Isaiah Briscoe, the talented sophomore combo guard from Newark (N.J.) St. Benedict’s Prep, has picked up offers from Indiana and Ohio State, his father told SNY.tv. The 6-foot-3 Briscoe is the Rivals No. 16 player in the Class of 2015 and has been consistently recruited by Syracuse, Arizona and Florida, among others. “With Ohio state and Indiana, me personally it’s an honor to hear from both of them,” George Briscoe told SNY.tv.

• Isaiah Briscoe offered by Indiana, Ohio State
• Six things to know about Denver, SU’s next opponent
• Jim Boeheim could be returning to coach USA Basketball
• Has Syracuse ever had better success in sports?
• Brady Rourke promoted to associate director of Student-Athlete Development
• ACC Network may stall over rights issues
• Carmelo Anthony to have shoulder examined
• Syracuse needs a new rival after transition to the ACC
• Did Carmelo Anthony choke?
• Syracuse men’s, women’s lacrosse Final Four tickets now on sale

» Related: Syracuse falling behind for Barton

For more Syracuse coverage, Like our Facebook page and follow us @TheJuiceOnline.

I’m not really a senior anymore, considering I graduated from SU a week and a half ago. But to have the men’s lacrosse team reach the Final Four in a season that was played throughout my senior year is fitting for the last four years of Syracuse sports. I’ll get to basketball and football (and the other sports) in a bit, but let me take you back to Memorial Day weekend 2009 for a minute.

It has been an incredible year in Syracuse athletics

The men’s lax team, of course, won the title that weekend, its second straight. I was going to be a freshman in the fall, and it was the first sport I rooted for at Syracuse (yes, even before basketball). But in my four years at Syracuse, the team either performed superbly in the regular season and flamed in the Tournament, or just didn’t live up to the Syracuse lacrosse name.

» Related: Syracuse finds old foe waiting in the NCAA semifinals

But now, four years later, the Orange has returned to the Final Four. I’m now looking back at Syracuse with fondness in 2013, and not forward like 2009. But we can hope to have the same result—a championship. It would make sense.

This year was perhaps the best year in perhaps one of the best four-year spans in Syracuse athletic history. What can I say, the Class of 2013 has some luck to it. Final Fours in men’s basketball, men’s and women’s lacrosse and field hockey. A women’s basketball trip to the NCAA Tournament. A bowl win for football.

There has been constant success among all SU teams in the four years I spent in Syracuse. An amazing period for men’s basketball, a resurgence in football, and finally a run in men’s lacrosse this year, the three most popular sports at Syracuse.

This year was the year all three came together, especially men’s basketball and football. When the basketball team earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament my freshman year, the football team was 4-8. When the football team won the Pinstripe Bowl my sophomore year, the basketball team bowed out in the second round of the Tourney. And in my junior year, when the men’s basketball team went to the Elite 8 as a No. 1 seed, the football team free-fell and finished 5-7.

This year, I didn’t expect the football team to go 7-5, win the Pinstripe Bowl over West Virginia, and have Ryan Nassib set records. I didn’t expect the men’s basketball team, with the loss of four key players and a tailspin-end of a regular season, to make the Final Four. And I didn’t expect the men’s lacrosse team to make the Final Four. But I still never lost faith. When the football team got off to a slow start, I knew they could turn it around. When the men’s basketball team swept away a disappointing end to the regular season with a gutsy Big East tournament run, I knew they had an NCAA Tournament run in them.

» Related: Syracuse advances to final four with in over Yale

So regardless of what happens in the men’s lacrosse Final Four (or the women’s), these past four years in Syracuse athletics have been pretty darn good (we’re talking on the field, not off the field, because that’s been quite a trip).

The men’s basketball Final Four trip was icing on the cake of my four years rooting for Syracuse. I hope the incoming freshman get to see a men’s lacrosse championship like I did those four years ago.

