interim chair in May. lars jendruschewitz senior staff photographer
Holiday humbug
For 31 years, actors have dressed in costumes from the 1840s for Dickens Christmas, a holiday time machine
By Ben Butler culture editor
If you ask most people what Christmas is all about, they’ll tell you about family, holiday spirit or even, as Linus from Peanuts said, “Jesus Christ’s birth.” If you ask banker Ebenezer Scrooge, played by John Michael Decker, he’ll tell you it’s all a “humbug” and a “con.”
“Instead of a heart, I’ve got an icicle stabbed in the left side of my chest, and that’s the way I like it,” Scrooge said.
Father Christmas had a different outlook. He chatted about spreading joy and love. Father Christmas has a plan to change people like Scrooge.
“Mr. Marley, the spirits and I are working on Mr. Scrooge,” Father Christmas said. “We hope to have him completely reformed by Christmas morning.”
A 31-year-old tradition, Dickens Christmas transforms the village of Skaneateles into a magical holiday time machine. Every weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas, actors costumed in 1840s fashion play Victorian characters and walk the streets of the town; some caroling, some playing music and others interacting with tourists.
Events include holiday parades, horse-drawn carriage rides and trunk performances of classics like Washington Irving’s “A
Sleepy Hollow Christmas,” and, of course, Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol.” The snow in the air, garlands on street and roasted chestnuts all add to the magic.
“It feels like we’re in a Hallmark movie,” attendee Lucy Ricardo It may be cliché, but the holiday spirits are literally out about. Newsies offered copies of the Syracuse Post-Standard, bands of trumpeters played Christmas carols and Jacob Marley, the ghost of Scrooge’s old banking partner, dragged his chains he haunted the banker.
Kevin Pelletier, who plays Father Christmas, loves acting Dickens Christmas. He’s been involved with the show for 30 and played Father Christmas for about 25 years. His favorite part? The children’s happiness when they come to see him. selflessness doesn’t go unnoticed by Pelletier.
“I’ve had several children already this year tell me, ‘I’ve enough things, give something to someone who can’t afford Pelletier said.
Hilary Fenner, executive director of the Skaneateles Area ber of Commerce, has hosted the event for six years, including shopping events during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a typical about 10,000 people come to Skaneateles for Dickens Christmas. Dickens Christmas began because local merchants wanted establish a winter event for Skaneateles. The town, recognized by HGTV and Oprah Magazine as one of the United States’
In Skaneateles, New York, people in costumes gather for caroling and holiday music. The actors interact with tourists in their characters of choice. abbey fitzpatrick staff photographer
charming towns, was quiet in the winter, and business owners wanted to get people out shopping.
Restaurants like Doug’s Fish Fry, and artisan shops like The Local Branch, are supported through the slow winter business season by Dickens Christmas. Their donations to the Chamber of Commerce help put on Dickens Christmas each year.
Initially, merchants dressed up and acted out the characters, but after a few years of simultaneously running the stores and acting, it became too difficult.
Now, the Skaneateles Chamber of Commerce handles sponsorships and funding for the event and Scarlett Rat Entertainment coordinates the actors.
Jim Greene not only owns Scarlett Rat, but he “(is) the company.” Greene, who plays Charles Dickens, starts planning the event with Fenner in May. Fenner’s role consists of fundraising, Greene’s of production.
People audition for the show in October, but Greene said it’s not an intense process. Usually, school kids and local adults interested in acting just come to do it, he said. After three weekends of rehearsals, as actors get the hang of improvisation in character, they’re good to go.
Improvisation is essential to Dickens Christmas, as part of the charm is these characters, wandering around and interacting with tourists on the fly, always with over-the-top Victorian accents.
To accomplish the ensemble’s cohesion, Greene breaks actors into groups, like the upper class characters or the pick-pockets, and has them rehearse and spend time together. Breaking into smaller groups allows the actors to build chemistry and play off each other.
Christmas isn’t necessarily a happy time of year for everybody, Greene acknowledges, and the actors are sensitive to that. The magic of their job? Look people in the eye and try to make them smile.
“That validates their existence, and it’s rewarding work,” Greene said. “You know you’ve impacted all these people, and it’s taken their mind off of their troubles for a few minutes.”
It’s surreal to see SUVs driving on Route 20, people taking pictures on smartphones and protesters in Victorian garb advocating for the prohibition of alcohol. The constable, Paddy O’Toole, played by Joe Asztalos, a 2003 graduate of Syracuse University, only issues “sigh-tations.” When an infraction, like jaywalking, takes place, O’Toole simply sighs.
“Her Majesty, the Queen, is visiting on this day, and I’m in charge of Her Majesty’s safety,” O’Toole said.
O’Toole might have been keeping an eye on the Queen’s safety, but he failed to notice the pickpocket characters standing on the corner, hawking stolen jewelry. When an aristocratic woman walked by, pointing out that the jewelry was hers, the thief immediately changed his tune.
“I found your necklace! That’s what I was telling these people,” the thief said.
see dickens page 9
SU students redesign Almond St. with models
By Arabella Klonowski asst. copy editor
Syracuse University students, professors and community leaders gathered Wednesday afternoon to discuss the history of the city of Syracuse’s 15th Ward and SU Architecture students proposed methods of reconstruction for Almond Street.
Third-year students from SU’s School of Architecture worked over the fall semester to learn about Interstate-81 and its destructive effects on the once-thriving predominantly Black neighborhood. Students constructed a model of the street and developed designs for buildings in the area following the viaduct’s removal.
Wednesday’s gathering served as a forum for the students to hear the perspectives of local exports and city officials regarding rebuilding the street post-construction.
The 15th Ward was a prosperous and predominantly Black neighborhood before the area was razed by I-81’s construction in 1959. The construction displaced over 1,300 families, according to the New York Civil Liberties Union.
The city recently began construction to remove the I-81 viaduct with the intention of reconciling decades of political conflict, racism and displacement for the ward’s residents, said Elizabeth Kamell, an SU architecture professor and one of the project’s faculty advisors.
After learning about the neighborhood’s history, groups of about 15 students collaborated to re-work individual sectors of Almond Street. Each group’s projects were joined to create a proposed model of what the entire street’s updated architectural layout could look like once construction is completed near the end of 2028.
When the viaduct was built, the city didn’t consider the people who would suffer, isolating many of the community’s residents, Syracuse Bishop Bernard Alex said. He encouraged the student architects to go out into the community, do hands-on work and engage in tough conversations to reconnect with the affected people and have intentionality behind each redesigned structure.
“If you are not from Syracuse or don’t have roots in Syracuse and people to tell you the story, it was traumatic. When I say traumatic – your grocery store is gone, your place of worship is gone – at a moment’s notice,” Alex said.
Alex, one of the community leaders invited to participate in the discussion, emphasized the importance of acknowledging Almond Street’s cultural and historical significance. His father moved to Syracuse when he was young, witnessing first-hand the impact that the highway project’s con -
struction had on the community and Almond Street’s residents.
Syracuse Deputy Mayor and SU alumna Sharon Owens said her husband’s family lived in the 15th Ward and was one of the first Black families to move out as a result of the viaduct and into Westcott, a predominantly white neighborhood. She said although she isn’t from the affected community, she feels the impact.
“It’s important to know the history there, and it’s also important to know how that history affects the people who live along this border… and what the potential for this corridor is with the neighbors of that community,” Owens, who recently announced her bid for Syracuse’s next mayor, said.
Ankur Moolky, one of the students who worked on the project, said it was important not to erase history. He proposed to keep fragments of the viaduct and repurpose them as modern green spaces for public congregation.
Before concluding, Owens shared a final thought with the students and attendees at the event.
“The best thing that happened to me as an SU student was when I got an internship off of this hill … and I began to learn who the people of Syracuse were,” Owens said. “Design buildings, design parks, design roads and design sidewalks. It’s not about the space, it’s about the people using the space.”
akklonow@syr.edu
Officers who shot Christopher Murphy go free
By Delia Rangel asst. news editor
Content warning: This article contains mentions of gun violence.
The two Syracuse police officers responsible for killing Christopher Murphy were determined “legally justified” in their actions following a report from the New York State Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation Wednesday evening.
The report, which came eight months after the incident, included a review of body-worn camera footage, a legal analysis and a ballistics analysis. It found no basis for pursuing criminal charges against Officers John Canestrare and Michael Jensen. OSI concluded a prosecutor couldn’t prove that Canestrare’s use of deadly physical force was unreasonable under the circumstances.
Jensen and Onondaga County Sheriff’s Deputy Lt. Michael Hoosock, the two officers killed in the incident, were dispatched to Murphy’s home on Darien Drive following a traffic violation earlier that evening.
Upon arrival, officers found a car in the driveway with two high-capacity ammunition clips, according to the report. The officers heard a firearm being racked inside the house and took cover. Murphy emerged and fired multiple rounds from a semiautomatic rifle at Hoosock, who did not return fire and sustained a fatal wound to the head.
Murphy then went into the street and continued firing at Jensen, who returned fire and suffered a gunshot wound to the chest. Canestrare, who arrived at the scene after the first two officers, then shot Murphy.
