Get Well Soon Devo

After watching the first round of NFL games, I checked Syracuse.com for any update to Eric Devendorf's injury in SU's record-breaking barrage last night. Donna Ditota had the scoop...the worst. Torn ACL, out for season.

Make no mistake, losing Devendorf is a crushing blow. As I suggested after the Virginia game, Devo was contributing a critical consistency to our young offense. We all know how emotional he can get on the court, for better or for worse, but none of us know the role he was playing as an upperclassmen leader in the locker room. Quotes from Johnny Flynn in the initial post-game write-up suggested that role was substantial.

The season has suddenly taken on an entirely new look. Somehow, seeing the "Junior" next to Devendorf's name on the pre-game roster diminished the transitional aspect of this season. Now Onuaku will be the lone upper-classman listed, though we all know he's a sophomore in function and eligibility. He and Paul Harris have the personality to be leaders, but the Orange are officially a young team, through and through.

The entire bench will have to step up. I suspect, with the murmurings that Harris will be moving to shooting guard, that freshman forward Rick Jackson takes the empty spot into the starting lineup. He leads the bench in minutes. Scoop Jardine, hidden by the glare of Johnny Flynn's brilliance, has a lot of promise. Boeheim has wisely played the high school teammates, Jardine and Jackson, together for extended periods. Look for that trend to continue for the short term, until both players get comfortable in the college game. Finally, Kris Ongenaet, who has put in terrific effort in his short minutes on the court, will also see his role expand.

As for wide receiver Mike Williams, don't believe the buzz that he will have a big role on this team. He had seven points down the stretch last night, but that was a blowout. I can't imagine Boeheim using him ahead of any of the three players mentioned in the previous paragraph. At the most, he'll get the kind of minutes Ongenaet was seeing to this point: a couple minutes here or there at the end of the first half or in blow outs, and not in every game.

It's tempting to think about next season, when Rautins will return along with Devendorf, and the youngsters will have another season under their belt. But that would be shortchanging the talent this current team has, and the fact that they are still very much in contention for the NCAA field. Besides, Donte Greene is already a lottery pick. At this point, I believe it is 50/50 that he leaves after this season. Harris and Flynn could also conceivably depart.

So while we wish Devendorf a speedy recovery and look forward to his return to the court, let's not miss out on the fantastic young bunch that are still playing. Make no mistake, this will be an up and down season. It already has been. But with Boeheim at the helm, a man who has seen just about everything, there is still plenty of hope in the dome.