The suspension dragged on, but the whole time James Southerland believed he did nothing wrong.

Southerland was declared ineligible before Syracuse’s game against Villanova at the Carrier Dome on Jan. 12. The suspension was related to an academic issue. Southerland missed the next six games. Finally, on Friday, Southerland had the chance to appeal the suspension in front of an SU judicial review board, and a day later, found out he won the appeal.

After Saturday’s game, head coach Jim Boeheim said the process Southerland had to go through was the same as it would be for any other student. The fact that he was an athlete didn’t matter.

“It took a long time to prove that, unfortunately,” Boeheim said. “That’s the way the system works. He had to go through it, just like anybody else. It wasn’t resolved until Friday. That’s the normal process.”

While he couldn’t play in any games, Southerland continued to work hard in practice. Boeheim said the coaches put an emphasis on working Southerland hard in practice to keep him fresh.

During Southerland’s absence, Syracuse went 4-2. At times, the Orange’s offense was cold. Southerland wasn’t there to knock down big shots from the arc. Even more so, Syracuse’s bench took a significant hit.

The whole time, though, Southerland tried to stay positive. He said he was confident he would end up back on the court this season.

“It was tough, but at the same time, you’ve just got to stay mentally focused. You can still be a leader out there off the court,” Southerland said. “There’s a lot of bumps during the road, but you’ve just got to handle them. You can’t back away from them.”

Boeheim said it’s tough for any player to miss playing time, let alone six games. This is Southerland’s final season with Syracuse. Being off of the court, missing games, was a difficult stretch for both Southerland and the team.

About one month and six games later, Southerland’s back.

“It’s life and death, that game. Missing one game, missing one half, is huge for players,” Boeheim said. “You never get that back. He had to go through the process and he did. He hung in there through it.”

Published on February 10, 2013 at 9:38 pm

Contact Chris: cjiseman@syr.edu | @chris_iseman