Hoosock, Jensen and Murphy were transported to Upstate University Hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
According to the report, Canestrare witnessed Murphy shooting at Jensen when he first fired his weapon. Even after Murphy fell to the ground, he continued to hold his rifle and fire. The report says Canestrare, fearing for his own life and the lives of others, fired at Murphy to stop him from shooting.
Under New York state’s justification law, an officer is permitted to use deadly physical force when they reasonably believe it’s necessary to defend themselves from someone using deadly force. The report officially concludes the state’s investigation of the incident. dsrangel@syr.edu
How to keep your residence safe over break
By Henry Daley asst. news editor
With final exams underway and winter break approaching, The Daily Orange has tips to help students keep their residences and belongings secure while away from campus.
To protect your belongings, lock all doors and windows, close curtains and blinds and unplug all appliances. Avoid leaving any valuables behind, such as credit cards, checkbooks and cash, especially in places where they could easily be seen or stolen.
Off-campus students should make their residences appear occupied. Timers for lights or motion-sensitive lights are good options. Students should also contact their landlords about any broken outdoor lights before leaving.
Students with sliding glass doors should place a wooden dowel or a metal bar on the door’s track, preventing the door from being forced open. Any valuables left behind should be kept away from windows and all appliances except refrigerators should be unplugged. If you have a security alarm, double-check that it’s activated before leaving.
Taking a picture of what your residence looks like before you leave can document its state in the event of a burglary. If property is stolen, the pictures can help law enforcement recover the stolen items.
These safety precautions are even more crucial to follow, given property crimes around Syracuse University’s campus and in the city.
From 2023 to 2024, all property crimes in the city increased by 26.6%, with 2,709 cases reported over the first six months of 2024, syracuse.com reported. In the last five years, the city has averaged 2,013 instances of property-related crime per year. In 2024 so far, these rates are 34.6% higher. Of the 2,709 property crime reports this year, 467 of them were burglaries or instances of breakingand-entering.
Early on Wednesday morning, the Syracuse Police Department responded to five reports of burglaries at businesses across the city of Syracuse that were determined to be connected. The nearest burglary was less than two miles from SU’s main campus.
To help prevent burglaries and improve general safety, SU’s Department of Public Safety will remain accessible over winter break. DPS can be contacted at (315) 4432224 to report unsafe situations or suspicious activity. The department also offers a safety escort shuttle, which can be reached at (315) 443-7433. hdaley@syr.edu
The street was part of Syracuse’s 15th Ward, predominantly Black neighborhood before the area was torn apart by Interstate 81 highway project in 1959. solange jain photo editor
Under New York’s justification law, an officer is permitted to use deadly physical force when it’s necessary to defend themselves from deadly force. leanne rivera staff photographer
Uchenna Ezejiofor, a graduate student in the Pan African Studies program, said she’s worried for the department’s fate considering the United States’ current political climate. She said she’s afraid that when Campbell, who is 79, retires, it’ll be “curtains closed” for the department.
“I think that’s what America wants at this point,” Ezejiofor said. “When you’re learning, education is power. So when you learn all this stuff, and you get a degree in it and you’re able to apply it and work in society and contribute your knowledge in any way, you’re going to want to make change.”
Donald Trump does not support programs like AAS — the president-elect’s Agenda47 includes plans to defund programs such as AAS and women’s studies, as well as punish schools that persist in “explicit, unlawful discrimination under the guise of equity.”
“They don’t want change. They don’t want that. They don’t want people ruffling feathers. They don’t want Black people in spaces of power and leadership.” Ezejiofor said, referring to Trump’s incoming administration.
The university spokesperson wrote that SU has been “very clear” about its position on the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling that ended race-conscious college admissions.
“(SU) has reaffirmed its commitment to recruiting and enrolling talented and promising students from all backgrounds, experiences and geographies, and from across the socioeconomic spectrum,” the spokesperson wrote.
In January 2023, Florida Gov. Ron Desantis denounced Advanced Placement African American Studies courses, taught in high schools across the country, calling them “indoctrination.”
Florida, Arkansas and South Carolina have all moved to restrict AP AAS classes, with South Carolina’s Department of Education deciding to eliminate the class in June 2024. A month later, Georgia refused to allocate state funding to teaching AP AAS.
Ezejiofor said the country is entering an era of “supreme white supremacy,” with leaders who want to “silence” the narratives of Black people, Indigenous Americans and other marginalized groups.
“Systemic racism shapes the trajectory of our entire lives — academically, personally, our health, our mental health, our overall well-being, is shaped by the systemic inequalities and injustice that were imposed on us in this country,” Hobbs said.
The SU spokesperson wrote that as of March 2024, there were 12 undergraduate AAS majors, eight undergrad AAS minors and 14 graduate students pursuing Pan African Studies master’s degrees at SU.
This semester, Ezejiofor said the department has seven graduate students, all of whom are participating in the program on financial fellowships or teaching assistantships.
Dowe said Campbell supports his interest in SU’s Pan African Studies graduate program, but has urged him to look at other schools because the experience at SU is “not promised.”
“A lot of my peers are wondering if we will even be back, because we’re deprived of the resources. We don’t have enough professors,” Hobbs said. “We are fighting against something way bigger than us, with Project 2025, we
Jack Cofer, a sophomore double majoring in geography and environmental, sustainability and architecture, said he’s still been able to enjoy the space even though he’s not an engineering or architecture major.
The creativity of this place, it was all inspired right here by the original music.
John Mangicaro makerspace engineer
He’s worked at the MakerSpace since the beginning of his freshman year, where he’s helped with countless projects, like assisting engineering students with Capstone projects, led students in using 3D printers and screen-printed graduation stoles, he said.
After the MakerSpace moves, Cofer said he’ll hold onto the memories of the Kimmel location.
“Even though, physically, not too much will still be here, I hope the legacy and story continues on, and though this chapter of the MakerSpace will be closed, I hope it will be a part of the school’s history forever,” Cofer said.
Seydou Diao, a senior mechanical engineering major, echoed Cully and
don’t know what our future holds for us as the AAS department.”
Hobbs said there also aren’t enough computers in the first-year graduate students’ office, and she and Dowe said the department’s classrooms in Sims Hall have experienced prolonged heating issues. The SU spokesperson said heating issues happen in campus facilities during winter months and that they are addressed when reported.
As a grad student new to the program, Ezejiofor said she wasn’t particularly surprised to hear about the department’s struggles.
“There’s a part of me that was even kind of expecting that, given that African American Studies departments across the country are institutionally underfunded,” she said. “There is an intention around the erasure of the experiences of marginalized people in this context of Black people, and it’s now manifesting as the attack on Syracuse University’s Department of African American Studies.”
Campbell has been at the university for over 30 years and has continued his research and publishing throughout his tenure. She thinks it’s important to recognize that Campbell, who is currently writing another book, has done such a large amount of scholarship but doesn’t yet hold a distinguished professor title.
Ezejiofor said her professor’s lack of distinguished recognition by the university is “directly” correlated with the work and research he publishes, which centers around anti-oppression and Black liberation.
She also noted the small number of professors in the department.
The university spokesperson said there are eight full-time (not counting Rolling, the current interim chair), two part-time and eight affiliated faculty members in AAS.
Vlad Dima, who holds a doctorate degree in French studies and served as the department’s interim chair for one semester, was hired as a full professor three years ago, the spokesperson wrote. Two years ago, Jennifer O’Reilly was hired into a tenure-track assistant professor position. Both professors currently teach in the department.
The spokesperson wrote that the university does not make faculty hiring decisions. They previously said Dima was hired “with the support and endorsement of Syracuse’s AAS faculty.”
Over the last 10 years, the department has hired eight full faculty members, the spokesperson wrote, adding that these investments are “consistent with other departments on campus.” They also noted that in the past 10 years, four faculty members have left the department for “non-retirement related reasons.”
“The leaders of the schools and colleges, in consultation with department chairs and faculty, determine where and when to hire,” the spokesperson wrote. “As is the case with any faculty retirement or departure, the school/college leadership assesses courseload, enrollment and other metrics to determine when and if a new hire is necessary and appropriate.”
Ezejiofor said typically when professors leave, the university hires an adjunct replacement. Many elective courses taught for undergraduate students in AAS are taught primarily by adjuncts, Ezejiofor said.
“But adjuncts don’t get paid well. They’re actually very, very exploited in the academic
Cofer, expressing uncertainty about the MakerSpace’s future iteration. He said he’s been interested in engineering from a young age and this passion was what led him to work there.
“It’s kind of strange, the MakerSpace sort of has this look, a big open room with all this equipment. I’m not sure how the new one is going to look, but it’s not gonna be like this one,” Diao said.
Like Cully, Diao said he often visits the space not only for work and school assignments, but also to enjoy his free time.
The space will continue to be student-run – with many current employees staying on –but will also hire more supervisors to manage an expected increase in foot traffic at the new location, Mangicaro said. He also said the space’s deep roots on campus have inspired him to bring along some of its most notable artwork to the new site, including Alice in Wonderland murals that hung in the former nightclub from the 1970s to 80s.
Beyond producing artwork and other creative projects, Mangicaro said developing friendships with students, growing alongside them and sharing his knowledge have been some of the most rewarding parts of working at the MakerSpace.