I hope they see a win that will propel the Orange to another successful four years (but this time, in the ACC), on the court and field. I’ll still be rooting for SU, just no longer from the student section.

For more Syracuse coverage, Like our Facebook page and follow us @TheJuiceOnline.

After visiting Maryland last week, it appeared as if Memphis transfer Antonio Barton was headed home. It appears now that the Terps have some new competition for Barton from Tennessee. Barton was in Knoxville “Wednesday or Thursday,” according to a source. Initially, it was thought that Maryland’s main competitor in this recruiting battle was going to be Syracuse, where another close friend of the former Lake Clifton standout has become one of the team’s stars. But C.J. Fair’s influence did not weigh as heavily as the impending arrival of 5-star freshman point guard Tyler Ennis.

• Maryland has some competition for Antonio Barton from Tennessee
• Carmelo Anthony, and the pain of a flawed design
• Women’s lacrosse is Final Four bound
• Former Syracuse players favor ACC tournament at MSG
• Jim Boeheim: Knicks must change roster next year
• SU men’s lax believes one-goal games helped against Yale
• Kevin Rice named first team All-District
• Carmelo shouldn’t be scapegoated for Knicks’ early exit
• McPherson, McNabb to have their jerseys retired

» Related: Rashad Vaughn says he remains open in his recruitment

For more Syracuse coverage, Like our Facebook page and follow us @TheJuiceOnline.

Let the record show that the SU women’s NCAA lacrosse quarterfinal round victory over Florida this past Sat. in the Dome was the final Orange victory as a Big East conference representative in the building’s 33-year history, the season after Syracuse played its first Big East basketball game in Jan. 1980.

Syracuse will leave the Big East in July

(And adding to the school’s record NACDA Director’s Cup season for accomplishments by all of the athletic department’s programs, Syracuse is the only school to have both its men’s and women’s teams playing in the lacrosse semi-finals!)

» Related: Syracuse finds familiar foe waiting in Final Four

While the school has participated in ACC social events and the official spring meetings, SU is playing it by the book with no public display of being in the conference until after the official July 1, 2013 entry date, and behind the scenes plenty is going on for the conversion, including the eventual ubiquitous placement of the ACC conference logo on the Dome’s football field/basketball court replacing that of the Big East.

But first the league’s all-time anchor school can leave with a flair, hoping to say “goodbye” with a couple of lacrosse national titles this weekend.

For more Syracuse coverage, Like our Facebook page and follow us @TheJuiceOnline.

They’ve won a combined 11 NCAA titles, first (tied) and second most in Div. I history.

The rivalry between Syracuse’s John Desko (five championships) and Denver coach Bill Tierney (six titles) was born the May day in 1992 when Tierney’s upstart Princeton team upset Desko’s mentor and predecessor Roy Simmons Jr.’s  terrific top-seeded squad, 10-9 in 2OT, in Philadelphia’s venerable Franklin Field for the ’92 NCAA championship.

» More Orange Watch: Goal for Syracuse is to get to Philly

Coaches Desko and Tierney will faceoff for the sixth time in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday

When Desko succeeded Simmons (tied with Tierney winning six titles) in 1999, SU and Princeton became annual regular season rivals, and the two programs would go on to play nine more times in NCAA play including three championship games in three straight years (2000-02).

In fact, between 1992 and 2003, Princeton lacrosse under Tierney ended each season either winning the NCAA title, or losing to Syracuse teams coached by Simmons or Desko in the tournament.  No one else could seemingly dethrone the Tigers dynasty other than the Orange.

In 2010, when Tierney shocked the college lacrosse world with his move west for both family reasons and the challenge of building a NCAA contender from scratch, the first game on his Pioneers schedule was a meeting against Desko and the ‘Cuse in the Dome, something they repeated a season later, both resulting in Orange victories.

