Syracuse Straw Poll

Now that Barack Obama has been re-elected President you thought you were done with all the campaigning and advertisements, didn't you?

Wrong!

They're just kicking into gear because we are heading into the most important election season of them all.  The race for top Orangeman of the 2012-13 season.  No two-party system here.  We've got a huge field of candidates running on platforms ranging from rim-rocking dunks to ankle-breaking crossovers to deep-range threes.

Luckily for you, I'm here to breakdown the odds for you with as unbiased an eye as possible.  If you'd like the results of my personal Fox News inspired poll, then you can see me individually.

The Write-Ins:

Noel Jones (250 to 1)

You do not have to be a naturalized citizen to be in this race, and Syracuse has had a proud recent tradition of Canadians with strong showings in these polls.  Andy Rautins and Kris Joseph can vouch for that.  We have another strong candidate coming in next year (Top 25 Class of 2013 recruit Tyler Ennis), but in the meantime walk-on Noel Jones will have to keep the seat warm for the Molson and Maple Syrup loving fans among us.

Chris McCullough or Chinoso Obokoh (100 to 1)

It seems unlikely given the lofty preseason expectations for this team, but if the season turns south then the attention may turn to new candidates who can promise a change.  Enter recent recruits Obokoh and McCullough.

Obokoh has a few things going in his favor.  He's a local product, so fans in Syracuse and Rochester alike will have chances to catch him in live action this year if they so desire.  Plus, a name like Chinoso Obokoh lends itself to all kinds of nicknames, so he is sure to be a fan favorite for that reason alone.

McCullough is still two years away, so he could suffer from "out of sight, out of mind" syndrome.  Helping him to combat this malady is the label of Top 10 Recruit.  Recruits that highly regarded don't always pan out (see: Greene, Donte), but when they do they can single handedly change the course of a program (see: Anthony, Carmelo).

Gerry McNamara (no line)

Pretty sure Gerry could win for Mayor of Syracuse, yet alone for most popular person on the team.  This would be like putting Derek Jeter on the roster of a little league team in the Bronx and then asking them to vote for the best player on the team.  There might be a few rogue voters who would vote for little Steve Schirmer just to be contrarian, but there would be no contest for who wins.  It's a living legend against mere children.  Just to be safe, we'll ban any coaches from being included on the ballot.  All we want is a fair fight.

The Long Shots:

Jerami Grant (75 to 1)

Grant could be the Herman Cain of this straw poll.  He's the recruit that relatively no one is talking about, but he'll get a chance to make a big splash in the early primaries against the likes of Alcorn State, Eastern Michigan, and Wagner.  However, as we transition from the primaries to the real election (the Big East and NCAA Tournament in this instance), we are likely to see his radical athletic ability passed on by voters for the more traditional messages of outside shooting and drives to the hoop that incumbents Fair and Southerland can offer.

Baye Moussa Keita (50 to 1)

Baye would be an intriguing candidate on paper.  He's got a charismatic smile (don't judge) and I think I heard once that he is smart too.

But the first chance you gave him in the limelight at a public campaign stop, he would likely fumble a baby during a photo-op and his campaign would be over before it even began, kind of like Donald Trump's.

The Up-And-Comers:

DaJuan Coleman (25 to 1)

In Coleman's Favor -

He's a local product from Jamesville-Dewitt High School, following in the footsteps of Andy Rautins and Brandon Triche.

He's a highly-rated freshman, coming in with accolades such as McDonald's All-American.

He's a traditional big man with actual discernible rebounding and low post skills, which is a departure from most recent Cuse big men.

Playing in the zone should keep him out of foul trouble, a potential landmine for most young big men in college hoops.

When was the last time we had a big man who could actually shoot free throws?

Working Against Coleman -

You can know order and pay for Chipotle online...

Trevor Cooney (25 to 1)

I know, I know.  Shocking that I would put Cooney this low, but like I said, I'm trying to be unbiased here.

Cooney is a promising, young, up-and-coming candidate.  It's just not his time time quite yet.  He'll get his feet wet this year and come his Junior and Senior seasons, I expect he will be a heavy favorite for back-to-back terms.