“The students who work here, it’s a magical place. They’re all motivated, enthusiastic, wonderful kids who have a deep interest in helping people,” Mangicaro said. sgupta38@syr.edu
system — they’re not paid well, they don’t have the same benefits as a full professor, they don’t get to contribute to the literature in the same way,” she said.
Gretchen Ritter, SU’s Vice President for Civic Engagement and Education, who was the university’s provost at the time, told the University Senate in April that AAS is “central” to the university. She said SU “takes pride” in the AAS department, its research and curricular offerings.
Campbell said that while the university “will tell you whatever they want to tell you,” there are not enough professors in the AAS department.
“The amount of bodies here — to meet students, to mentor students, to teach students — are not there,” Campbell said. “That’s just the reality.”
The university states that it is committed to diversity and inclusion — something Trump is set to target, Reuters reported Tuesday. The university’s commitment “is rooted in the belief that multiple points of view, life experiences, ethnicities, cultures and belief systems are essential to academic excellence,” as stated on its website.
Joan Bryant, an associate professor of AAS, currently oversees the operations of the department’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library. Multiple students previously told The D.O. that Bryant was working double time as both a professor and librarian. Graduate students still run the library under her guidance, Hobbs said.
“She has to worry about just keeping the library alive when she was not hired as a librarian — she was hired as a professor,” she said. “Why is our department not worthy of an actual librarian? Why do we have to spread our faculty thin, forcing them into a discipline that ultimately is not what they’re here to do?”
The university spokesperson said SU’s College of Arts and Sciences supports replacing the librarian position, but said there was disagreement among AAS faculty regarding the role’s requirements and expectations.
“The College would like to hire a librarian, whereas, some of the faculty want this position to be a tenure-track professor position who also serves as the librarian,” the spokesperson wrote.
Rolling said the department is “moving cautiously” to fully assess the needs of students while also working to preserve the library’s “unique history and autonomy.”
SU’s Bird Library and Carnegie Library each have multiple librarians. The university’s King + King Architecture Library has one librarian.
Dobbs also said it’s not the responsibility of students and faculty in the AAS department to keep the department running. They worry whether anyone will come after them and focus on the department’s fate, she said.
The university documented in 2023 that 7.5% of its undergrad students and 8% of its grad students are Black or African American.
“(The university) should do more to give to the department which aims to enlighten students about the history of Black people, of African American people,” Dowe said.
Hobbs feels like the university is “doing nothing” about the AAS department.
“I don’t know if you’ve ever heard the saying that silence is complacency,” she said. “You are as responsible when you say nothing, as if you were saying something against it.”
AAS faculty sent a list of issues in a 2020
letter to university administration. The list was updated in 2024.
• Department chair process must involve the department
• Supporting curriculum
• Replacement of faculty
• Create a pathway to pay increases for tenure and promotion for professors who have “extraordinary service loads”
• Address structural racism, lack of transparency and the campus climate at SU
• University to enroll “considerably more Black and brown students”
• University to hire a departmental librarian and 12 part-time instructors for the 2024-25 academic year due to several faculty going on leave
• Three additional teaching assistants and a resident advisor to be assigned to the department
• University to establish an endowed postdoctoral faculty fellowship and for the university to “revive and authorize” the search for visiting professorships — which was supposed to start in spring 2020
• University to create two endowed professor positions in AAS
Campbell said the university has not met any of the department’s listed requirements.
Rolling said while he has his own ideas for the AAS department, his goal is to help the university and department arrive at a “new vision collectively.”
“Talking one on one with our faculty members has affirmed to me that excellent ideas about strengthening our curriculum, our faculty presence, and the numbers of our majors and minors are already in house,” he said.
Rolling said the most important achievement the department has made this semester was deciding to move forward with a developmental external review of the AAS department — since the department’s last external review was in 2003. Rolling is also developing a departmental mentoring plan to support AAS’s junior faculty members.
The AAS department was created by student protest and strengthened by student protest, Hobbs said. Black students had to fight for the department and library to exist, “just like we did historically in this country,” she said.
“By no means are we victims. We fight every day to keep our department alive. But at what point does it become exhausting and no longer our responsibility to uphold rather than the people who have the actual first and final say?” Hobbs said.
Despite AAS’s ongoing struggles, Hobbs, Dowe and Ezejiofor highlighted the joy within the department. Hobbs said AAS has had a very successful semester, hosting multiple events that brought together academics from across the African diaspora.
Hobbs said that as an undergrad, she spoke out in support of the #NotAgainSU movement.
“Now, as a graduate student, I have to speak up for my department. We’re at a point where we may not have a department anymore,” Hobbs said. “We’re doing the best that we can, and merely existing and pushing through adversity is what we do every day. We get up, we show up. We are at the forefront. We are using our voices. We will never be silent.”
arflemin@syr.edu
The Kimmel MakerSpace will close in preparation for SU’s demolition of Kimmel and Marion halls over winter break. collin snyder staff photographer
Home sweet home
Erie Canal Museum’s
Gingerbread
Gallery
serves as a family tradition for many Syracuse
locals
By Mia Jones asst. culture editor
During the holiday season, some families attend the annual tree lighting in downtown Syracuse or the Festival of Trees & Light at the Everson Museum of Art. Others donate their winter gear to local charities or go ice skating in Clinton Square.
But for Jane Verostek and her two daughters, Octavia and Minerva Miller, the Gingerbread Gallery at the Erie Canal Museum is what stuck.
“It’s been a way for me to keep a tradition going with the kids for all these years no matter what’s going on,” Verostek said.
This winter, the 39th annual Gingerbread Gallery features 47 houses on display from Nov.
22 through Jan. 12, 2025. The museum staff arrange set pieces resembling an 1800s Erie Canal town marketplace. Mimicking a bustling downtown, the gingerbread houses are created by community members.
The gallery started as a gingerbread house auction in 1986 to raise money for the museum’s public programs. It’s since grown into a community exhibition, where locals show off their baking talents. Bakers of varying skill levels build houses and present them in mock storefront windows in the museum.
With winter being a slower time for museums, the Gingerbread Gallery helps fund many of the Erie Canal Museum’s other programs, Steph Adams, the museum’s director of interpretation, said.
Adams said the museum is a gathering place for the community during the holiday season. As families grow and expand, new generations come to see the Gingerbread Gallery.
“It’s really sweet hearing kids come in here and being excited. It brings me a little bit of joy while I’m working,” Adams said.
Some houses are just for show, but participants can enter their gingerbread creations into competitions, including youth, general and senior competitions.
SU students reveal year’s top artists through Spotify Wrapped
By Spencer Howard asst. culture editor
For music listeners across the globe, 2024 was a jam-packed year. It brought us new phenomena like “brat summer” and astounding live performances from
The top songs
included “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter, “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar and “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey.
a survey conducted by The Daily Orange, students at Syracuse University shared their top songs and artists from 2024.
Detailed gingerbread houses covered in icing are displayed at the Erie Canal Museum’s Gingerbread Gallery. brycen pace asst. photo editor
Destiny’s Santa uses teaching experience to spread cheer
By Charlotte Price asst. digital editor
Adeline Kennedy had already shared her Christmas list of stuffed animals, figurine cars and Paw Patrol toys with Santa Claus, but she wanted to come back to his workshop one more time to see him again. Her dad, David Kennedy, said the experience was magical for his daughter. It’s a tradition that gets them both in the Christmas spirit every year.
The Santa they saw was Jim Bay, a professional Santa. He’s part of a group of actors who occupy Destiny Mall’s main lobby during the holiday season. The Christmas icon listens to wishes and spreads spirit until Christmas Eve.
Jim’s real-life Mrs. Claus, Laura Bay, said Jim’s work as Santa started out as an interesting hobby during his retirement, but her husband has found the work rewarding.
“I think he’s found out that interacting with the children, the parents and some of the other people that have come to see him have been very, very emotional and moving experiences,”
Laura said.
Santa’s one of the most recognizable figures in pop culture, and the promise of his presence — and presents — leaves large shoes to fill. Every December, lists are written, sleighs are tracked and gifts are addressed under his name.
Jim has lots of experience handling the role. Since retiring from his teaching career, he’s worked as a Santa for 10 years, including
beyond the hill
in malls for four. All it took Jim was a quick Google search to find opportunities. Since beginning his work as a Santa at a dog rescue program, Jim has now worked in Binghamton, New York, Milford, Connecticut, and now in Syracuse’s Destiny Mall.
When he’s working at Destiny, the energy around Jim’s Santa is abundantly clear, with kids yelling and waving from the many balconies of the six-level mall.
Destina Mills works at Destiny alongside Jim, taking pictures of Santa with eager kids and ringing up excited parents who just scored a photo for their holiday card. After spending so much time around Santas this season, Mills knows the qualities of a good one. Santa is kind-hearted, has pure intentions and always knows what to say, she said. Jim is successful with all of these.
“Really, he just brings in a lot of smiles, and he just really makes the kids happy, and that just makes me happy,” Mills said.
Laura said that part of what makes Jim so good at the job is his work experience as a teacher. He was a special education teacher for 35 years, and worked for the last 25 years of his career for the State of New York and OnondagaCortland-Madison Board of Cooperative Educational Services.
