Daryl Gross speaks with John Evenson
SYRACUSE -- Syracuse University Athletic Director Dr. Daryl Gross is always on the road to support his team, but this weekend he will not have far to go to watch his men's basketball team compete in the NCAA tournament.
SU's # 1 seed is sure to provide a vibrant Orange backdrop in Buffalo, and Gross is among many of the Orange and Orange fans alike who are looking forward to a chance at redemption against Vermont, the same team that knocked them out in the first round of the 2005 NCAA tournament. While some fans think having to play Vermont again is just too much of a coincidence, Gross says he doesn't think it's any secret plan by the NCAA Committee. "You look at the bracket every year it seems like Duke is playing Winthorp (sic) like 26 years in a row," says Gross, "so those things are going to happen, there is some regionalization in the tournament, they're out east we're out east so we get to play them again."
Gross is also cautiously optimistic, as most SU fans are, that Arinze Onuaku's injury is not the end of the world. While coach Jim Boeheim has said he'd be surprised if Onuaku would play any significant minutes this weekend, Gross is still trying to stay confident after speaking to Onuaku on Sunday night. "I said you played football in high school right? I said remember the rule in football is if you can walk you can play, and he said absolutely, so I think he's gonna surprise some people."
Click on the video link for CNY Central Sports Director John Evenson's one-on-one interview with Gross, who also discusses the topic of Big East Expansion and the possibility of expanding the NCAA tournament to 96 teams. Boeheim has been vocal in his support for tournament expansion, telling the Associated Press "I've said many, many times I think it's time for an expansion. We'll see what they do. There's a million reasons. There's more good teams than there's ever been. The tournament's been expanded six or seven times, no reason why it shouldn't be expanded once more. We've got a lot of good teams and I think there should be more teams in this tournament. I think it's been right for a while, but that's just me."
Gross is more reluctant than Boeheim, saying he doesn't want to water down the season for the fans, or make the Big East Tournament less important. He also added that he doesn't want to put any extra pressure on the coaches for the possibility of not making the final 96 in any given season.