» Related: Syracuse defeats Yale to reach Final Four

When the two coaches resume their five game NCAA history on Saturday in the nightcap of the national semi-final doubleheader (5:00 p.m. ET/ESPN2) it will be, ironically, in Philadelphia, although as symbolic of the growth of the game (and tournament) geographically, the Philly venue has evolved from Penn’s Ivy League campus to the NFL Eagle’s Lincoln Financial Field.

As advertised, the hall of famer Tierney has done wonders in Denver in just four seasons with his second trip to the Final Four.  As for Desko, a future hall of fame member, as he eyes tying both his college head coach and former boss, and his next foe on Saturday for a sixth title of his own, this marks perhaps the best coaching job of his 15-year career with an out-of-nowhere top-seed in the tournament, and now back on a familiar stage of still playing for the school’s 12th national championship.

For more Syracuse coverage, Like our Facebook page and follow us @TheJuiceOnline.

WHAT HAPPENED: Dylan Donahue capped a furious SU rally, beating Yale goalie Eric Natale with :13 left as SU advanced to championship weekend for the first time since 2009. Things looked bleak for SU as they trailed 6-4 with under 3 minutes remaining after they had been shut out for 43 minutes, spanning the entire second and third quarters. But Rice and Cometti scored back-to-back goals within six seconds of each other and Lamolinara made a huge save on Oberbeck’s shot with 55 seconds left.

Syracuse won in dramatic fashion

WHAT IT MEANS: This was expected to be a battle between the SU offense and Yale defense, as the Bulldogs finished 7th in scoring defense, allowing just 8 goals per game. That’s exactly how it played out as Natale and Yale shut down SU for most of the game after the Orange jumped out to an early 4-0 lead. But Syracuse found a way to generate offense when it counted the most, and won another one goal game, as it seems to have done all year.

» More SU Lax: Road to title may be difficult for Orange

STAR GAZING: National Player of the Year candidate JoJo Marasco is our MVP. He scored early in the game and then provided the two key assists in the fourth quarter that led to the Orange comeback, ending the day with three points.

WHAT’S NEXT: A matchup with the winner of No. 4 Denver/No. 5 UNC, which will be played Sunday at 12 p.m. The semifinals will be played on May 25 at 2:30 p.m. in Philadelphia.

For more Syracuse coverage, Like our Facebook page and follow us @TheJuiceOnline.

After nearly committing to North Carolina during a recent visit, Rashad Vaughn says he remains open in his recruitment. “I went down there with my family and my coaches,” Vaughn told SNY.tv at the Nike EYBL stop here, reiterating comments he first made to Scout.com. “I liked the atmosphere of the Duke game and I have a good relationship with all the coaches. But I got back home and me and my parents talked about it, and we decided to just wait.” The 6-foot-4 shooting guard out of Robbinsdale (MN) Cooper is the Rivals No. 6 player in the Class of 2014 and one of the most sought after recruits in the nation.

• After nearly committing to North Carolina, Rashad Vaughn says he’s open
• Boeheim, Syracuse recruits say they want ACC tourney at MSG
• Kendall Moore promises to be worth the wait for Syracuse football
• Chad Ford: NBA scouts either love or hate Michael Carter-Williams
• Syracuse to play Iowa in women’s basketball ACC/Big 10 challenge
• James Southerland impresses in pre-draft workouts
• NCAA quarterfinal matches elite SU offense against aggressive Yale defense
• ACC wraps up meetings with an eye toward the future

» Related: Antonio Barton would make huge impact on Maryland

For more Syracuse coverage, Like our Facebook page and follow us @TheJuiceOnline.

IN SYRACUSE’S LAST GAME: The Orange knocked off NEC Champion Bryant, 12-7, at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse had to rally from an early 4-0 deficit as Bryant dominated the Orange at the faceoff X. But after SU head coach John Desko called timeout to settle his team down, Syracuse started playing like the No. 1 team in the tournament.  Dylan Donahue’s goal with four seconds left in the first half made it 5-5, and the Orange went ahead for good in the 3rd quarter behind Donahue, Luke Cometti and Kevin Rice each scoring his second goal of the game in the period.