She said her husband’s experiences working with multiple age and ability levels helps him create a positive experience for anyone excited to meet Santa. She said Jim under -
stands how to approach people in a welcoming way.
“Santa Claus can sometimes be intimidating, especially to small children. I think Jim does a great job of giving the children space and time and attention,” Laura said.
For children with special needs, taking a picture with Santa can be especially difficult, Mills said. Jim always has the patience to take extra time to understand what the child is saying, which is meaningful for parents, Mills said.
The joy that comes from seeing Santa isn’t just limited to younger children. Jim said some of the most emotional moments of his work have been with adults with dementia. Jim recalled an instance when a man brought his wife, who had advanced dementia, to meet Santa.
“She really relived that childhood experience with Santa, and was just so overjoyed,” Jim said.
Jim stays busy during the Christmas off-season. He enjoys traveling and golf, works part-time at SUNY Upstate Medical University Hospital and covers the Tampa Bay Lightning and Chicago Blackhawks for hockeywriters.com. But his work as Santa stands out.
“The interaction with the children is priceless,” Jim said. “Everyone is different, because you’ll come up and you’ll get the kids that are scared and won’t come up to you, and the kids that are overjoyed.”
cprice04@syr.edu
Everson’s Festival of Trees and Light brightens holiday spirit
By Eliana Rosen asst. digital editor
Holiday music plays softly as visitors stroll through Christmas trees embellished with paper chains, hand-painted canvas ornaments, metal cans and more at the Everson Museum of Art. From the outside, the museum is brutalistic, with a tan-colored boxy exterior. But inside, it’s brimming with holiday spirit.
“You walk in and you feel like you’re in a winter wonderland,” Dominic Tricase, the museum’s director of marketing and development, said.
The museum is holding its 39th annual Festival of Trees & Light from Dec. 5-8 and 11-15. The two-week festival includes various locallysponsored holiday-themed art workshops and performances, as well as a Christmas tree display throughout the museum. All the proceeds help fund exhibitions, learning engagements and outreach.
The entirety of the museum is lined with Christmas trees, each donated by a local business or hand decorated by people with different mate-
How he found the necklace, as it was locked away in a chest in the woman’s house, remains a mystery.
Another observation — Queen Victoria was visiting town. Around 2 p.m., a crowd gathered at the gazebo at Clift Park, next to the lake, for caroling. The crowd chanted, “God save the Queen!” as the royals addressed the crowd.
Greene, who is a registered officiant, performed a wedding on Sunday, just after the show began. Greene officiated the wedding fully in character as Dickens, at the request of the couple.
rials, including a wooden tree and one made out of Christmas lights.
The festival averages over 5,000 visitors each year, Triscase said. Attending the festival has become a tradition for many. It also brings many new attendees to the museum, including locals who were previously unaware of what it offers.
“It’s a great way for us to get to people who may not necessarily be coming here on a daily basis,” Triscase said. “We want people to know, ‘Hey, there’s a museum right in your backyard.’”
Ben Kintish and his wife Cassandra came to the festival looking for an activity to do with their young daughter. It was the family’s first time at the museum. They immediately signed up for a membership when they walked in.
“There’s a lot more going on here than we thought,” Kintish said.
For regulars like Lisa Todzai, it’s heartwarming to see so many people taking advantage of the museum. Todzai, a paralegal, has facilitated art workshops at the festival for the last three years. The museum isn’t usually this busy during the rest of the year, she said, so filling the museum is important.
Maybe Dickens could help Princess Victoria out.
“I am still looking for a husband!” Princess Victoria declared. The crowd laughed, but the Queen chided her daughter.
The royals, Dickens, Washington Irving and other characters led the crowd in singing several Christmas carols, such as “Deck the Halls” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” The crowd also sang the “12 Days of Christmas,” in groups for each day. One group formed a conga line to sing “Nine Ladies Dancing.”
The most enthusiastic crowd member received a silver teasel necklace from the Queen
Art is the heart of the festival. A winter art studio, sponsored by This is CNY, is open each day of the festival for families to participate in holiday-themed art activities such as painting, drawing and pottery. Older participants can visit the museum’s art exhibits or participate in more advanced art workshops, such as mosaic and watercolor classes. Todzai stressed the importance of having a place for art in the community.
“Art is a reflection of our human creativity,” Todzai said. “It is a way for us to express what is nearest and dearest. I think it’s fantastic that the kids are so interested.”
The event also provides many local groups with an opportunity to perform in the museum’s auditorium. The festival includes holiday performances from the Syracuse Pops Chorus, Tawn Marie’s Dance Centre, Baldwinsville High School Orchestra and the Sentinel A Cappella Group, among others.
The museum provides programming for all ages, such as holiday crafts, a “Polar Express” movie night and holiday storytelling for young kids. Parents said they were impressed by the array of events for children.
for his merriment. He leaped in the air to scream, “10 Lords a-leaping.”
When Dickens asked for requests, Scrooge had one.
“I request that you all keep silent!” Scrooge said.
“Oh, ‘Silent Night?’ Sure!” Dickens said, before leading the crowd in song. Scrooge groaned and grumpily meandered off the gazebo.
Each year, Greene looks forward to a woman and her dog who come for a photo with Greene (in costume) for her Christmas card. Little stuff like that is why he loves his job. It isn’t just a funny, silly oddity in a small central New York lake town,
“I was very surprised when I walked in,” Amira Goldberg said. “I always thought this museum was more of an art museum for adults.” Museum staff want to provide young adults with festive activities to do with friends or on dates, Tricase said. Events like a stained glass workshop, a charcuterie board making class and an art and wine night cater to an older audience. Even the children’s events were popular among adults as well. Katie Brietback and Danielle Smith said taking a photo with Mrs. Claus was the highlight of their time at the festival.
“We feel like little kids again,” Brietback said. “We are definitely coming back next year.”
The event doesn’t only celebrate Christmas. Craft making workshops for Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Diwali are included, as well as general winter-themed activities and performances. Tricase said it was important to the museum to create a holiday event that’s inclusive to all.
“It makes it even more special and allows people to come together during this happy time,” Tricase said. “Everyone has a bit more joy in their step and we’re excited to see it.”
ehrosen@syr.edu
but a meaningful tradition to both tourists and actors.
“We do this because it fills a void in people’s lives,” Greene said. “I’m fortunate that’s how I make a living.”
Of course, Scrooge, the centerpiece of Dickens Christmas, doesn’t mind having a void in his life.
“It is better to be rich and miserable than poor and happy,” Scrooge said. “Emotions, they’ll keep you poor.”
Maybe Scrooge will change his mind come Dec. 25. After all, there’s nothing like supernatural intervention to set someone straight. bnbutler@syr.edu
courtesy of jim bay
The museum also holds a competition for the best Erie Canal-related gingerbread house. With the bicentennial anniversary of the canal coming up in 2025, this year’s competition is especially memorable, Taylor Westerlund, the development and communications manager at the museum, said.
Bakers and museum workers start preparations early. During late August and early September, the museum sends out a form of intent to determine the anticipated number of houses.
Museum workers start putting together the gallery in October. Bakers complete the houses by early November so workers can start decorating and setting up the room for display.
The gingerbread houses aren’t like the store bought ones with instructions and pre-made materials. Some participants plan their ideas a year in advance, Westerlund said. People from across the state come to see the extravagant creations. Busy years see around 6,000 people total, he said.
The gingerbread houses reflect an assortment of community values, ranging from history to movies to music. Houses this year recreated scenes from the Wicked movie and the Nutcracker. People get creative with the materials used. One house used Andes Chocolate Mints as roof shingles, while another created snow from shredded coconut.
“This is a really great opportunity for people to be creative and let their minds and imaginations run wild,” Westerlund said.
Some participants use things other than candy.
One historical home featured blue aluminum foil to mimic the shimmering frozen canal.
After Verostek had her two daughters, she thought the Gingerbread Gallery could be a fun activity for them to do together each year. Every year after Thanksgiving, it’s customary for them to see the gingerbread houses.
The Verostek family’s gingerbread houses are always inspired by a movie. In years past, they’ve done “Inside Out,” “Ice Age” and “Shrek,” using dehydrated vegetables to create the swamp outside the ogre’s home.
Verostek often tells her daughters that making these gingerbread houses is “making something from nothing.” They start from scratch and end up with an intricately detailed house.
In their 15th year participating, Verostek and her daughters recreated a scene from the movie “Up,” with Carl and Russell outside the house. The family used figurines for the two characters and Dum Dums for the balloons coming out of the chimney. Each house exhibits its own sense of personality, Verostek said.
“The holidays are a time of year when you reflect on what’s important to you,” Westerlund said. “For a lot of people, that’s their family.”
Despite challenging moments, creating a house for the gallery has lived on as a constant tradition for Verostek and her family. She’s found joy watching the gingerbread houses evolve as her daughters do. Every year, her daughters ask her what they’ll make for the gallery and hopes to continue participating even when the girls go off to college.
While the family’s other holiday traditions have fizzled out over the years, Verostek said this is the best one out of all of them.
