Mookie Jones: Exit The Mookpocalypse

Lost in all the shuffle this weekend is the fact that Mookie Jones is no longer a member of the Syracuse Orange basketball team. He left us too soon and in such a hurry that it stunned us all.

Mookie said he would be back next year, but...do we believe that? Given the incoming players and the possibility that Syracuse could fill his scholarship with a guy that could have an impact on the floor (coughNerlensNoelcough), is it really in Syracuse's competitive interest for Mookie to return?

The last great Mookie performance took place January 14th. He scored ten points and took over the second half of SU's win over Providence. But the truth is, we won't remember Mookie for what he did on the court. We'll remember him for everything that transpired while he was off it.

Actually, I take that back. We'll remember one thing he did on the court. How he revolutionized the role of the starting lineup introduction hype man:

And now, a small sampling of the other things we'll remember Mookie for.

Twitter/Facebook - The Mookie Jones Era will always be headlined by Mook's affinity for honesty on social media. One might say he had an affinity for being a little too honest. It's ironic that he left the program early for reasons that seem to be unrelated to playing time given how many times he thought about leaving over playing time.

And of course, no mention of Mookie's temper is complete without the time he got up in the middle of a game, ripped off his headband and left for the locker room. Unfortunately for Mookie, Boeheim's response said everything he needed to know:

When asked what happened with Jones, Boeheim said "nothing."

Of course, Boeheim came around on Mook.

Hey, remember when Mookie got robbed? That was weird. They took a picture of his daughter...that's just cold.

The Mookpocalypse became such a sensation, he released his own rap album. With our help, of course.

I loved this recent interview that Mookie did with Extra Point Sports Magazine. It was a real insight into the guy and really made you root for him...if you weren't already.

Fare thee well, Mookie. Orange fans adored you in spite of your early antics. If anything, we watched you mature before our eyes. Hopefully whatever personal issues caused you to leave can be solved and you can move forward. Even if you never play for the team again, we look forward to seeing you back in the Dome soon.