One player left. Another returned. A third who had left tried to return and was told, once again, to leave.

After a summer of comings and goings — the academic suspension of DeShaun Williams, the re-admittance of Billy Edelin and interest from Mark Konecny to re-enroll — Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim will have a decidedly different roster heading into next season.

Williams, who would have been a senior and SU’s top returning scorer, was suspended for the fall semester July 24, three weeks after he was found not guilty of assaulting a woman at an alleged bar fight at Konrad’s on Marshall Street.

‘I am disappointed that he wasn’t able to do better academically,’ Boeheim said. ‘He could have done better, and he knows that.’

Williams’ departure leaves the Orangemen with just nine scholarship players, including four freshmen.

One of those newcomers, Edelin, was supposed to be in last year’s class but was suspended from SU for one year after two female students accused him of rape and sexual harassment. Criminal charges were never filed against Edelin.

‘Billy had to go through the things that were required of him, and he did just that,’ Boeheim said. ‘He had to sit out a year, which is very difficult when you’re an athlete. He’ll be a little rusty at the beginning, no question.’

Edelin may still end up as the starting point guard in the season opener.

Konecny, meanwhile, will not be on the court — or even on the bench. The mercurial-but-talented forward came to Syracuse last year but withdrew from school for academic reasons five games into the season.

He transferred to Central Florida, but was removed from the program in April for breaking unspecified team rules. Konecny attempted to re-establish contact with Syracuse, Boeheim said, but discussions about the move never grew serious.

‘I talked to Mark once on the phone,’ Boeheim said, ‘but it never got past talking.’

News on new faces

Syracuse has up to five scholarships available for its 2003 recruiting class, but assistant coach Troy Weaver said the Orangemen may not use all of them.

‘We’ll end up with either three or four recruits. I think more towards three at this point,’ said Weaver, who spent much of the summer recruiting at the Nike- and Adidas-sponsored basketball camps.

The Orangemen have already received verbal commitments from Demetris Nichols, a 6-foot-7 small forward from Barrington, R.I., and Louie McCroskey, a 6-foot-4 guard from the Bronx.

Syracuse would still like to add at least one more from a group of prospects that includes three big men.

One of those players, Terrence Roberts, a 6-foot-8 forward from St. Anthony’s High in Jersey City, N.J., also has Syracuse high on his list.

‘There are a lot of fine schools on his list,’ St. Anthony’s coach Bob Hurley said of a group that includes Maryland, Florida, Virginia and Connecticut. ‘And if Syracuse doesn’t lead that list, it’s very close.’

Hurley, who’s son Bobby played for Duke and later in the NBA, added that Roberts plans on waiting until he visits each school before making a decision. Right now, a visit to Syracuse is planned for the weekend of Sept. 13.

At least two other forwards — Chris Taft, from Xaverian High in Brooklyn, and Courtney Sims, from Noble & Greenough School in Dedham, Mass. — also have visits planned for early next month.

This and that

Freshman Carmelo Anthony spent a week of his summer playing for the USA Men’s Junior National team in Venezuela. The squad won a bronze medal with Anthony as leading scorer. … Josh Pace used the offseason to bulk up. When Pace walked into the basketball office yesterday, both team secretaries needed a moment to recognize the suddenly-brawny sophomore. … Syracuse will open its home schedule Nov. 24 against Valparaiso.

Published on August 26, 2002 at 12:00 pm