“It doesn’t matter what’s going on in your life or what good or bad things are happening, we can take a moment and be like, ‘OK, we’re going to do this gingerbread house together and come together,’” Verostek said. mjones58@syr.edu
CONCERTS THIS WEEKEND
Mark Nanni Music
For some Friday fun in Oswego, catch a Mark Nanni performance this week. The concert will encompass pop, rock, soul, bluegrass and country, along with original songs. Nanni will perform on the accordion, piano and guitar.
WHEN : Friday at 6 p.m.
WHERE: The Rooftop Lounge, Oswego PRICE: Free
Los Blancos
End your weekend by rocking out to roots and blues music. Los Blancos is a Syracuse-based band with 15 years of experience jamming in central New York. Patrons can enjoy snacks and a $15 food voucher for Food Rescue Food Truck with their ticket.
WHEN : Sunday at 4 p.m.
WHERE: Middle Ages Brewing Company PRICE: $50
Shakedown Sunday
Enjoy acoustic renditions of the Grateful Dead’s classic songs with cover band Dead to the Core. This celebration of the band’s music will feature Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers, Tim Burns, Wendy Sassafras Ramsay and Brian Welch, with special guest Little Georgie and the Shuffling Hungarians.
WHEN : Sunday at 7 p.m.
WHERE: The 443 Social Club & Lounge PRICE: $17.79
Mihali with Mike Powell and The Echosound
Join Mihali and Mike Powell and The Echosound for a night of reggae and rock. Based in Vermont, Mihali links reggae and roots rock. Mike Powell and The Echosound will be opening for Mihali in their last local concert of the year.
WHEN : Sunday, doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m.
WHERE: Westcott Theater PRICE: $20, $25 day of show
Who: Lizi Gelenidze
Top artists: Radiohead, Steve Lacy, Billie Eilish, Travis Scott, The Smiths
Minutes listened: 39,244
Who: Christopher Paradis
Top artists: Hozier, Childish Gambino, Big Thief, Tyler the Creator, The Happy Fits
Minutes listened: 24,000
Paradis’ Thoughts: Paradis was surprised there wasn’t more folk music in his recap.
Who: Avery Schner
Top artists: Drake, Travis Scott, Don Toliver, Nicki Minaj, Metro Boomin
Minutes listened: 12,148
Schner’s Thoughts: Schner was surprised by the “Pink Pilates Princess Vogue Pop Era” and “Boujee Rap Era” included in her recap.
Who: Cassandra Nalli
Top artists: Jeff Buckley, Mk.gee, Ariana Grande, ZAYN, Sabrina Carpenter
Minutes listened: 145,896
Who: Ava Bauknecht
Top artists: Gorillaz, Turnstile, Daft Punk, Led
Zeppelin, Fall Out Boy
Minutes listened: 43,039
Bauknecht’s Thoughts: “None of my top songs were written by my top artists.”
Who: Taylor Kellett
Top artists: Rex Orange County, Thundercat, Nujabes, Lil Yachty, Tame Impala
Minutes listened: 57,230
Kellett’s Thoughts: Kellett noted none of his top artists were the same as last year’s.
Who: Jude Emperado
Top artists: Ariana Grande, Earth, Wind & Fire, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Stan Getz, Donna Summer
Minutes listened: 33,298
Who: Maddie Ritter
Top artists: Taylor Swift, One Direction, Morgan Wallen, SZA, Noah Kahan
Minutes listened: 45,601
Ritter’s Thoughts: “I’m surprised Clarity by Zedd was not included!”
Who: Linc Zdancewicz
Top artists: Busty and the Bass, Rush, Stevie Wonder, The Police, Van Halen
Minutes listened: 22,620
Zdancewicz’s Thoughts: “My top two songs were ‘Kids’ by Busty and the Bass and ‘Kids (instrumen-
tal),’ so I guess I liked that song a lot.”
Who: Jack Withee
Top artists: Ariana Grande, Lorde, Gracie Abrams, SZA, Chappell Roan Minutes listened: 46,000 sphoward@syr.edu
The Rock Orchestra By Candlelight
Classical music meets rock music with The Rock Orchestra By Candlelight. The 14-piece band is known to “breathe beautifully dark energy into legendary rock and metal,” per its website.
WHEN : Sunday at 8 p.m.
WHERE: The Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater PRICE: $38 to $166
flynn ledoux
Gingerbread houses made by friends and families of the Syracuse community stand in the Erie Canal Museum’s windows. brycen pace asst. photo editor
flynn ledoux illustration editor
Winter requires embracing cold weather struggles as a freshman
By Autumn Clarke columnist
The first winter at Syracuse University is an initiation ritual. For a good number of students, it’s their first taste of 15-degree weather and a -5 degree wind chill — a shock to the system for most freshmen. It’s not just the drop in temperature that’s startling, but also the feelings of alienation and homesickness mixed with new responsibilities. I learned quickly that leggings, Uggs and a jacket wasn’t going to cut it. Despite being used to the brick temperatures of New York City I realized right away that winters in the city are nothing compared to central New York. Here’s what I wish I had known when I was stepping into these cold gray months as a freshman. In the winter, Syracuse’s sidewalks are a patchwork of ice and slush and the cold clings to your bones. My usual 15-minute stroll to class evolved into a race against the climate; a fiveminute sprint, face buried in my scarf in an attempt to get inside before my fingers froze solid. Every step is a test of will against the elements as the winter continues to demand our respect at SU. We’re thinking about the snow before it even hits, perpetuating a battle against
layers of gear only to shed it once we get inside sweltering classrooms.
Outside of class, you can sled down Crouse hill with metal trash lids — a rite of passage — or spend afternoons ice skating with friends at Tennity Ice Pavilion on South Campus. The crisp air on the rink and the clinking of skates helped me forget about the freezing temperatures when I visited this semester.
A constant theme in college life that also applies to surviving winter is the act of transitioning, which students must do intentionally. While trudging through snow is brutal, there’s something about winter in Syracuse that makes it feel more alive than at home. People don’t just hunker down and wait for it to pass — they embrace it.
Freshman year is all about exploring. There were times when the weight of long hours at the library would tire me out, creating the perfect opportunity to get my feet moving. I recommend finding a local staple to spend time away from your dorm in the cold months, like I have with Varsity Pizza and its cozy, inviting atmosphere. Even if I’m going solo, banking on an outlet I feel comfortable in is helping me through this frigid period.
But just as quickly as I found my place, academic stakes revealed themselves. Midterm
week scattered papers across my room and induced the pervasive feeling I should be constantly studying. The pressure left me wanting to confine myself in my dorm, pull the covers over my head and let out a few tears.
You must pursue moments that remind you you’re not alone once it starts snowing. I often head over to friends’ dorms just to hang out and unwind, as commiserating with my peers lessens the cold just a bit. Prioritizing connection is key even when you don’t want to put in the extra effort to trek over to a friend’s dorm.
Make sure you’re layering up your emotional resilience, too, along with your warm clothes. Everything felt new and overwhelming stepping onto campus initially, but as my first week unfolded, I got a sense of my place at the university. It wasn’t just the stunning campus and its vibrant spirit, but its ability to blend rigorous academics with such a profound sense of school spirit that opened my eyes to new possibilities and a sense of comfort.
The reality of balancing social life with academics and the unpredictable Syracuse weather have forced me to slow down and reevaluate my priorities. I have begun shifting into a quieter, more introspective mindset. In the space
of winter’s forced stillness, I found space for self-reflection, attempting to figure out who I was outside of the constant social buzz and what I truly wanted from my time at college.
If this semester left you feeling isolated or without the connections you hoped for, remember that social life in college isn’t a linear or quick process. Don’t be discouraged by the feeling that you’re behind or that you’ll never find your people. It may take effort and time to connect with others who truly resonate with you. As uncomfortable as it feels, college is a journey of growth and your relationships will grow along with you.
Keep reaching out, keep being yourself and don’t give up on the process of meeting new people. Friendship often happens when and where you least expect it. Every step, no matter how small, brings you closer to finding the support and community you deserve in college — even amid the coldest temperatures.
Autumn Clarke is a freshman majoring in broadcast and digital journalism. She can be reached at auclarke@syr.edu.
personal essay
“He’s just the nicest human being you ever want to meet. And it’s hard to say that about a Georgetown guy,” Boeheim joked about Mutombo. “He was a great statesman and an ambassador for the game of basketball. It was sad to see him go. He was a force.”
Mutombo moved to the United States from the Democratic Republic of Congo to sign with Georgetown in the fall of 1987 and joined its basketball team the following year. He became one of the NCAA’s greatest defenders of all time. Mutombo was a two-time All-American, averaged a doubledouble as a junior and senior and won Big East Defensive Player of the Year in 1991 — in which he totaled a whopping 4.7 blocks per game.
At the time of his graduation, Mutombo’s 354 blocks were the third-most in college basketball history.
“He made you think about every time you drove to the basket, that he’s going to be there,” Owens said.
Mutombo’s success wasn’t surprising, especially to his Georgetown teammates. The day former Hoyas forward Milton Bell saw a 7-footer running back and forth on the court with the speed of a deer, he said he knew head coach John Thompson had found another gem.
