Syracuse Orange news: Melo’s son vs. Elliot Cadeau, Boogie Fland, more

Over the weekend, in one of the premier high-school showcases of the 2022-23 season, one battle pitted the son of Syracuse Orange basketball legend Carmelo Anthony and his New York City high school against the powerhouse Link Academy in Branson, Mo., which is led by a former Orange five-star recruiting target.

Per media reports, the Link Academy defeated Christ the King Regional High School in Middle Village, N.Y., by a final count of 55-44 in the semifinals of the 2023 Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions at the Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield, Mo.

For the Link Academy, 2024 five-star point guard Elliot Cadeau tallied 14 points, four rebounds and four assists in 24 minutes, while connecting on 6-of-18 from the field. The 6-foot-1 Cadeau had the Orange in his top six before verbally committing to North Carolina at the end of December.

Melo’s son, 2025 four-star shooting guard Kiyan Anthony, got 10 minutes of run for Christ the King. He contributed five points, hitting on 2-of-5 from the field and 1-of-1 from downtown. Syracuse Orange basketball coaches offered a scholarship to the 6-foot-3 Anthony last November.

The Link Academy, ranked No. 1 nationwide by some high-school hoops experts, would go on to win the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions title, defeating the Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kan., in the final game, 72-66. Cadeau chipped in 16 points here.

Other Syracuse Orange news

New 5-star recruit struggles from the field
Another recent high-school basketball tournament held in high regard is the Spalding Hoophall Classic. The 2023 version of this showcase also took place in recent days at the Blake Arena in Springfield, Mass.

One game with a Syracuse Orange basketball connection had Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, N.Y., going up against the Simeon Career Academy, a Chicago powerhouse. Per reports, Simeon defeated Archbishop Stepinac, 52-39.

Boogie Fland, a 2024 five-star point guard recently offered by the ‘Cuse, is a star for Archbishop Stepinac. Businessman and top SU booster Adam Weitsman is discussing a combined multi-year, seven-figure name, image and likeness agreement with the 6-foot-3 Fland and his family.

Versus Simeon, Fland played 32 minutes and hauled in a team-high 14 points, along with two rebounds, three assists, one block and three steals. Fland had a poor shooting performance, going 3-of-14 from the field, 0-of-7 from 3-point land and 8-of-11 from the charity stripe.

Women’s rowing unveils 2023 slate
Per SU Athletics, the Syracuse Orange women’s rowing team has released its upcoming 2023 schedule.

According to a press release, the ‘Cuse will kick off its 2023 season on March 25 in Camden, N.J. A year ago, Syracuse Orange women’s rowing finished second at the ACC Championship and No. 17 overall at the NCAA Championship.

NCAA/recruiting news

Could the Big Dance significantly expand?
According to an abundance of reports and this press release from the NCAA, it seems the door is open to potentially growing the NCAA Tournament from its current field of 68 teams to up to 90 squads.

I’ve seen some candid comments on this topic from Syracuse Orange men’s basketball head coach Jim Boeheim lately, and I’ll get into that in another column. But for now, I’m curious about what my fellow ‘Cuse fans think regarding the possible expansion of March Madness.

On the one hand, I love all of the upsets that often come on the first weekend of the tourney. Maybe more teams invited can produce even more Cinderella stories. And, hey, if Syracuse basketball continues to frequently reside on the proverbial bubble, a larger field could give the ‘Cuse a better shot of getting an invite.

That being said, if the NCAA Tournament does grow in size, I’d personally love to see more mid-major programs get berths, even if that comes at the expense of power-conference squads.