Though the question posed to Andy Rautins was simple, it required a delicate answer: After four long years of heartbreak and underachievement, what makes this group so special?

Sitting in the Carrier Dome bleachers before practice Friday afternoon, Rautins paused a moment, reflecting on his collegiate career that is now 21 games into its fifth season. He chose his words with care.

‘You look at past teams here, we’ve had all the talent in the world – maybe more than this year on paper – and we haven’t had all the success we’ve wanted,’ Rautins said. ‘We didn’t have all great guys like this. Now we have a great group and great chemistry, and look at what’s happening.’

Without pointing fingers, without naming names (ahem, Eric Devendorf, Louie McCroskey, Billy Edelin, et al.), Syracuse’s unofficial captain illuminated a crucial reality. It has become clear that volatile personalities and locker room tension have marred the program’s recent past.

It is a fact brought to the forefront considering the No. 4 Orange’s astonishing 20-1 start that vaulted the team from national afterthought to Final Four favorite.

For the first time since its 2003 national title run, Syracuse is making headlines exclusively because of its play, not its off-court antics. Outside of Mookie Jones’ petty early-season temper tantrum, this team has been free of distractions, and the results speak for themselves.

Off-court incidents of varying degrees of severity have plagued SU for years. Let’s review.

2008-09: Devendorf is accused of striking a female student in the face, is suspended indefinitely and is then reinstated. He is booed and jeered on the road for the remainder of the season.

2007-08: Point guard Josh Wright suddenly quits the team. Meanwhile, Scoop Jardine is briefly suspended for allegedly helping his cousin knowingly use a stolen SU ID card. 2006-07: Talented freshman Mike Jones quits the team, prompting head coach Jim Boeheim to say he hadn’t helped the squad for one play all season.

2005-06: McCroskey is involved in a much-publicized locker room shouting match with Boeheim, briefly leaves the team, and then transfers to Marist in the offseason. 2004-05: The Edelin saga – littered with both serious legal and academic issues – comes to a sad conclusion after he leaves the team for the second time in two years for personal reasons. Also, top recruit DayShawn Wright is suspended for the NCAA Tournament and didn’t play for the team again after being ruled academically ineligible the next year.

And the list goes on.

‘We tried not to let it get between teammates,’ said center Arinze Onuaku, another fifth-year senior. ‘But it’s true – this is the first year I’ve been here we’ve had no off-the-court issues.’

The idea that Syracuse could improve from last season seemed ludicrous in October, when Boeheim stood at the podium in the newly christened Melo Center and promoted the team by hyping its experience and likeability.

Turns out that was his way of suggesting a form of addition by subtraction. Losing Devendorf and Paul Harris, another explosive personality whose relationship with Boeheim hovered between simmer and boil, improved team chemistry. With that has come a better on-court product.

Discussing the notion of chemistry is always tricky. After all, there is no way to know for sure whether chemistry breeds winning or vice versa, and it seems every coach and player in sports has his or her own opinion on the subject.

Onuaku is not convinced, deflecting the idea that the Orange’s success this season sprung from having a group of players who have been incident-free.

‘It’s really not just about, ‘Oh, I like this guy, I don’t like that guy,’ but how you play on the floor,’ Onuaku said. ‘Chemistry is about knowing where everyone wants the ball on the court and players’ characteristics.’

In a way, Onuaku is right. It would be na’ve to suggest that Syracuse is 20-1 entirely because of a shift in attitude. The team could be comprised of 15 Mother Teresas, but it wouldn’t matter if they couldn’t play basketball.

Yet there is something to be said about a team with Syracuse’s internal makeup. Its face, Rautins, is a veteran who has grown into a vocal leader who commands respect. He is the epitome of a classy player who influences his teammates.

Perhaps even more importantly, the squad’s superstar, newcomer Wes Johnson, is also one of the most coachable players on the roster. When a team’s best player is also a consummate professional, it seems natural the rest of the players would follow that lead.

As a result, Rautins has come to believe that a team that stays distraction-free can overachieve.

‘I said to my teammates numerous times, and it’s not because we’re winning and having so much success right now, this is probably the team I have most enjoyed playing with since I started playing basketball,’ Rautins said.

Whether Syracuse’s on-court play has been affected by off-court improvement will forever remain unclear. Still, how refreshing, for once, to watch a team that deserves to be cheered.

Jared Diamond is the sports columnist for The Daily Orange, where his column appears weekly. He can be reached at jediamon@syr.edu.

Published on January 26, 2010 at 12:00 pm