Bell lived with Mutombo during his freshman year in 1988-89. He likened Mutombo’s road from the Congo to playing Division I ball to following the “golden staircase.” The talent was always there — he just needed to be himself. Thompson gave him that chance.
“It didn’t take me long to figure out if you take a kid with the drive of Dikembe Mutombo and the knowledge and connections of John Thompson, we knew this kid was going to be special,” Bell said.
Thompson let his players be free. For Mutombo, that meant rejecting layups with authority while laughing about it on his way to the offensive end. That was originally seen during his first season when he was on the Hoyas’ second team behind Mourning.
Bell said Mutombo was tenacious in every practice and quickly earned more minutes as the year progressed. Mutombo finished the 1988-89 season playing just 11.3 minutes per game, but averaged 2.3 blocks. His breakout performance came against Syracuse. On March 5, 1989, Mutombo tallied four blocks in an eventual SU overtime victory. But Owens and Coleman still won’t let Herman Harried forget one of Mutombo’s swats.
Harried, who played for the Orange from 1984-89, crafted a baby hook shot that Owens and Coleman could never block in practice.
“They told me, ‘We’re gonna get Herm a blocked shot, we’re gonna get it today,’ and they could never get it,” Harried said.
In response, Kouwe recalls Boeheim smirking before saying, “Wait until you see McNamara play.” At the time, Kouwe didn’t know much about McNamara besides him being scrappy and from Scranton. But that interaction showed Kouwe that SU’s other freshman was special, too. Soon after, he took note of McNamara’s competitiveness.
“It’s probably why he became such a great assistant at Syracuse and now is a coach at Siena. That competitiveness, that passion for hoops. That’s authentic,” Kouwe said.
Beyond his comfort within the program and competitive drive, McNamara’s intangibles from playing guard also spearheaded the transition. As he progressed through his upper-class years, McNamara became an extension of Boeheim on the court.
“It was easy. He was a voice on the floor when he played, so his voice stayed the same as a coach,” Arinze Onuaku, a forward at SU from 2006-10, said.
Boeheim said McNamara was a great coach from Day 1, helping him land a full-time role on Syracuse’s staff as an assistant once there was an opening in 2011.
Whether it was working alongside Hopkins with the guards, recruiting or anything in between, McNamara focused on what was in front of him. He remained consistent year in and year out.
“Before you know it, you’re a decade in,” McNamara said while laughing.
While Hopkins — who was supposed to succeed Boeheim when he retired — departed for Washington in 2017, McNamara and Autry became mainstays on SU’s staff. In 2016, Autry received a promotion to associate head coach.
This sparked SU’s new succession plan once Hopkins left a year later. Following Boeheim’s retirement, Syracuse Director of Athletics John Wildhack said the plan to have Autry become head coach was in place for “a while.”
McNamara also received a promotion and stepped into Autry’s old title. Yet, he soon had
dikembe mutombo’s journey in the U.S. began with his college career at Georgetown, where coach
Harried trash-talked Owens and Coleman, continuously drilling his signature shot over them. But the roles reversed when Syracuse played Georgetown in 1989. As Owens and Coleman sat on the bench at one point, Harried went up for his baby hook.
“Mutombo just sent it wherever the hell it needed to go but not toward the basket,” Harried said, with disbelief still in his tone. “And as I’m running down the court, my two teammates are laughing at me for getting my shot blocked.”
Once Mutombo moved to the starting group in his second season, Bell and Georgetown’s second-teamers thought he’d be an alien on the hardwood.
“If you could score on him or you could dunk over him, you would have no problem in the game,” Bell said. “Because you were playing against a pro at the time.”
Mutombo began to learn he was a big deal. Clarence “Bucky” McGill, a former SU football player who used to host Georgetown players at his home in Washington, D.C., developed a tight bond with Mutombo. When McGill called Mutombo, he answered the phone more than the other guys on the team did.
Bell said Mutombo would answer the phone every time it rang when they were together excited at someone calling for him. His teammates used to hide the phone from him so he wouldn’t get distracted if a woman from around campus gave him a ring, Bell said.
“He thought that every phone call was for him,” McGill said.
Mutombo loved the attention. He was about to receive plenty of it from Syracuse heading into the 1989-90 season. The programs were perennial heavyweights then. Both sides later finished as top-three NCAA Tournament seeds, while SU closed the year with a Big East Championship appearance.
an opportunity to finally advance to coaching’s pinnacle. A few days after Siena fired head coach
Carmen Maciariello on March 20 following a 4-28 season, McNamara got a phone call asking if he was interested in the job. “Obviously yes,” he answered.
Adrian was the head coach here and Gerry wanted a chance to have his own program,” Boeheim said. “It just worked out that Siena happened to come open and he was able to get that.”
McNamara then had phone calls and inperson meetings with Siena President Chuck Seifert and Athletic Director John D’Argenio. In a process that happened quickly, McNamara was formally introduced as the Saints’ 19th head coach in program history on April 2.
Throughout the process, McNamara kept Autry — who lived a few houses away from him — in the loop. There wasn’t a conversation McNamara had with Siena that he didn’t immediately tell Autry about. SU’s head coach showed full support.
“I lost a close friend first and foremost,” Autry said of McNamara at Syracuse’s media day. “Obviously, a bright mind, great coach. He’s going to do great things at Siena.”
McNamara said he wanted to emulate Boeheim’s “family-first” model when building his staff, which he began thinking about when he first realized he wanted to be a head coach. He looked to construct his staff around people who trust each other, are fully invested in one another, believe in each other and motivate each other.
So, of the five coaches he hired, three were Syracuse alumni. Onuaku and Ryan Blackwell, an SU guard from 1996-2000, were hired as assistants alongside Ben Lee, who worked under Hopkins at Washington. Meanwhile, McNamara hired Ryan Beaury — who served as a student manager, graduate assistant and video coordinator for the Orange — as the Saints’ director of basketball operations.
“Having that Syracuse kind of family in Siena definitely enhances the connection between everybody,” Peter Carey, who transferred to the Saints from SU following the 2023-24 season, said.
The coaching staff’s rapport instantly trickled into players. Beaury joked it took just 38
The weight of the Syracuse-Georgetown rivalry speaks for itself, but Boeheim believes the Mutombo and Coleman days were its most contentious. Every game at Syracuse’s Carrier Dome and Georgetown’s Capital Centre were filled to the brim, he said.
“Every game was just a battle and I looked forward to it. It was really the height of the Big East those years,” Boeheim said. “There was respect, but it was a fierce rivalry.”
Even as battles between stars like Mourning versus Coleman and Stephen Thompson versus Mark Tillmon raged, Mutombo remained in the middle. Owens said the Orange prepared the best they could for Mutombo’s generational paint defense. It was a simple strategy: go around him, avoid him or get embarrassed.
Owens said since Mutombo wasn’t from the U.S., he didn’t care too much about who the game’s best players were. He wasn’t fazed by Owens or Coleman, only feared by others. Owens felt there was an added incentive for attempting to climb Mount Mutombo.
“It’s like that clip of him and Michael Jordan talking in the locker room, saying that he never dunked on him. And believe me, everybody that’s a basketball player wants to dunk on the shot blocker,” Owens said of Mutombo.
He learned his lesson.
Owens still chuckles about one play in the Carrier Dome from March 4, 1990. Syracuse defeated Georgetown 89-87 in overtime. But that’s not what sticks out to Owens.
At one point, Owens boldly charged into the paint as a trailing Mutombo converged from the weak side to block his shot. Owens panicked. He didn’t think he had enough time to jump. So he threw the ball up nonsensically, and it ricocheted off the shot clock above the glass.
Owens said he played it off by looking at his hands as if they were too sweaty. He even joked
it was a win for him because Mutombo didn’t get a block.
“I just remember Boeheim screaming at me, ‘Billy, Billy! What are you doing?’ Just screaming and screaming at me,” Owens said. “I had no chance of making that layup.”
Though Mutombo tallied a litany of stellar performances against Syracuse — including that overtime game, where he scored 19 points with 12 rebounds and five blocks, and when he hauled in 18 rebounds in a Jan. 21, 1991, matchup — the Orange had the Hoya’s number.
Syracuse beat Mutombo’s teams five of seven times. Boeheim’s squad, consisting of Owens, Dave Johnson and LeRon Ellis, swept Georgetown in the 1990-91 season after a Coleman-and Owens-led SU swept the Hoyas the year before.
Boeheim insists those Georgetown teams led by Mutombo and Mourning were among the best he ever faced and takes pride in Syracuse running the rivalry with them around.
“You had to run your offense and everything away from him, you didn’t want to challenge him too much,” Boeheim said of Mutombo. “When you had success against Georgetown with those two guys (Mutombo and Mourning) there, it was a good win.”
Mutombo’s career hit new stratospheres when he moved on to the NBA, but his role in solidifying the gravity of Syracuse-Georgetown can’t be understated. Opponents and teammates hail him as the rivalry’s most intimidating player. It was the first major basketball feat of Mutombo’s life in America. He never wanted people to forget it, either.
Ryan Mutombo — Mutombo’s son and a current senior center at Georgia Tech after transferring from Georgetown — said his father passed the rivalry’s lore down to him. Mutombo was always a “Big East guy,” Ryan said, often attending SU-Georgetown games and taking pride when his son followed in his footsteps.
