Boeheim’s Army is finally back.
The Syracuse alumni team begins its quest for The Tournament championship along with the $1 million prize on July 24 at noon against Forces of Seoul in Peoria, Illinois on ESPN. And with Boeheim’s Army being one of the favorites to win it all, we chatted with Syracuse legend and BA forward CJ Fair on this week’s The Juice on the Cuse Podcast presented by SNY.tv.
“We have a lot of talent,” Fair says. “We’ve got a few new faces that’s going to bring in a lot of value to our team and a lot of experience.”
Fair headlines a deep and talented roster that also includes Tyler Lydon, Malachi Richardson, Chris McCullough, Andrew White III and Eric Devendorf. Unlike the past rosters, Boeheim’s Army also added some non-Syracuse players with a winning history in the TBT, including DJ Kennedy (St. John’s), DeAndre Kane (Iowa State), Tyrese Rice (Boston College), and Keifer Sykes (Wisconsin-Green Bay).
Former SU center Paschal Chukwu was a late scratch because of the United States travel ban on European countries with the rise of the delta variant of the coronavirus.
“I’m very excited,” Fair says. “A lot of people are expecting big things from us this summer.“
Fair has been busy since he’s left Syracuse. He’s played domestically in the G-League and also overseas in France and Dubai.
He also got married in 2018, and has a two-year old son, with another son due in December. On top of that, he’s started a real estate business back in Baltimore that he will settle into full time after his playing days wrap up.
One constant has been Syracuse fans’ support.
“I always get a lot of love on social media from the (Syacuse) fans,” Fair says. “It’s something I don’t take for granted. I appreciate how people feel about me and I’m glad I was able to provide some memorable moments.”
Some of those memorable moments include a key dunk against Georgetown in the semifinals of the 2013 Big East Tournament, 28 points against Duke in Syracuse’s first matchup against the Blue Devils as members of the ACC, and a posterizing dunk against Minnesota in the 2013 Maui Invitational that drew plenty of blood, but no foul call.
But his favorite college moment was when Syracuse advanced to the Final Four in 2013 with a win over Marquette in the Elite 8. Fair scored 13 points as the Orange advanced with a 55-39 win.
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“It was in Washington, D.C., close to my hometown,” Fair says. “A lot of my family and friends were there. And Syracuse was in a drought in getting to the Final Four.”
Fair is hoping to end another drought by leading Boeheim’s Army to its first TBT win. And he knows that fan support will be key in doing so.
“I want them to know we appreciate their support over the years and we are going to give it all we got,” Fair says. “We’re going to bring home the trophy.”
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