NEW YORK – Syracuse sophomore Josh Wright continued to cement a regular spot in the Syracuse rotation Thursday night, scoring nine points and providing quickness and tenacity in 14 minutes of playing time against Texas Tech.

‘Josh was outstanding,’ Syracuse junior Terrence Roberts said. ‘He probably wasn’t in Texas Tech’s scouting report. He got in there and made some plays. The defense was tremendous and he was one of those guys.’

Wright took a hard hit on a layup with 2:22 remaining in the first half similar to the one he received in SU’s first exhibition against St. Rose that led to Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim’s ejection. Boeheim wasn’t ejected this time, but Tech’s Drew Coffman was called for an intentional foul on the hit.

Wright stood up slowly, leaning on teammates as he got up. But once he found his legs, Wright stepped to the foul line and made both foul shots.

Boeheim said he’d like to rotate Wright and junior Louie McCroskey. Wright gives the Orange a speedy point guard who can shoot, pass and play tough defense. McCroskey is a more physical player and uses his larger frame in the paint.

Despite the strong showing from Wright, Boeheim would not commit explicitly to giving the sophomore more playing time.

‘We’ll see what happens,’ Boeheim said.

Gerry’s back?

Syracuse senior Gerry McNamara heard a lot of criticism after going 0-for-10 from behind the 3-point arc against Cornell. If last night was any indication, McNamara will be just fine.

He led all scorers with 12 points and made three of the seven 3-pointers he attempted. He also had nine assists.

Boeheim wanted McNamara to drive the lane more often and the guard did that with frequency against the Red Raiders. In the past when McNamara drove the lane, he drew fouls and got to the free-throw line. He was fouled only once last night.

McNamara did grab five rebounds.

‘I thought Gerry was really good,’ Boeheim said. ‘This is what we want him to do. He got some good shots. He’ll make those shots.’

Frosh look

When Syracuse freshman Eric Devendorf entered the game with 12:19 remaining in the first half, he received a large ovation. Thirty seconds later, he showed why he deserved the applause.

Devendorf hit a long 3-pointer, his first shot of the game, to put SU up, 14-2, and further demoralize the Red Raiders. Less than a minute later, Devendorf made another 3 to push the Syracuse lead to 15.

The back-to-back 3-pointers made the large contingent of Syracuse fans even louder.

Devendorf finished with 11 points, second highest for the Orange. Still, Boeheim insists the freshman has ‘a long way to go.’

Devendorf was pleased with his team’s performance and hoped the momentum of the blowout win carries through the rest of the season.

‘If we do this every game, I don’t think anybody can really beat us,’ Devendorf said.

Published on November 17, 2005 at 12:00 pm