“He really enjoyed that one game my freshman year when we beat Syracuse,” Ryan said of his father. “He thought that game was really important for the culture of Georgetown basketball. I’m glad they still play that game.”
Every now and then, Owens and Mutombo, who became close throughout their basketball careers, would run into each other at Big East Tournament games. Pride turned into smack talk for Mutombo. He used to give Owens an earful, even if he didn’t have his stories straight.
“He claimed he beat me more times than I beat him. But that’s not true,” Owens said, laughing. “That’s just his character. He was so fun to be around, and I was always looking forward to running into him so he could talk his trash with his big smile on his face.” ccandrew@syr.edu @cooper_andrews
seconds into Siena’s first practice for the team to buy into what McNamara was building. Meanwhile, Carey added the Saints are honored to be in a position where they can learn from someone who thrived on college basketball’s highest stage.
But for as much as he’s taken from Boeheim and SU’s culture, Blackwell has seen McNamara implement his own philosophies. Even so, the staff is still trying to make SU proud.
“It’s fun that if we can start winning, then people will say, ‘Wow, this is part of the Syracuse tree,’” Blackwell said. “We want to do Syracuse proud and make our own little niche here in Siena.”
McNamara loved Syracuse so much that he put off his eight-year goal of becoming a head coach. But when Siena’s position opened, McNamara said it was a no-brainer to make the jump.
With the Orange, McNamara saw the thenPepsi Arena as a special place firsthand playing in 2004. Additionally, he praised Siena’s history and support for its basketball program. Combining these factors with his ties to the capital area and its recruiting hotbed, McNamara was presented with the perfect storm to move on from SU.
Since the Saints haven’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2010, McNamara naturally wants to return the program to prominence. However, just as his progress was in becoming a head coach, McNamara knows he has to focus on what’s in front of him before achieving longterm success.
“I can’t think too far ahead because I’ve got to win today,” McNamara said.
gerry mcnamara spent 19 years at Syracuse as a player and coach. Now, he’s creating a new legacy as Siena’s head coach. courtesy of siena college athletics
John Thompson recruited him. courtesy of georgetown university athletics
SU’s Keira Scott’s prep development paved way for strong start
By Timmy Wilcox senior staff writer
When Keira Scott arrived at Do More Everyday Academy — a prep school in Daytona Beach, Florida — before her senior year of high school, she said it felt like summer camp.
On Sept. 16, 2023, weeks after Scott arrived on campus, she was selected to play in the prestigious 2023 Nike World Basketball Festival for the South Regional Team. On an outdoor court at the Lincoln Center in Manhattan, Scott competed with the top 40 girls in the country and learned from various guest speakers.
On the court, Scott’s team — coached by UConn guard Paige Buckers — made the championship. Scott nailed a 3 with about a minute left in a back-and-forth contest facing USC’s JuJu Watkins, lifting her team to victory. NBA players Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren attended, and Scott met rapper Travis Scott following the game.
“It was just really good to get a feel for it. It was really highly competitive and aggressive, but that’s the level that I (wanted) to play at,” Scott said.
After playing her first three high school seasons at Bishop O’Connell (Virginia), Scott transferred to DME (Florida) for her final high school season. Scott went from a team with a combined 16-34 record in her sophomore and junior seasons to playing against some of the nation’s top teams. As a freshman at Syracuse, her growth is paying dividends. She’s averaging eight points per game and has started three games.
Scott’s work ethic stood out to head coach Aggie McCormick early on at Bishop O’Connell. After school, even when the team didn’t have practice, she worked out with a trainer and improved her conditioning.
Bishop O’Connell relied heavily on Scott as opposing teams double-teamed her. With significant weight on Scott’s shoulders, the Knights went 4-17 and 0-10 in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference.
“At O’Connell, (Scott) pretty much led the floor from the time she was a freshman,” McCormick said. “She had a lot of pressure on her because she just performed at such a high level.”
In summer 2022, Scott led the Stars’ 17U squad to third place in the EYBL.
men’s basketball
McCormick left the Knights ahead of Scott’s junior season, and under new head coach Brittany Davis, Bishop O’Connell suffered another losing season. Scott sought a different program and eventually settled on DME after head coach Michael Panaggio recruited her.
“I was already committed (to Syracuse) at the time, so I needed DME to grow as a person, to expand my game,” Scott said.
At DME, Scott had the opportunity to play in high-level competitions like the Nike World Basketball Festival and was surrounded by other Division I caliber players. One of her teammates was SU guard Olivia Schmitt. The pair created a challenge for opposing defenses.
“We played really well together,” Scott said. “We had a lot of sets run for us, a lot of lob plays, a lot of put-in plays, and (Schmitt) found me every time.”
Scott called the situation “perfect.” She continued to develop her dribbling and footwork, learning from a coaching staff that included Anthony Roberson, a former NBA point guard, and Panaggio, who played professionally overseas.
On the first possession of each game, Panaggio called a play for Scott to score. Seeing a bucket early on gave Scott the energy needed to propel her for the rest of the game.
DME started the season 13-0. Scott thrived on a more balanced team. But just
after winter break, DME’s leading scorer, Ines Goryanova, tore her ACL. Soon after, forward Tahj-Monet Bloom suffered a season-ending injury.
Over the next 11 games into late February, DME went 5-6. Scott was forced to step up. She emerged as DME’s leading scorer, averaging 13 points per game. On senior day, Scott led it to a 65-62 victory over powerhouse Montverde Academy.
“Keira fully bought in, she hung in there (and) took pride in the season,” Panaggio said. “For us to go out on senior night and win a big game like that against our rival, it was a really, really good moment.”
The win was Panaggio’s first glimpse of DME’s potential since Goryanova’s and Bloom’s injuries. DME finished the season with a 20-7 record before falling in the National Athletic Association for Independent Schools’ semifinals.
Though entering her freshman season at SU, Scott was severely injured for about five weeks. Her dedication to overcome the setback shined, Schmitt said.
“To come back during the preseason and do her best to be in the best condition shape and then also have an impact on the game itself really showed who she was,” Schmitt said.
Scott showcased that in her college debut, tallying 14 points in 20 minutes to lead SU past Niagara. However, Panaggio texted her after the game, saying he was most impressed by Scott’s eight rebounds.
SU head coach Felisha Legette-Jack has been impressed by Scott’s fight and drive to improve. Legette-Jack knows Scott can score, but the defense has been the head coach’s top priority.
After coming off the bench in the Orange’s first seven games, Scott has earned a starting role and upped her defensive presence. She has doubled her block total and snatched four steals over SU’s last three games.
Scott still itches to improve, texting Panaggio after each game for feedback. Current DME players reach out to Scott in aspiration.
“I want to take Syracuse to that next level, and I believe I can do that now as a freshman,” Scott said. “I think we will be really successful, and I will be part of that success.”
tswilcox@syr.edu
@TimmyWilcox32
The top 10 all-time players in Syracuse-Georgetown rivalry
By Mauricio Palmar asst. digital editor
When it comes to Syracuse basketball, no opponent defines the Orange more than the Georgetown Hoyas. Though Georgetown is 291 miles from SU, that didn’t stop the two programs from forming a heated rivalry in the Big East.
The rivalry was born in 1980 when the Hoyas defeated the Orange in their first conference matchup. Overall, Syracuse is ahead in the series, winning 54 games to Georgetown’s 45. The frequency of its matchups has waned since SU left the Big East in 2013, but there hasn’t been any love lost in the 11 years since. The rivalry renews when the two teams meet at the JMA Wireless Dome Saturday.
To commemorate Syracuse’s 100th matchup against the Hoyas, here are the top 10 players from the historic rivalry.
1. Georgetown, C Patrick Ewing (1981-85)
Ewing is the only man who could sit atop this list. The imposing center led Georgetown to an NCAA Championship in 1984, was named the AP College Player of the Year as a senior and was a three-time All-American. He averaged 15.3 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game and was named the Big East Defensive Player of the Year in all four years.
He also won eight of his 11 matchups against the Orange, averaging 18.0 points, 11.9 rebounds and 3.3 blocks in those contests. Ewing was a dominant force on both ends of the court and became the first overall selection in the 1985 NBA Draft. Following a 17-year NBA career, Ewing was immortalized in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.
2. Syracuse, F Carmelo Anthony (2003)
Anthony only played for one year with the Orange, but one could argue he had the greatest true freshman campaign in NCAA history. In
his lone year with SU, Anthony led the Orange to their only NCAA Championship, being named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. He averaged 22.2 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, leading to an AllAmerican selection.
He went undefeated in his three rivalry matchups, averaging 24.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists against the Hoyas. Anthony was one of the few SU players Georgetown couldn’t defeat. After completing a lengthy NBA career, primarily with the New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets, he’ll certainly join Ewing in the Hall of Fame when he’s eligible in 2026.
3. Georgetown, G Allen Iverson (1994-96)
Iverson only played two seasons with Georgetown, but that was more than enough time to leave his mark on this rivalry. He split his four matchups against the Orange, averaging 21.5 points, 5.3 assists and 4.0 steals per game against SU.