Can Syracuse reach the Final four?

» Related: Syracuse tops Bryant to head to NCAA quarters

IN YALE’S LAST GAME: Yale upset No. 8 Penn State, 10-7, to advance to the NCAA quarterfinals. Yale also had to overcome an early deficit, as the Bulldogs trailed Penn State 5-1 going into halftime. But Yale would outscore Penn State 9-2 the rest of the way, as Colin Flaherty led the Bulldogs with three second-half goals. It was the first time Yale advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals in 21 years.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS: Yale has one of the best defenses in the country, as the Bulldogs finished 7th in scoring defense, allowing just 8 games per game. They are led by goalie Eric Natale, who has a 7.93 goals against average, and a .533 save percentage. Brandon Mangan leds the offense with 25 assists and 61 points.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING: The last time these two teams played was in the 2000 season, with the Orange winning, 16-8. Syracuse leads the all-time series 18-4, and has won the last nine games. The last time Yale defeated SU was in the 1963 season.

GAME INFORMATION: Saturday, May 18 at 3 p.m. in College Mark, Md. TV: ESPN2. SNY’s Eamon McAnaney will be on play-by-play, Quint Kessenich will be the analyst and Paul Carcaterra will report from the sideline.

For more Syracuse coverage, Like our Facebook page and follow us @TheJuiceOnline.

As Maryland awaits word from former Memphis point guard Antonio Barton regarding his possible transfer to College Park, it might be interesting to look at the lineups Mark Turgeon could put on the floor next season with or without the 6-2 senior from Baltimore. His three-season stats at Memphis might not accurately reflect how important a piece Barton could be for the Terps. How do you measure a player’s basketball IQ, leadership and maturity? Think of what Logan Aronhalt gave Turgeon’s team last season, but with Barton playing a much bigger role at a more key position.

• Maryland Terps contemplate life with and without Antonio Barton
• Catching up with former Syracuse punter Rob Long
• Jim Boeheim helps pitch moving ACC Tournament to Madison Square Garden
• Ranking the five greatest point guards in Syracuse history
• Did Doug Marrone freeze out Orange alumni when he was coach?
• Trio of women’s lax players earn All-America honors
• Q&A with Yale lacrosse head coach Andy Shay
• Knicks one-man play (Carmelo Anthony) badly needs stagehands

» Related: In surprise, Andrew Wiggins selects Kansas

For more Syracuse coverage, Like our Facebook page and follow us @TheJuiceOnline.

WHY HE’S NO. 1: This is one of the most iconic names in college sports history. Just hearing his name gives me chills. He has a statue on campus that overlooks the quad, and the field inside the Carrier Dome is named in his memory. His nickname was “The Elmira Express,” and he was the first black football player to be awarded the Heisman Trophy. He rushed for 2,386 yards and scored 32 touchdowns in his three years at SU. He also led the team to its first and only National Championship in 1959. In that Cotton Bowl against Texas, Davis was named the Most Valuable Player. He was an All-American in both 1960 and 1961 and was eventually inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Davis meeting President Kennedy

» Related: Jim Brown is No. 2 on our list

AFTER SYRACUSE: The Cleveland Browns selected Davis with the overall No. 1 pick in 1962 NFL Draft. Davis also was drafted by the Buffalo Bills of the AFL. Davis signed a three-year $200,000 contact with the Browns, the largest rookie contract in the NFL at the time. He was to be paired with fellow Syracuse legend Jim Brown in that backfield. Unfortunately, Davis never got a chance to stretch his legs at the pro level. He died of leukemia May 18, 1963 at the age of 23. The Browns would eventually retire his No. 45 jersey. On Oct. 10, 2008, the motion picture biography, The Express, was released with the world premiere in Syracuse.

For more Syracuse coverage, Like our Facebook page and follow us @TheJuiceOnline.