By Canadian Press

Ahead of hosting Duke, Rautins, Ennis recall raucous games at Syracuse

Feb 22, 2019 | 11:45 AM

Leo Rautins’ ears would ring for hours after games in the Carrier Dome.

“It was deafening,” Rautins said. “I remember going back to my apartment after games and I couldn’t hear.”

The famous Carrier Dome will be a swaying, ear-splitting sea of orange on Saturday when R.J. Barrett and the No. 1-ranked Duke Blue Devils visit fellow Canadian Oshae Brissett and the Syracuse Orange in a marquee NCAA basketball matchup, a game that is expected to smash the record for an on-campus crowd.

The game sold out weeks ago. A courtside seat on the secondary market will set you back more than US$7,000.

Rautins and fellow Canadian Tyler Ennis say some of their best basketball memories came under the gleaming Carrier Dome roof.

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Ennis, who played for Syracuse in the 2013-14 season before he was drafted 18th overall by Phoenix in the 2014 NBA draft, remembers students camping out overnight “in snow and freezing temperatures” before big games to get prime seats. The Carrier Dome also is home to the school’s football and lacrosse teams.

“Best environment in campus basketball. Definitely the loudest environment I’ve ever played in,” said Ennis. “There’s a lot of pride from the fans. Favourite memory of the Dome would probably be beating Duke or Villanova at home. Both were good games. The Duke game we broke the attendance record at 35k.”

A record-35,446 fans watched the Orange beat Duke in overtime in 2014. The 2015 game against Duke, an 80-72 Blue Devils win, matched the record. 

Syracuse hasn’t announced official attendance, but with extra courtside seats added since last season, and since the Carrier Dome is the largest on-campus basketball venue, the game is virtually guaranteed to break the NCAA on-campus record. Kentucky’s Rupp Arena is the second-largest, holding 23,000 fans.  

“I remember a few times in particular the noise was deafening after baskets. That shocked me. It was hard to hear coach (Jim Boeheim),” Ennis said.

Rautins played three seasons for Syracuse, and became the first player in Big East play to record a triple-double.   

“Boeheim used to be very emotional in those days — and funny. No matter how loud it was, you could always here him. When I screwed up, I used to run down the other side of the floor to pretend I couldn’t hear him,” laughed Rautins, whose son Andy would follow in his footsteps, playing four seasons for Syracuse.

The legendary longtime Syracuse coach could be a bit subdued on Saturday. The 71-year-old struck and killed a pedestrian on Wednesday after Syracuse’s win over Louisville. Syracuse police said 51-year-old Jorge Jimenez was on the side of the highway after a vehicle he was in struck a guardrail. Boeheim swerved to avoid the car and struck the man.

Boeheim said in a statement he’s “heartbroken.” 

ESPN announced Friday it was cancelling its scheduled broadcast of “College GameDay” from the Carrier Dome in light of the fatal car accident, and would instead broadcast from the network’s studios in Bristol, Conn.

Another storyline nobody could have predicted is the expected absence of Zion Williamson. The Duke star suffered a bizarre sprained knee when his Nike shoe shredded in Duke’s 88-72 loss to North Carolina on Wednesday.

Barrett matched a season best with 33 points in that loss. Last weekend, the 18-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., had 23 points, 11 boards and 11 assists in Duke’s 94-78 win over North Carolina State, the first Blue Devils triple-double since Shelden Williams accomplished the feat in 2006.

Barrett’s triple-double was also the first by a Canadian in NCAA action since Rautins — Leo, not Andy — did it 35 years ago. Rautins had 13 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds against Boston College in 1983.

Cue the memories.

“Winning the Big East tournament in the (Carrier) Dome my sophomore year was huge, a triple OT win over Villanova. Many feel that was one of the best Big East games ever,” Leo Rautins said.

“Houston, “Phi Slama Jama” (Houston’s nickname in the early ’80s) came in senior year and we ran them off the floor. Any of those games like that versus (Hakeem) Olajuwon and (Patrick) Ewing were crazy. Fans hated Georgetown. Those games were wars … and the crowd was nuts. Great memories.”

Barrett is averaging 23.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and four assists a night for Duke (23-3). Brissett, a sophomore forward from Mississauga, Ont., is averaging 13.2 points and 7.9 rebounds for Syracuse (18-8).

The Orange upset host Duke on 95-91 on Jan. 14.

Lori Ewing, The Canadian Press