T
his summer, Geno Thorpe strolled into The Scoring Factory, a gym on Pittsburgh’s South Side, wearing a cutoff V-neck, light shorts and flip-flops, ready to work out in preparation for the biggest stage of his career. In a few months, Thorpe would debut for Syracuse, his fifth team since his freshman year of high school, expected to do what he’s always done — bring size and stability to the point guard position.
But, on a warm summer day, Thorpe meandered in a mostly empty gym in beachwear. Henry Pwono, a professional playing overseas, whom Thorpe trains with, laughed.
“So laid-back,” Pwono said. “He’s always been the coolest kid on Sesame Street. He could have walked from the gym onto a beach.”
While the move to Syracuse from South Florida will be a significant one, Thorpe maintains a sense of calmness that has worked both for and against him.
Thorpe wasn’t on the floor in the first exhibition game, but Syracuse’s third graduate transfer over the past two seasons is a long, easygoing point guard who will try to usher in experience and direction to the Orange and prove to other schools that overlooking him was a mistake. He flew under the radar coming from a city known for hockey and football, not basketball. Even this spring, after graduating from South Florida, he drew interest from only a few schools, including Pittsburgh and Seton Hall.
Andy Mendes | Digital Design Editor
Nevertheless, the fifth-year transfer now joins Syracuse in search of a launchpad for a pro career. Thorpe has moved from school to school because he felt he had to: Shady Side Academy to Shaler High School, to Penn State, to South Florida. All of it strengthened him and forced him to adapt, as he had to learn a new style of play under a new coach.
“I want to be consistent,” Thorpe said. “Every year my shooting has gotten better, just being older. This is my last stop … ”
Thorpe, who turns 23 on Wednesday, is well aware the effect Andrew White and John Gillon had on the team last year with their experience. (Thorpe has not spoken with either player.) He knows that as much as they may have helped SU, the Orange did not make the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time since 1996. Thorpe, Syracuse’s oldest player, knows that if he is a lesser version of himself or doesn’t learn his third college system quickly, the Orange has a chance to miss out on back-to-back Big Dances.
Much of Thorpe’s life has prepared him for Syracuse, from the first time he touched a football, on a kickoff return, and ran it back for a touchdown. He realized he wanted to play college basketball when he was “scoring all of these points” in the seventh grade. He reinforced that point when he was dunking as a 6-foot-1 ninth-grader on varsity. Throughout high school, he hopped on the Megabus for six-hour rides to New Jersey to play in tournaments with his AAU team, the New Jersey Playaz.
Andy Mendes | Digital Design Editor
That commitment unintentionally prepared him to step into a crucial role for the Orange. This spring, having lost John Gillon, SU desperately needed an experienced guard to work alongside Frank Howard and Tyus Battle. A few weeks after Allen Griffin was hired as SU’s new assistant coach, Syracuse recognized the perfect addition would give SU the option of running three guards at once, while providing a veteran presence and court awareness.
In the first week of June this year, Griffin phoned Thorpe. Griffin had seen the then-three-star recruit play AAU ball for the Playaz and kept track of him as he traveled to Penn State and South Florida. Griffin knew he led the Bulls in most major statistical categories a year ago, including scoring, assists, steals and minutes played. Griffin wanted him to play for SU.
Thorpe told Griffin he wanted to move forward and play for Pittsburgh, which offered him out of high school.
“No, no, no,” Griffin remembered saying. “We’ll get you on the phone with coach (Boeheim) right now. This is the right fit for you.”
Boeheim spoke that day with Thorpe and his father, Gene. Thorpe came up for a visit and committed a few days later.
“From the moment he stepped on the court, he proved he was a tough competitor,” Syracuse assistant coach Gerry McNamara said. “He’s a tough kid who’s been through it, seen the ropes. He brings immediate credibility with his ability to score and his experience. He has the ability to shoot, something we really needed.”
Thorpe’s ability to adapt and improve, at an age most other undrafted guards had ended their formal basketball careers, only reinforces his maturity. Thorpe turned down offers from Wisconsin and Kansas State, among others, and committed to Penn State out of high school because he was promised to contribute at point guard, his father said.
