NEW ORLEANS — It took all of half an hour after Syracuse beat Kansas, 81-78, last night for the national championship before Carmelo Anthony was asked about his future.

As he has been all season long, Anthony was mum about his status for the NBA Draft.

“I don’t regret coming to college,” Anthony said. “I had a fun year. I had a great year on the court and off the court at school. Just being around my friends, my teammates, being with the coaching staff, they make me so proud.”

SU head coach Jim Boeheim was equally coy about his expectations for Anthony.

“That’s his decision,” Boeheim said. “You know, he’s got to do it. I’ve said this many, many times. He’s got to make a simple decision: What do I want to do?”

SU guard Billy Edelin, who’s Anthony’s roommate, said he hopes Anthony stays but added he will not attempt to persuade Anthony one way or the other.

“Unless you all give me a loan,” Edelin said.

Fore!

Roy Williams may soon get a small measure of revenge. Though his Kansas Jayhawks lost the national championship to Boeheim and Syracuse last night, the two head coaches may soon meet again on the golf course.

Before Boeheim left for the Final Four last week, he said, “A week after the season, I’ll be playing golf, no matter what happens.”

Boeheim and Williams have a tradition of playing at Pine Valley Golf Club in Pine Valley, N.J. They rarely tee off together, but each leaves a scorecard with a caddie, who gives it to the other when he arrives.

“We’re sort of a little unethical, because I don’t leave any of the bad scorecards,” Williams said. “I’m sure he doesn’t leave any of the bad scorecards for me either.”

If Williams’ assessments are accurate, though, Boeheim may not need to cheat.

“Jimmy is a good player,” Williams said. “He has a really nice swing. He’s a much better long iron player than I am, a much more consistent player than I am. When he’s playing well, it’s a pretty game.”

Said Boeheim: “We both used to be a lot better than we are now. And everybody thinks we’re a lot better than we are.”

Home sweet Syracuse

Enjoying the snowy weather in Syracuse? Well this week, temperatures in New Orleans have hovered around the 80-degree mark, and, save yesterday afternoon, the sun has shined.

Despite all this, Boeheim defended life in Syracuse on Sunday.

“For eight months of the year, it’s the best place to be in the country,” Boeheim said. “The other four is basketball season. You come to Syracuse in the summer and fall, and I’ll take you to the mountains, I’ll take you to fish five minutes from my house, I’ll take you to 20 good golf courses 20 minutes from my house.

“Eight months, it’s warm, summertime. It’s just a great place, great people, as long as you ignore those four months, which I do.”

All-tournament team

The Final Four all-tournament team: Anthony, Gerry McNamara, Nick Collison, Keith Langford and Kirk Hinrich.

This and that

Former Orangemen Donovan McNabb and Ron Seikaly came to town this weekend. Boeheim joked that Derrick Coleman, who’s with the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, might pop in, too. “Derrick is coming,” Boeheim said grinning. “He says he’s hurt, so he’s coming.” … Kansas played in its second consecutive Final Four after losing to Maryland, 97-88, last year. … Syracuse rewarded students who bought tickets to either the first- and second-round games in Boston or Regionals in Albany by allowing them to purchase lower-level seats behind the baskets in the Superdome. Other students sat in the second tier. … Kansas is the first member of the Big 12 to play in a national championship game since the conference was established in 1994. … A non-No. 1 seed won the national title for the first time since Kentucky won as a No. 2 seed in 1998. … Asked what he felt the moment SU won the national championship, SU Director of Athletics Jake Crouthamel said, “Relief!”

Published on April 7, 2003 at 12:00 pm