Saint Rose head coach Brian Beaury wouldn’t be surprised if his players wandered over to the Syracuse men’s basketball team’s bench during a timeout tonight at the Carrier Dome and asked Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim for an autograph.

Beaury’s Division II Golden Knights take on the Orange at 7 in each team’s final exhibition game, but it’s an opportunity St. Rose isn’t overlooking. The exhibition game has turned into one of the most anticipated games of the year for the Albany-based program.

‘The talent level is different,’ Beaury said. ‘We know that, and they know that. Our guys are just looking forward to play a program with such a storied history. Syracuse is the best team we’ll ever have the opportunity to play.’

But the only reason why Beaury and his players have the opportunity to play Syracuse is because of an off-season rule change. The NCAA eliminated exhibition games against all-star squads or club teams made up of non-college players. It also prohibits Division I exhibition games, except for those held in private.

That means top schools like Syracuse are forced to schedule games against the best of Division II, like Saint Rose. As Beaury joked, it’ll allow his players to get some autographs.

Last year, Syracuse played two all-star teams, Nike Elite and the Harlem Globetrotters. Now that those games have been outlawed, the Orange played Division II Le Moyne Tuesday night and won, 101-46. St. Rose defeated Division I Binghamton on the road, 82-76.

When Beaury found out about the rule change, he was quick to call Boeheim, whom Beaury has known since 1988 when he worked at Boeheim’s basketball camp.

‘There’s a lot of respect on our part for what (Syracuse has) done and who they are,’ Beaury said. ‘We certainly as competitors would like to win the basketball game. Sometimes when you’re playing with nothing to lose, you play a little better.’

Both Beaury and Boeheim agree that playing other college teams is sometimes better than playing against an elite team made up of former NBA and college players.

When your team plays against another college team, Boeheim said, usually the systems are something you might see later in the year.

‘One of the nice things about playing this game versus those AAU games where you’re going to play better competition is this is more like a college game,’ Boeheim said after SU’s win over Le Moyne. ‘A lot of the stuff they do reminds me of the stuff we’ll see with Princeton and some other teams that we’ll play. This was actually better in some ways for our defense.’

Said Beaury: ‘I’m hopeful (Syracuse’s) experience is good as well. The exhibition is a challenge for everybody. There’s a real balance to be found. Sometimes when they play D-I or these club teams or older all-star teams, while the talent may be good, the organization and the conditioning isn’t as good. Your athletes aren’t forced to make decisions that they will be when the season starts.’

Beaury is excited for the opportunity the rule change has afforded his team, which is known for its elite play in Division II. But in the past, he had to schedule scrimmages against Division III schools or against foreign teams that were either too good or not good enough.

‘It’s much sexier to go up a level and play,’ Beaury said. ‘Unfortunately, Syracuse doesn’t have a level they can go up and play.

‘As much as anything, coach Boeheim is doing this to give us an opportunity for our program. He recognizes we work hard and we do things right, and he’s giving us an opportunity to come out and enjoy the fruits of what we’ve worked for.’

Published on November 7, 2004 at 12:00 pm