PHILADELPHIA — Willie Deane was at his home in Schenectady, New York in May when he logged into Skype — something he says he typically doesn’t do during the offseason.

He quickly noticed he had a message from Eric Devendorf, who wanted to know if Deane was interested in playing for Boeheim’s Army in The Basketball Tournament.

“I needed to get a hold of him,” Devendorf said. “I’ve played overseas against him, so I knew what type of guy he was.”

Soon after seeing the message, Deane called Devendorf and told him he was in.

On Saturday night, Deane and Devendorf started alongside each other in Boeheim’s Army’s backcourt. Their active play on both ends led the Syracuse-based team to a 91-73 win in its first-round meeting with NYCSuperstars at Gallagher Athletic Center in Philadelphia.

Prior to joining Boeheim’s Army, Deane, who played collegiately at Purdue, had little connection to Syracuse outside of his friendship with Devendorf, who played parts of four seasons at SU from 2005 to 2009 and became a fan favorite during his time in orange.

That stark contrast between the two was apparent during the starting lineup introductions prior to the game. From a crowd dominated by Syracuse fans, Devendorf received the loudest ovation of any player, while Deane heard the quietest cheers.

Once they hit the floor, none of that seemed to matter. With Boeheim’s Army trailing 13-12 midway through the first half, Deane and Devendorf combined to score four transition layups in a span of five possessions. Of those four layups, three came off turnovers caused by their disruption at the top of the 2-3 zone.

“We like to pressure the ball-handler and either bait him into our big guys or trap him,” Deane said. “It was working out tonight.”

The constant pressure helped Boeheim’s Army extend its lead to as many as 14 points in the first half. And when NYCSuperstars went on a run of its own to trim the deficit to 36-30 with 23 seconds left, Deane had an answer.

The point guard ran a high pick-and-roll with Hakim Warrick. Deane hit the forward in stride as he moved toward the basket. But when Warrick was met by a defender in the lane, he sent the ball back to Deane, who calmly drained a 3 at the buzzer from the left wing.

“That was a big momentum swing for us,” Deane said. “It was real unselfish of Hak to pass me the ball and I was able to knock it down.”

The shot gave Deane a game-high 10 points at halftime. In the second half, it was Devendorf who began to take command. With Boeheim’s Army leading 43-35 and 15 minutes to play, he connected on a 3 from the right wing, sending the Syracuse faithful into a frenzy and igniting “Let’s go Orange!” chants.

Devendorf would score nine more points in the half and finish with 18 points, seven assists and two steals. Deane finished with 16 points, five assists and two steals.

“Guard play is really important in these type of games,” Boeheim’s Army head coach Lawrence Moten said. “Willie and Eric did a very good job tonight.”

About 30 minutes after the game ended, both Deane and Devendorf participated in a meet-and-greet with Syracuse fans in a small room that looks over the court at the Gallagher Athletic Center. When they arrived, Boeheim’s Army general manager Kevin Belbey introduced them in consecutive order. This time, they garnered similar cheers.

Moments later, Deane laughed as he reflected on the message that helped make the night possible.

“I don’t know why I decided to check Skype,” he said. “But I’m glad I did.”

Published on July 19, 2015 at 1:26 am

Contact Michael: mdburk01@syr.edu