Sports SUmmary: Another celebrity visits the Dome, former Orange coach lands NFL head coaching job

Sports SUmmary: Pete Davidson visits the Dome, former SU staffer becomes NFL head coach

Pete Davidson's trip to Syracuse and Nathaniel Hackett's Denver Broncos gig highlight this week in SU sports.
Published: February 8, 2022
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23,298 Syracuse fans watched SU beat Louisville on Saturday, the largest turnout at any college basketball game this season.

Men’s hoops finds their footing

The Orange rallied in Raleigh, North Carolina, to take down NC State last Wednesday, then thrashed Louisville in the Dome on Saturday. Those victories propelled SU above the .500 mark for the first time since early January.

During the win over Louisville, Buddy Boeheim surpassed Trevor Cooney and Andy Rautins to move into second place on SU’s career three-pointers list.

Pete Davidson joins list of Syracuse celebrity guests

NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and his brother Thanasis watched the Orange beat Wake Forest last week. On Saturday, “Saturday Night Live” comedian Pete Davidson presided as Syracuse defeated Louisville.

Davidson starred in “Big Time Adolescence,” filmed in 2018 in nearby Manlius and Liverpool. At the game, Orange fans booed Davidson, who criticized Syracuse on a talk radio show after filming the movie.

Syracuse is 2-0 in games with celebrity guests this season. They outscored the Demon Deacons and Cardinals by a combined 45 points.

Women’s basketball falls to pair of conference opponents

SU women’s basketball kept their road matchup with Miami close last Thursday, but the Hurricanes’ depth helped them prevail, 71-65. On Sunday, Syracuse welcomed No. 4 Louisville to the Dome.

SU lost by 13 in their first meeting with the Cardinals but lost by 36 this weekend. They’ll hit the road for a pair of conference games at Virginia tonight and Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Former SU coaches rise NFL ranks

The Denver Broncos tabbed Nathaniel Hackett as the franchise’s next head coach, swiping the former Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator.

Hackett spent time on Doug Marrone’s offensive staff at SU. He coached quarterbacks, tight ends and served as passing game coordinator during his first season in 2010. He earned a promotion to offensive coordinator in 2011-12, then followed Marrone to the Buffalo Bills in 2013.

Hackett brings Justin Outten to fill the role of offensive coordinator. Outten played at SU from 2002-06 and spent a year as a graduate assistant in 2007. Perhaps we’ll see the Broncos wearing their orange uniforms more often next season.

Ice hockey squad tackles the Nittany Lions

The Syracuse women’s ice hockey team tied and beat Penn State last weekend, extending the group’s streak to eight games without a loss.

Arielle DeSmet stopped 99 shots in the two games and earned College Hockey America’s Goalie of the Week recognition. Sarah Marchand picked up CHA Freshman of the Week honors after tallying the overtime game-winning goal in SU’s second game against Penn State.

Syracuse is first in the CHA standings and will close its regular season on the road this weekend against Mercyhurst.

Jaheem Hayles headlines Syracuse track’s NYC showing

On the first day of the Dr. Sander Invitational, Jaheem Hayles established a personal record in the 60-meter hurdles en route to posting one of the top-11 times in the nation. He took first place, while Naseem Smith and Anthony Vazquez finished fifth and seventh, respectively. Kahniya James ran the 60-meter dash in 7.56 seconds to earn a third place finish.

The Orange tallied three top-five finishes on the second day of the meet. Eunice Boateng finished fourth in the 200-meters, while Kevin Robertson secured fifth place in the mile. Boateng, Kennedy Tarley, Jana Riley and Shaleah Colaire finished third in the 4×400-meter relay to close the weekend on a high note.