Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Not so Fab-ulous: Cuse’s Melo to Miss NCAA Tournament
Syracuse’s chances of winning its second NCAA Tournament since 2003 took a major hit Tuesday when the school announced that 7-foot sophomore center Fab Melo is ineligible for the remainder of the season.
The 7-foot Melo may well have played his last game for the Orange, with the New York Times reporting multiple sources at Syracuse and in the NBA saying Melo will declare for the NBA Draft.
“He has to be coming out for sure with the latest news,” one veteran NBA scout told SNY.tv. “He’s no doubt a first-rounder due to his size and the lack of big men in the draft and currently in the NBA.”
Melo’s removal from the team is believed to be related to academic issues.
“Syracuse University sophomore men’s basketball center Fab Melo did not travel with the team to Pittsburgh, and will not take part in the NCAA Tournament due to an eligibility issue,” a school statement read. “Given University policy and federal student privacy laws, no further details can be provided at this time.”
The Big East Defensive Player of the Year, Melo averaged 7.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.1 blocks this season.
Melo missed three games during the regular season because of academic issues and the Orange lost their only regular season game during that stretch at Notre Dame.
He it not been for that game, Syracuse might have completed the regular season 32-0.
After losing in the Big East Tournament semifinals to Cincinnati, the Orange are now 31-2 heading into Thursday’s East Region second-round game against UNC-Asheville in Pittsburgh.
Without Melo, Syracuse’s other bigs, Rakeem Christmas and Baye Keita, will have to step up.
Syracuse has already had to deal with the Bernie Fine sex scandal, the Yahoo! Sports detailing failed drug tests by players over the past 10 years and now this.
Through it all, head coach Jim Boeheim has insisted the team isn’t bothered by distractions.
“If things were bothering us we wouldn’t be 31-1,” he said before the semis. “Nothing bothers us.”
As for Melo’s pro future, the veteran NBA scout said, “He has improved this year because he is in much better shape. He has a nice upside ahead of him. The downside is he does not take care of his weight and gains the weight back.”
Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com added: “He is a late first/early second round pick depending on who else declares. There are 10-15 guys that could move him up or down dramatically depending on whether they’re in or out.”
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
Syracuse’s chances of winning its second NCAA Tournament since 2003 took a major hit Tuesday when the school announced that 7-foot sophomore center Fab Melo is ineligible for the remainder of the season.
The 7-foot Melo may well have played his last game for the Orange, with the New York Times reporting multiple sources at Syracuse and in the NBA saying Melo will declare for the NBA Draft.
“He has to be coming out for sure with the latest news,” one veteran NBA scout told SNY.tv. “He’s no doubt a first-rounder due to his size and the lack of big men in the draft and currently in the NBA.”
Melo’s removal from the team is believed to be related to academic issues.
“Syracuse University sophomore men’s basketball center Fab Melo did not travel with the team to Pittsburgh, and will not take part in the NCAA Tournament due to an eligibility issue,” a school statement read. “Given University policy and federal student privacy laws, no further details can be provided at this time.”
The Big East Defensive Player of the Year, Melo averaged 7.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.1 blocks this season.
Melo missed three games during the regular season because of academic issues and the Orange lost their only regular season game during that stretch at Notre Dame.
He it not been for that game, Syracuse might have completed the regular season 32-0.
After losing in the Big East Tournament semifinals to Cincinnati, the Orange are now 31-2 heading into Thursday’s East Region second-round game against UNC-Asheville in Pittsburgh.
Without Melo, Syracuse’s other bigs, Rakeem Christmas and Baye Keita, will have to step up.
Syracuse has already had to deal with the Bernie Fine sex scandal, the Yahoo! Sports detailing failed drug tests by players over the past 10 years and now this.
Through it all, head coach Jim Boeheim has insisted the team isn’t bothered by distractions.
“If things were bothering us we wouldn’t be 31-1,” he said before the semis. “Nothing bothers us.”
As for Melo’s pro future, the veteran NBA scout said, “He has improved this year because he is in much better shape. He has a nice upside ahead of him. The downside is he does not take care of his weight and gains the weight back.”
Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com added: “He is a late first/early second round pick depending on who else declares. There are 10-15 guys that could move him up or down dramatically depending on whether they’re in or out.”