Throughout his college career, Iverson averaged 23.0 points, 4.6 assists and 3.2 steals per game and was also named Big East Defensive Player of the Year in both seasons with the Hoyas. Similarly to Anthony and Ewing, Iverson was named an All-American in his final college season and embarked on a Hall of Fame career with the Philadelphia 76ers.
4. Georgetown, C Alonzo Mourning (1988-92)
Syracuse often defeated Mourning when they faced off, but he still caused the Orange plenty of trouble. Despite winning just three of 10 matchups, he averaged 18.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game against SU. Mourning averaged 16.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game across his four seasons with Georgetown, earning two All-American selections in the process. After a lengthy NBA career primarily spent with the Miami Heat, Mourning became the second Georgetown player to earn a spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
5. Syracuse, F Derrick Coleman (1986-90)
Coleman faces the possibility of being the first non-Hall of Famer on this list. Though he may not have had the NBA success of his peers, Coleman was a No. 1 overall pick for a reason, and he gave Georgetown several tough matchups throughout his four years.
Similarly to Mourning, he only won three of his 10 matchups in the rivalry, primarily due to the talent the Hoyas had. In his 10 games against Georgetown, Coleman averaged 15.5 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game. He was honored as an All-American as a senior and claimed the Big East Player of the Year that season.
6. Syracuse, F Billy Owens (1988-91)
In an era where most college forwards weren’t proficient from 3, Owens was a marksman on the rare occasions he fired from deep. In his junior year with the Orange, he shot over 50% from the field and nearly 40% from beyond the arc.
That season, he also won the Big East Player of the Year, averaging 23.3 points per game en route to an All-American selection. Owens only played the Hoyas seven times, but he defeated them five times, averaging 18.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists against Georgetown.
7. Georgetown, F Reggie Williams (1983-87) Williams’ place on this list is slightly inflated by the National Championship he won as a freshman while riding the coattails of Ewing. However, he’s still a great player and gave the Orange serious trouble following Ewing’s departure.
Across four years at Georgetown, Williams won nine of his 12 matchups against SU, averaging 16.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. As a senior with the Hoyas, Williams averaged a gaudy 23.6 points per game, capturing the Big East Player of the Year and earning an All-American spot.
8. Georgetown, C Dikembe Mutombo (1988-91)
After redshirting as a freshman with the Hoyas, Mutombo saw limited playing time as a
sophomore, spending most of the season on the bench behind Mourning. But his defensive skills were evident, and it allowed him to force his way into the starting lineup as a junior.
In his final two seasons with the Hoyas, Mutombo averaged 15.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and 4.7 blocks per game, claiming the Big East Defensive Player of the Year both years. His prowess in the paint led to an 18-year NBA career, and in 2015, he became the third Hoya to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
9. Syracuse, G Dwayne “Pearl” Washington (1983-86)
Washington arguably played in the most difficult era in the history of this rivalry. In his first two years at Syracuse, he grappled with the dominance of Ewing, winning one of his first seven matchups against the Hoyas. As a junior, Washington had to battle with Williams, who was emerging as a No. 1 option at the time.
But despite the tough competition, Washington more than held his own against Georgetown. In nine games versus the Hoyas, he averaged 18.1 points, 4.7 assists and 2.3 steals per game while shooting 52.8% from the field. He was an All-American in his sophomore year and was named to All-Big East teams in every season he spent at Syracuse.
10. Syracuse, G Lawrence Moten (1991-95)
Moten’s case is weakened by the fact that he didn’t earn as many accolades as some of his peers on this list despite four All-Big East selections to his name in his SU career. However, it’s difficult to find many players in this rivalry who scored more consistently than him.
In his time at Syracuse, Moten finished with a career average of 19.3 points per game, a mark only behind Iverson and Anthony among players on this list. He won five of his nine rivalry contests, averaging 17.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game against the Hoyas. mjpalmar@syr.edu @mpalmarSU
Kiera Scott transferred to DME Academy as a senior in high school, sparking her breakout freshman season at Syracuse. lars jendruschewitz senior staff photographer
‘Height of the Big East’
Remembering Dikembe Mutombo’s legacy in Syracuse-Georgetown rivalry
By Cooper Andrews managing editor
Jim Boeheim didn’t know what else he and his staff could do in the 1989-90 season. There was no easy way to prepare for the 7-foot-2, 260-pound, size-22 shoe Dikembe Mutombo and his looming paint presence. So, Boeheim grabbed a broom. The broom was long with white tape plastered around the coil, reading ‘MUTOMBO.’ Former Syracuse forward Billy Owens said Boeheim and then-assistant coach Wayne Morgan employed the broom during layup drills before facing Georgetown.
One coach would stand below the rim, extend it upward and reject every layup SU’s players attempted; even if the broom went through the net on a goaltend, it meant Mutombo won.
The drill’s sheer ridiculousness incensed Syracuse star big man Derrick Coleman during one particular practice, Owens said. In pure disgust, Coleman snatched the broom from Morgan and chucked it across Manley Field House following a rep.
“Coach was saying that Mutombo is coming from the weak side, so you got to be strong with the ball. Take it to his chest,” Owens said
of the unorthodox drill. “If he blocks it, he blocks it, but let him know you’re still going to go at him.”
“I don’t know if that helped or not,” Boeheim added. It didn’t. Mutombo blocked 10 shots across two matchups against Syracuse that season.
Before his 18-year Hall of Fame NBA career, where he won four Defensive Player of the Year awards and became iconic for his shot-blocking prowess, Mutombo starred in the SUGeorgetown rivalry while playing for the Hoyas from 1988-91. His dominant college career helped propel the then-Big East matchup to one of its golden ages. Stars lined up all over the court — Owens, Coleman, Alonzo Mourning — yet Mutombo shined brightest.
Mutombo died from brain cancer on Sept. 30. He was 58. Mutombo’s legacy transcends generations, notably through his acclaimed humanitarian work and timeless finger-wag celebration. Ahead of Syracuse and Georgetown’s 100th-ever meeting on Dec. 14, those who knew, played or coached against Mutombo reminisced on his role in shaping the historic rivalry.
men’s basketball Gerry McNamara forges new path
By Justin Girshon sports editor
It hit Gerry McNamara that he’d no longer live in Syracuse while looking at his fireplace in July. Outside, a truck contained everything he’d permanently take to Siena, where he was in his third month as a head coach.
Inside McNamara’s empty Syracuse home was just the fireplace, which he remembers sitting alone at when he moved into the house. Looking at it reminded him of where he raised his kids. Then, the emotional realization set in — McNamara was leaving. He remained emotional for the first 20 minutes of his ride back to Siena. But as McNamara drove further away from Syracuse, he became increasingly excited about the new journey he was about to embark on.
“There’s a small window for you individually to challenge yourself professionally, and I had a small window that I needed to capitalize on,” McNamara said of taking the job at Siena.
Following a 15-year run on SU’s coaching staff from 2009-24, McNamara was named Siena’s head coach on March 29. It’s the first time he’s left Syracuse since playing professionally after graduating in 2006. McNamara was a four-year star with the Orange, helping them win the 2003 National Championship. Last year, his No. 3 became immortalized in the JMA Wireless Dome’s rafters. After a storied 19-year playing and coaching career at SU, the program legend capitalized on the opportunity to craft a new legacy outside Syracuse — where he lived longer than his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Just 10 games into McNamara’s first season, the Saints’ five wins are more than their four last year.
“Everybody gets to a point as an assistant where you feel you learned what you need to do and you just got to get the opportunity (to become a head coach),” former SU head coach Jim Boeheim said.
McNamara first realized he wanted to be a head coach during the Orange’s 2016 Final Four run. He started becoming comfortable with his scouting and player-development routine. Meanwhile, Boeheim gave McNamara the freedom to develop his own voice in practice.
Most importantly, McNamara felt he was learning from himself. He said he started being himself and operating differently than how he was taught or how Boeheim teaches. McNamara became fully confident in himself during SU’s March Madness brilliance.
Before McNamara thought about coaching, he envisioned playing in the NBA. However, the two-time First-Team All-Big East star went undrafted in the 2006 Draft. He spent the following three years bouncing between the NBA’s Developmental League and overseas.
In 2009, McNamara grew tired of continuously traveling the world. Boeheim then called him, recommending he consider joining SU’s staff as a graduate manager.
At first, McNamara was hesitant and told his former coach he’d think about it. Boeheim let his former star guard contemplate it for two weeks before calling him back. McNamara agreed to return to central New York.
“I thought it was probably the rejuvenation I needed,” McNamara said.
The process was natural, which McNamara attributes to his familiarity with Boeheim and assistant coach Mike Hopkins. Then, another familiar face, Adrian Autry, joined the staff a year later.
But what helped McNamara most was rejoining Boeheim’s family-oriented culture. McNamara felt the comfort Boeheim created from top to bottom was the most beneficial for the program, surpassing the on-court success.
“For me coming back, it was right back to being back in the family,” McNamara said. Boeheim instantly embraced McNamara when he was a freshman in 2002. After a practice during the Orange’s first week of training, junior walk-on guard Andrew Kouwe remembers walking into Boeheim’s office to rave about five-star freshman Carmelo Anthony.