Don't think for a second that I'm not snatching up a ticket at these odds, though, and seeing dollar signs every time Cooney drains 3 three's in a minute and a half, followed by post-game endorsements from key party figures Boeheim and McNamara.

We briefly interrupt this program to bring you an important message...

The Louisville Cardinals.  They say they're a top 3 team.  They claim they have a Player of the Year candidate.  But can you really trust them?

In 2011, they finished eighth in the Big East, 2 games behind South Florida

In 2010, they lost a first-round game to #13 seed Morehead State

In 2009, Rick Pitino was a scumbag.

The 2012-13 Louisville Cardinals.  Extremely talented or Extremely overrated?  You decide.

"Hi, I'm Jim Boeheim and I approve this message."

This message has been brought to you by the ad council of Concerned Big East Citizens and contributors to The Great White Forth.

The Dark Horses:

Rakeem Christmas (20 to 1)

Rakeem is in line to make the famed Syracuse big man sophomore year leap.  He likely won't do enough to become the star of the team this season, but he will show enough promise and hope that he will be anointed a face to watch in the next election.

It's like every four years when some lesser-known candidate takes a meteoric rise during his party's convention and is dubbed the "next great presidential candidate".  Think Chris Christie this year.

Unfortunately, like the many political candidates whose stars fade well before they ever get the chance to make a real presidential run, Christmas is likely to be gone before ever having a real shot to be the start of a Syracuse team.  Like Fab Melo before him, I think he's a prime candidate to show just enough improvement to sneak himself into the first round of next year's draft, leaving Cuse fans longing for what could have been if he had just stuck around one more year.

James Southerland (15 to 1)

Southerland is a real sleeper in this race.  You always hear about the inherent advantage JFK experienced in the 1960 presidential race because of his charisma in the first ever televised debates.  Southerland's infectious personality and Dougie-licious dance moves ooze charisma.  He is easily one of the most fun players to watch over the last few seasons.

Style only matters so much, though.  At the end of the day, you can put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig.  Syracuse fans want substance and demand consistency.  If you waffle back and forth like John Kerry, they'll crush you.

If James can continue taking the small strides he's made each of the past three seasons, he'll be in a great position to stay in this race until the end.  If he can play like he did in the first weekend of the NCAA tournament , he might just pull out the surprising victory.  If he shoots 20% from deep during Big East conference play again like last year...he's still just a pig.

The Favorites:

Michael Carter-Williams (10 to 1)

Carter-Williams has one competitive advantage over all his fellow candidates.  He is going to be the primary ball-handler for this team.  That's important because if he doesn't like the way the race, or game, is going then he has the most ability of anyone to change it.

It's sort of like being able to participate in the debate and moderate it yourself at the same time.

Or in other words, it's like having Jim Lehrer moderate it (current event shots fired!).

C.J. Fair (5 to 1)

The winner of my vote from last year's election, Fair is a strong candidate again this season.  Last year, Fair showed up with a semi-reliable mid-range jumper to compliment his already crafty inside game.  There are rumors that this offseason he has taken things one step further and turned himself into a threat from three-point range.  He showed flashes of this in the first exhibition game (2-3), but then tapered off a little in the second look (0-2).

I'll reserve judgment until we get a chance to see this against real competition over a slightly larger sample size, but if Fair can come even close to shooting 40% from deep that's a game changer.  When you take that into account with everything else he already does, that would be like if Mitt Romney had solved Social Security, Health Care, and the Fiscal Cliff over the summer.  You think he might have won the election if that had been the case?

Brandon Triche (2 to 1)

He's going to be the leader of this team whether he likes it or not.  When you've been a starter in every game of your entire career during a stretch when two of your three seasons have resulted in #1 seeds in the NCAA tournament, people expect you to win a poll like this.

There may be flashier, up-and-coming names getting their first real shot at the limelight who are pushing innovative agendas and drawing all the attention.  There always are.

But if you can keep losses under 5 and point to dates in the second weekend of March Madness in two of your first three terms in office, people can get on board with that.  It may not be unemployment under 5% or a National Championship, but it's a step in the right direction and people aren't likely to vote out the incumbent when things are humming along smoothly.

A seat in the Carrier Dome rafters is yours for the taking Brandon.  Don't let us down with a lame-duck season.