By Tom Sullivan

“I’m gonna rise up, I’m gonna to kick a little ass, I’m gonna to kick some ass in the U.S.A., gonna climb a mountain, gonna sew a flag, gonna fly on an eagle. I’m gonna kick some butt, I’m gonna drive a big truck, I’m gonna rule this world, I’m gonna kick some ass, I’m gonna rise up, I’m gonna kick a little ass. ROCK, FLAG and EAGLE!!”

~ Charlie Kelly

What better way to head into a long Fourth of July weekend than by celebrating the failures of others? Hell, it’s what this great nation was founded on and why it continues to thrive. As we celebrate the 234^th year of the good ‘ole US of A, let’s take a look at the four biggest football and basketball recruiting busts for Syracuse over the last decade.

FOOTBALL

4. Damien Rhodes – The local kid from the swanky Stickley-producing suburbs of Fayetteville-Manlius, Rhodes arrived on campus in the fall of 2002 as the premier running back in the northeast coming out of high school. With a rare blend of ideal size and sub-4.3 40 speed, Rhodes was expected to be the next great in a line of SU backs full of history and legends. The problem? He could never beat out Walter Reyes for the #1 spot. Sure, Rhodes actually managed to have a pretty productive senior season, but most fans have blacked that wretched 1-10 campaign out of their minds.

3. Ricky Krautman – Maybe this speaks to just how bad recruiting got under Greg Robinson, but Rick the Kick actually came to SU with accolades that rival any of the signees over the last decade. According to Rivals, Rick had “one of the most celebrated high school kicking careers in history” during his time at the former factory known as Ramapo High School in Bergen County, NJ. The high school All-American didn’t even have to be that good – all SU was looking for was another Nate Trout. Unfortunately Rick turned out to be more Mike Schaefer (the kicker, not punter) than Trout and he last three seasons before transferring to Richmond. During his career The Kick attempted just three field goals for the Orange.

2. Lovar Lobdell – Maybe SU should have just stopped recruiting highly touted local kids after Rhodes failed to live up to expectations. Lobdell was arguably Greg Robinson’s prize recruit during his tenure on the hill, having been heavily courted by the likes of Miami and Florida. Lobdell shocked everyone by staying home and choosing to play for the Greggers. But – like everything the Gregger’s gets his hands on – it just didn’t work out. Lobdell spent five years in the program never seeing anything more than spot duty. He finished his career with a humbling 36 receptions, 386 yards and one touchdown.

1. Cecil Howard – This one reaches back to the early part of last decade. Howard, a 6’2” 215 lb quarterback from McKeesport, PA, was touted as the man who would finally replace the long since departed Donovan McNabb upon his arrival in the Fall of 2001. After rushing for 3,400 yards and 40 touchdowns in his final two high school seasons, he was heralded as the best running quarterback in the nation in the high school class of 2001. Unfortunately for Cecil, Coach P was moving further away from the option and his raw throwing ability put him behind Troy Nunes and RJ Anderson on the depth chart. He last less than a year in the program, bolting for D-1AA Youngstown State in the fall of 2002 – where he lasted all of 6 days never to be heard from again. One of the biggest busts in his class.

Dishonorable Mention: Barry Baker – Kept off the list because he enrolled over a decade ago, Baker was a New York State high school football legend. First-team All-American, all-state, all-county and All-Long Island. Didn’t qualify his freshman year and rarely saw the field the rest of his career in Orange.

BASKETBALL

4. Paul Harris – I almost feel bad putting Paul here. He was a solid player for three years during his time in Orange, he just came in with way too much hype. The kid was a top 10 recruit who to this day is one of the most athletic kids ever to play at SU – in any sport. Standing just 6’3”, Harris was a freak of nature in terms of raw athletic ability. Unfortunately, it didn’t always translate on the court. His inability to shoot and handle the ball kept him from his most natural position on the perimeter. Instead he was forced to play the three and never quite became the player he could have. His shot selection was often poor and his mental lapses aggravating. To this day I think he’d have had a better shot at a professional career had he played linebacker at SU.

3. Mike Jones – Classmate of Paul Harris’, Jones was a top 50 recruit out of Hopkins, SC who fit the mold of the perfect wing player Boeheim always covets. At 6’6” and 210 lbs, Jones was a slasher with a great knack for getting to the basket and had a good complimentary mid-range game to go along with it. He had offers from the likes of UConn, Florida and Maryland but chose to head north to Syracuse. He lasted 11 games into his freshman year before transferring home to South Carolina – where he was booted for academic reasons.

2. The Wright Brothers (no relation) – Two of central New York’s most highly coveted high school basketball stars over the last decade. Both signed with SU. Both were horrible failures. Dayshawn, a top 50 power forward from Syracuse, couldn’t cut it academically at SU and left during his sophomore season after contributing what amounted to nothing as freshman. Last I heard he was the #1 pick in something called the CBA draft. Josh hailed from nearby Utica and was among the three or four most coveted point guards in his class. Boeheim beat Jim Calhoun for his signature and Josh actually contributed somewhat during his first three years in the program. A starter at the beginning on his junior year, he was eventually replaced by Eric Devendorf midway through the season. Wright was the lone senior on the team during the 2007-2008 campaign but was beat out by freshman Jonny Flynn. That was the last straw – Josh quit the team in December  of his senior season.

1. The Entire Class of 2003 – I’m convinced this class set Syracuse basketball back five years. This was a group that was supposed to come in and elevate the program to elite status fresh off a national championship in 2003. On paper it was one of the Boeheim’s deepest and most talented recruiting classes he’d ever signed. Four top 100 players, each among the best in the nation at their positions – a slashing combo guard from NYC, the prototypical wing player who could shoot, an All-America power forward and a 5-star center. When the group enrolled, the Orange hoops program was heading to the elite – going to be mentioned among the big boys in college basketball. Duke, Carolina, Kansas, UCLA, Kentucky, Arizona, UConn and…Syracuse. Only, it never worked out that way thanks to this class. Once Hak and then Gerry left there was no one to pick up the slack. Louie McCroskey was an absolute head case, constantly finding himself in Boeheim’s doghouse until leaving after his junior year. Darryl “Mookie” Watkins underachieved for four years and never became the type of player his skill set and body should have allowed. Demetris Nichols was no more than a role player until his senior season. Sure he was productive that year, mainly from the perimeter, but his inability to lead without Gerry around was obvious and SU found itself in the NIT Nichols’ senior year. And then there was Terrence “T-Rob” Roberts. No doubt Terrence had the skill level to be among the best in the country at his position – he was selected to the USA Under-21 National Team in 2005 – he just didn’t seem to care. For all his athletic ability, Roberts’ lackadaisical attitude and mental mistakes frustrated SU fans every time he was on the floor. For four years he did less with more, something that describes this entire class.

Dishonorable Mention: Donte Greene – The 5-star McDonald’s AA was one of the most frustrating players to ever wear Orange. His shot selection was horrific, constantly throwing up threes. Despite his 6’10” frame, he refused to play inside and rebound worse than Rasheed Wallace for a guy his size. Lucky for him SU has had so many bigger busts over the last decade. He’d be in the top 4 of most other programs.