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As Joe Girard III stood at the podium where Jim Boeheim and now Adrian Autry do postgame press conferences, he admitted that it felt weird to be up there.

Usually the podium is only reserved for coaches, but there was an exception today for the guard who had played at Syracuse for four years and finished with more points than legends like Pearl Washington.

In the homecoming for Girard, he received plenty of boos from the student section and some fans around the JMA Wireless Dome. But he also received cheers, symbolizing a career that included shooting performances which helped the program reach the Sweet 16 as an 11-seed, but simultaneously two final seasons that ended with no tournament appearances.

But for today, Girard ended up with a game-high 18 points in his new team Clemson’s (16-7, 6-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) 77-68 win over Syracuse (15-9, 6-7 ACC). Girard faced consistent, tight defense from former teammate Judah Mintz, taking only six shots for the entire contest. He just happened to make all but one of those shots, including four 3s, and made four free throws to stop the Orange’s comeback in its tracks.

“The mark of a good player is their efficiency,” Tigers head coach Brad Brownell said. “There’s a lot of guys that score 20 points and take 20 shots to get them. Guys who are winners figure out how to do it and be efficient players and how to make your other guys better.”

Brownel also added that Girard showed great maturity throughout when finding open teammates.

Girard, like the rest of his teammates during pregame, worked on foul shots and then 3-point shots as the rest of the Dome patrons entered. According to Mike Waters of syracuse.com, Clemson was given 75 tickets in the “friends and family” section behind the team’s bench and 24 of those tickets went to Girard’s family.

While Girard had plenty of family members to support him, he didn’t receive a hero’s welcome. When Girard’s name was announced during the starting lineups, he received a mixed reception with those in the student section booing him while regular fans seemed to clap.

“I didn’t think too much of it. I’m just kind of an emotional player no matter where I’m at,” Girard said. “Had there been another crowd somewhere else who’s booing me, I probably would have done the same thing. So it’s not personal.”

Anytime Girard touched the ball, fans would boo him. But Girard found opportunities to quiet the crowd.

With 11 minutes remaining in the first half, Jack Clark pulled in a Dillon Hunter miss and found Girard. Once the guard touched the ball, the fans got back to booing. But Girard buried the 3-point shot from the top of the key. Over three minutes later, the former SU guard pulled up again and buried his second 3-pointer of the game, increasing the Tigers’ run to 14-0.

As the Orange started storming back, Girard took some joy in silencing the fans. About halfway through the second half when JJ Starling made it a three-point game, Girard worked from the right wing and buried his fourth triple of the afternoon. As Girard got back on defense, he put his finger up and shushed the crowd.

To Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry, the shooting performance reflected an improvement in the former SU guard.

“I just thought Joe played a really good game,” Autry said. “He stepped up when they needed him. He had some big shots. He’s definitely gotten better.”

But aside from the 3s and a long 2-point jumper he hit in the second half, Girard didn’t shoot the ball much. Mintz watched Girard like a hawk throughout the affair. As Girard moved around the halfcourt, taking part in Clemson’s rotations, Mintz stayed on him. Mintz’s pressure forced Girard to pass the ball away on multiple occasions.

On Girard’s only miss of the afternoon, Mintz was right there in his face. The fifth-year guard tried to work from the top of the key, but Mintz remained tight on him. Girard then threw up a 3-point attempt that hit the rim. He tried to draw contact for a shooting foul, but there was no whistle and SU got the rebound.

“There wasn’t a game plan against (Girard), there was just a game plan against Clemson,” Quadir Copeland said. “We got Judah Mintz so we knew that he could guard him.”

The one miss didn’t deter Girard, though. In the waning minutes of the game, Starling hit a jumper to tie the contest up at 60. But the Tigers used Hall’s ability to gain the lead back which it never gave up.

Girard helped ice the game at the line with four free throws to put Clemson up by eight points with just a minute to go. The free throws were enough for fans to start hitting the exits. Once Girard and the Tigers were in the handshake line, he said the moment felt surreal, noting he never imagined coming back to the Dome like this. After Girard did an interview, he ran over to the section where his supporters and family members were sitting and hugged his father Joe Jr.

Girard also saw some former Syracuse people as well both during and after the game like associate head coach Gerry McNamara, giving him more time to reflect on the win.

“It was awesome,” Girard said. “I saw a lot of people that I created relationships with for years… And just to be here to be able to see him have smiles on their faces before and after the game. It was great.”

Published on February 10, 2024 at 4:44 pm

Contact Henry: henrywobrien1123@gmail.com