Syracuse’s Howard Washington shares scary details of stroke suffered in September

Amid all of the coverage of the Syracuse Orange’s matchup (and eventual loss) to the North Carolina Tar Heels yesterday, there was also this major headline from Syracuse.com: Guard Howard Washington had suffered a stroke back in September. And impressively, he was willing to share that story with readers.

The piece is penned in large part by Washington himself, as a first-person account of the harrowing details from last September 26. The right side of his body had gone numb, and some fast-thinking classmates managed to help him and assist in getting in touch with team trainer Brad Pike.

Well worth checking out the full piece, which talks about how Washington’s dealt with things since and recovered from the ordeal. Luckily, he’s already back playing basketball and will be suiting up for the Orange next year.

That, plus the rest of your Syracuse-related links below:

Syracuse’s Howard Washington reveals chilling story: ‘I had a stroke’ (Syracuse.com)

I barely noticed the first sign that I was having a stroke. I can still picture it. It was just a normal day. I had gone to the Schine Student Center to grab a slice of pizza and a drink before going to my chemistry class. I went to the class -- a lecture -- and when I came out, I felt a little dizzy. I was out of it for some reason. I took a sip of my Lipton Green Tea and I completely missed my mouth. The tea ran down the front of my shirt. I thought to myself, “What the heck is going on?”

Tommy DeVito Q&A: Clemson game is ‘all everybody’s thinking about’ inside Syracuse football (Syracuse.com)

DeVito: It made me better for sure. Throughout spring ball, I took a bunch of reps because he was down, in camp I took a bunch of reps, season went on and I always just wanted to be the best teammate I could. Number got called a few times, went in and tried to have fun playing football. Moving on from there and looking forward to the year to come, I’m just trying to do the same exact thing.

Bubble Watch: Why Iowa is a lock, and why we’re not nervous about it at all (The Athletic)

Whether Syracuse was going to the 2019 NCAA Tournament barely warranted a mention, and rightly so: The Orange remain in very solid at-large shape even as they embark on a trip to Chapel Hill on Tuesday night and a slightly brutal three-game finish (at Wake Forest, vs. Virginia, at Clemson) beyond it.

‘Having fun’ with box lacrosse showing early results this season (Daily Orange)

Box lacrosse features five attack, who are called “runners,” and five defenders. Because the field is played in a hockey box under ice with a goalkeeper in hockey pads, the game requires improvisation because of its tight spaces. But for goalkeeper Asa Goldstock, being inside a four by five foot net is “completely” different than her spot in front of the Carrier Dome’s end zone.

Dwight Freeney recalls 4.5-sack game vs. Vick: “I was just unblockable” (ProFootballTalk)

“And what I mean by that is, I was so fast — I don’t know what was going on with me that game, but I was so quick off the ball, the offensive tackle was barely out of his stance and I was by him. So there really wasn’t a chance for Mike to use his speed. SO I kind of got him before he got started. There was nothing he could have done.”

College basketball coaches are too famous (Deadspin)

10 Most Intriguing ACC Non-Conference Games of 2019 (Athlon)

The best game of every week of the 2019 college football season (SB Nation)

This Year’s NCAA Tournament Bubble Isn’t Unusually Weak, but It Is Shallow (SI.com)