DaShonte Riley Transferring From Syracuse To Eastern Michigan
by Sean Keeley on Jun 15, 2011 3:11 PM EDT
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PrintThe worst kept secret in Syracuse basketball is finally out. Center DaShonte Riley is leaving the Syracuse program and transferring to Eastern Michigan where he'll be reunited with Rob Murphy, according to Donna Ditota.
Riley’s mother, Colette Anderson, confirmed her son’s decision to transfer in a telephone conversation Wednesday afternoon.
Riley, a Michigan native who attended Detroit Country Day before coming to Syracuse, sat out the 2010-11 season due to a foot injury. He averaged 1.4 points and 1.5 rebounds as a freshman in the 2009-10 season.
Anyone who's visited an SU message board in the last 2-3 months have been aware of the rumors about DaShonte Riley's impending departure. Riley made some cryptic remarks on his Twitterfeed a few months ago that were interpreted as his need for a fresh start, which he then denied and then promptly closed his feed down.
According to his mother, he "wasn’t unhappy at Syracuse, but he had grown concerned over health issues that plagued both of his grandparents." I don't doubt the sincerity of that, though it is convenient that he's going to play for Coach Murphy. His mother does mention that Riley wanted to transfer as far back as January.
Riley will seek a waiver to play immediately since he's coming off a season in which he already sat out due to a foot injury.
We wish DaShonte well but his departure suddenly raises major concerns for the Orange frontcourt. What once seemed like a position deeper than it's been in years, the center spot is now rather worrisome. Riley is gone, Fab Melo is dealing with big off-court problems and Baye Moussa Keita is good but not a dependable scorer. We were expecting Riley to come back hungry and prove his worth over the three younger guys vying for his playing time. Now, the spot is Fab Melo's the lose, and that's not a very comforting thought to Syracuse fans.
Rakeem Christmas, if you weren't already feeling the pressure to perform right away, you will now. We're counting on you.
Fare thee well, Shon. We'll always remember you for the way you scared the crap out of us filling in for Arinze Onuaku in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Considering who the new coach is at EMU, I'm willing to bet we'll still see you play one more time in the Dome.
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Good egg. Never got in trouble.
Hate to see all seven feet of him go. But, his choice. No hard feelings.
Cross your fingers on the interior in 2011-2012.
by Hoya Suxa on Jun 15, 2011 3:28 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Well
shit. Does this mean we have an available scholarship? There has to be some big doofy kid we could bring in late to add depth, or has that ship sailed?
Your First Ever Pinstripe Bowl Champions- The Syracuse Orange
by bigbluethruandthru on Jun 15, 2011 3:32 PM EDT reply actions
Depends on Fab
If Melo stays in the program, then all scholarships will be taken, now that Trevor Cooney won’t have to redshirt.
Of course, there is always the chance of a Mookpocalypse…
There's an available scholarship now.
by mcsteve on Jun 16, 2011 10:18 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Good Kid with a Good Family
My Mom actually got sit for awhile with his mother as DeShonte and my brother were having surgery on the same day. My mother told me then that he seemed like a good kid but the way his mom talked he wouldnt be around too much longer wven though he loved the team and the area
Wish him well
and Coach Rob too. That said, I’m not extremely concerned, I really want Christmas to lock this spot down, especially given Fab’s recent troubles. I think Christmas with Keita spelling him and giving good minutes could be a great combo.
"Considering who the new coach is at EMU, I'm willing to bet we'll still see you play one more time in the Dome."
Jimmy is pretty clear on his distaste for scheduling non-conference games against his friends. I don’t see why that would change now.
Hm.
If Fab’s stuff wasn’t happening I wouldn’t be too concerned, but now I agree, hopefully Christmas is ready to contribute big time.
Good luck to Riley. He should get a chance to shine at EMU.
Yeah, real dumb
There’s nothing dumber than transferring to a school closer to home to be near sick family members, not to mention play somewhere where his skill level fits better. Total dumb move, what was he thinking.
Unreal
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
by Kurupt on Jun 15, 2011 10:48 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
What makes you think no Fab?
We got almost 4 months before season begins and we have seen players back quicker for less
We'll be fine
Honestly. If Fab gets his court case sorted out this may prove to benefit the Orange. Consider this: Fab starts and improves, Christmas and Joseph as forwards, Scoop and Triche in the backcourt PLUS Dion, and the 2 new guards and of course James and Mookster. Riley looked terrible in the NCAAs when he played – he got pushed around and manhandled. Plus he was slow getting up and down the court. Granted he was thrown into the fire, but still. I
I’d have to think that CJ Fair starts ahead of Christmas. I don’t see the freshman getting minutes over the proven 2nd year forward
by pegs on Jun 15, 2011 8:12 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Don’t forget that Keita might need to be red-shirted to heal his hand. We went from 4 centers to possibly only 1.
He got his cast off recently.
He also tweeted that he was doing karate the other day, so, ninja center is ready for battle.
A Ninja Keita
Explains everything.
Other people look, Andy Rautins can SEE.
by FatK44 on Jun 15, 2011 6:02 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Riley leaving pretty much rules out Keita redshirting, no matter how good Keita and Melo turn out to be.
by TenFingGames on Jun 15, 2011 6:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Too bad.
I was looking forward to seeing how he had improved during his year off, and also possibly having some depth upfront in how I don’t know how long.
But, oh well. Didn’t really have much of an opportunity to get too attached to Dashonte. The one thing I remember about him was that he seemed to be a pretty gifted passer.
Maybe someone will teach James Southerland how to rebound and the problem will solve itself.
by Rocklionheart on Jun 15, 2011 6:19 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
This is the only SU website I read
how come this un secret was never mentioned here? Is that beneath us or something, coz I would have liked to hear about it I guess…does this mean I have to find other SU pages to read too
Rumors
Until this moment there was nothing concrete. I didnt feel comfortable saying anything and adding flames if it ended up being untrue.
Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician - The Syracuse blog that cares.
If you've got time, buy my book "How To Grow An Orange", visit SeanKeeley.com and follow me on Twitter and Facebook.
Thought the same.
Total news to me.
Born in '87, Orange fan since '86
by StealthTurkey on Jun 16, 2011 10:58 AM EDT up reply actions
Bummer
I met him once in Buffalo when the team was there for the NCAA tournament. Seemed like a really good guy.
Good luck to Dash. I’m not saying he wouldn’t have played here for sure, but this is a smart decision for a number of reasons.
This probably means Fab is still with us. I think if he was gone, Jim would’ve advised Dash to stick around.
We should temper our expectations of Christmas right now. He’s probably just as raw on offense as Fab and Baye are.
It's a shame
I was looking forward to the Orange being 5 deep and PF/C for a few years, but it looks like not. As far as basketball goes, I’m not too concerned that he’s gone. We don’t know how much improvement he’s made since the 2010 NCAA tournament debacle, so we can’t say he would have contributed much, if at all. I think Syracuse will be fine with Melo, Keita and Christmas at the 4/5, with some CJ fair mixed in if they go small. I think we all agree that the fortunes of the Orange depended far less on DaShonte Riley and more on Scoop, Triche and Waiters.
Anyway, I wish the kid luck and hope he doesn’t have to sit out another year.
"If I ain't gonna be part of the greatest, I gotta be the greatest myself." Busta Rhymes
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