The Syracuse Orange basketball team has lost six of its last seven games and will attempt to regain some kind of footing this week with a two-game homestand.
That comes on the heels of a dramatic week in which Kiyan Anthony received his first DNP (did not play) of the season at Virginia. That decision drew speculation from observers of a retaliatory effort following Carmelo Anthony’s recent “SMFH” comment on social media during the Syracuse loss at North Carolina.
Adrian Autry was asked about that
decision on Monday’s ACC Coaches Zoom, as well as the upcoming game against California and former Orange forward Chris Bell. Syracuse (13-11, 4-7) squares off against the California Golden Bears (17-7, 5-6) and and Bell this Wednesday. The 6-foot-7 forward is averaging 13.0 points per game on an NCAA Tournament bubble team after spending three years with the Syracuse program. Cal will be looking for its fifth quadrant one win of the season at Syracuse on Wednesday night.
Autry was also asked about Syracuse women’s basketball head coach Felicia Legette-Jack’s impassioned comments in regards to the negativity surrounding basketball. After a the Louisville game on Sunday, Legette-Jack voiced displeasure with some of the recent negativity surrounding the men’s basketball program and stood up for her colleague.
“We’ve got to press send with positivity,” Legette-Jack said. “We get it. We see it. We all watch. But can you try, Syracuse? Can we try to be a little more positive with the sport thats struggling?
“I just don’t remember when negativity won the war.”
That, and more below from Monday’s conversation with Autry which has been edited for clarity.
Question: On how to balance the minutes of Kiyan Anthony when metrics suggest he’s not playing well and dealing with the outside noise:
Adrian Autry: “I think at the end of the day the constant communication and you know, obviously, you know, as a coach you have to make a decision sometimes. It’s just decisions that you make. Like I said, it was a game decision. It wasn’t anything more than that. I just kind of made a decision and that was that.
“He’s a young player obviously with a lot of attention surrounding him. So just being able to keep him abreast of what’s going on, expectations and (keeping him) in the loop and just kind of moving on and getting ready for this next game.“
Q: On whether Autry has talked with Carmelo Anthony:
AA: “No I have not. … Just getting ready for the next game.”
Q: On whether he was concerned that Kiyan would understand the DNP was a basketball decision coming on the heels of Carmelo’s comments on social media. Did Autry communicate to Kiyan so he’d understand it wasn’t a punishment:
AA: “I’ll say this and this is what I’ll say if anybody else has any questions going forward about the Kiyan decision. I made a coach’s decision and that’s that. That’s all I’m going to say from here on out about that. (If you want to ask) questions about the game, I’ll answer questions about the game.”
Q: Where does Kiyan need to improve to earn more playing time:
AA: “Everybody has to keep improving. We have to keep improving. We all have to improve as a team collectively. I thought we defended really well — well enough against Virginia. I saw some improvements there. Offensively we still have to be able to shoot the ball better. We have to take care of the basketball and collectively that’s what we all have to get better at.”
Q: On Felicia Legette-Jack’s comments on the negativity surrounding Syracuse basketball:
“They [fans] have a right to be frustrated. I’m frustrated. I expect us to be playing better. But we’re here where we are, where we’re at and we just got to keep fighting. So again, I understand it. I think the biggest thing is that, I think her comments were saying that negativity has never really got anything better. But she understands it, she’s had some ups and downs. It’s part of it as we go through this landscape of college athletics and things that are changing, everyone has to adapt. We have to adapt. We’re not, you know, immune to it. We’re just putting out heads down and just trying to work and get back to where we would like to be at.”
Q: On Chris Bell’s return to the JMA Wireless Dome and what Autry sees in his game now as a senior at Cal:
“I think Chris is playing really well. He’s a senior. He’s shooting the ball, I think he’s doing some other things a lot better. I think he’s putting it on the floor a little bit more. He’s having a good year. They’re having a good year. They’re coming in a confident team. They play really well on the road. I think Chris is a little more mature. But again I think Chris is having a really solid season for Cal.”
Q: On last year’s conversation with Bell to potentially keep him in orange as a senior or enter the portal:
“He explored his options. We talked about that and he did the thing that was best for him.”
Q: On Kiyan, Sadiq White’s and Luke Fennell’s development as freshmen:
“They’re talented freshmen. I think the biggest thing now — especially when you’re playing these Power Four level, Power Four teams — teams are a lot older. The physicality piece. … You’re playing tough games in the non-conference. I think they’ve come along nicely. Obviously everyone has to improve. I think the strength, the physicality piece, all those things factor in. But I think they’ve really, you know, done as well as they could.”
Q: On what Syracuse has to do against Cal to get back on track:
“You’re going to have to be able to defend the three point line defensively. For sure. They have not just Chris Bell, they have multiple guys. They do a good job of getting into the mid-range. Their guards are very efficient, [Justin] Pippen and [Dai Dai] Ames, getting off the bounce. Probably two better guards that can score off the bounce. So keeping the ball in front, making them take tough contested shots, not letting them get to the free throw line. And defending the three point line. Offensively, they’re an aggressive team, we gotta be strong with the ball, take care of the ball and make solid decisions.”
Cal head coach Mark Madsen was also asked about Chris Bell’s impact on the Golden Bears program.
Q: On bringing in Chris Bell, and his impact with Cal:
Mark Madsen: “The impact of Chris Bell has been huge on our program,” Madsen said. “Chris’ work ethic is that of an NBA player. He is obviously an elite shooter but he’s so much more than that. He’s a strong finisher at the rim. He’s a really good basketball IQ. He’s somebody that, literally everybody on the team loves him. And so he’s a ugy that’s really helped elevate our program in a lot of ways and it’ll be exciting for him I’m sure and a lot of his friends that are still at Syracuse to be able to be out there and support him this upcoming game.”
Q: On preparing them for games against their former teams:
MM: “I haven’t talked as much to players over the last few years in that situation. Most of our guys are on the older side and pretty mature. I think Chris is a guy that’s been around. Nothing really fazes Chris. And I think Chris is going to manage it very, very well. He’s a guy that never gets too high or too low. He relies on his work ethic and I think he’s going to lean on that. He’s a great player and he’s going to trust his skills and go out there and play a good game.”
Q: On what Cal has meant to Chris Bell:
MM: “I think that sometimes as a player there’s nothing wrong with a new surrounding.
“Everyone at Syracuse loves Chris Bell. We called when he went in the portal and we called over to Syracuse — and everyone out there that knows him — it was overwhelmingly how much they love him and they were going to miss him.”
