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It feels like a lifetime ago that the Syracuse Orange were competing in the Big East Conference, an upstart it helped form in 1979 and was a member of through 2013. Of course, you’d be hard pressed to find a Syracuse fan that’s forgotten about that. After all, Syracuse fans are receipt bearing, keeping the mental note status of the national media set to evergreen.
In its final year as member of the Big East in 2013, Syracuse went on to the Final Four before falling to Michigan in the National Semifinal. James Southerland and Brandon Triche — the two senior members of that team — were just suited up with Boeheim’s Army this past weekend, winning two games in as many days to advance to The Basketball Tournament’s second weekend.
The team will now make its way down to Atlanta for the Super 16, which just so happens to in the same city the 2013 Final Four took place. Of course, GSU Sports Arena won’t have anywhere near the capacity or stage that the Georgia Dome (RIP) once did, but the guys will compete in the same city nonetheless.
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Surely you remember the above. So too does Southie, who claims he still wants his revenge from that Michigan game. But what about his roommate on Boeheim’s Army?
“We had a great Big East Conference Tournament. He played really well,” Triche said as he motioned to Southerland. “Overall we got to the (Big East) finals, obviously got us a bid and from there we just kept our momentum.”
“When you’re around fans like this they’re going to bring it up.” Triche continued. “When we did the signing at the Sky Chiefs a lot of people talked about the Final Four. They almost bring up personal memories like ‘I remember when you shot this shot’ and you turn around say ‘Oh yeah I did do that’ so they (Syracuse fans) remember everything.”
They sure do. But if you ask Southie he’ll tell you differently.
“People don’t remember me,” Southerland joked. “I grew a beard and got fat so they don’t know who I am anymore.”
Rest assured, no Syracuse fan will be forgetting about the guy notorious for his on the court flatulence, chicken clucking when calling for the basketball and stating that he’d listen to Curtis Mayfield during warmups anytime soon. You just don’t forget a personality like that, especially one that was an integral part of a Final Four team. But just in case anyone needs a reminder, see below.
And if James Southerland is overweight, the rest of us have a long way to go.