Knowing he would never suit up for Syracuse again, Kris Joseph spit out six words in between his sobs and sniffles.

“I just can’t believe it’s over.”

The quote came after the Orange lost to Ohio State in the Elite Eight in Boston in March 2012, ending one of the most successful seasons in basketball program history. Joseph’s feelings were similar to the rest of the team’s — devastated. It showed in the tears streaming down their cheeks and reverberated in their words.

That game would be one of my final ones, too, as I moved off the beat to work as editor in chief this past year. I did not see the team get any better than last year, but the Orange went and surprised everyone and ultimately reached Atlanta.

When the Orange made the Final Four this season, I tried to vicariously live through our coverage, attempting to know what was happening behind the scenes, just like I witnessed a year earlier. I found my passion for planning projects such as a Final Four special edition preview to fill in the gap of missing the games.

My four years have been stamped with moments like these. Through all of it, what I learned most was that each one of these moments is always about the people. The best stories paint a picture for the reader and display the personalities of the people in them.

As I pack my suitcase and prepare to move on to another stage in my career, I will always remember the people I have covered and interviewed through times of jubilation and duress. A soaking wet yet infinitely optimistic men’s soccer head coach Ian McIntyre after his team blew a two-goal lead to lose at home to South Florida in freezing rain, another lump during a miserable season in 2011. Doug Marrone taking to the podium and placing all of the blame on himself in five straight games to end Syracuse football’s 2011 season, his eyes more tired and hair more disheveled with each loss.

Dion Waiters, always happy to talk about his skills, smiling and telling me that no one in college basketball can guard him.

The people make the stories. Even, and especially, the ones who don’t make it into print. I met a taxi driver in Raleigh, N.C., who was originally from Rochester, N.Y., but left to find a job and always carried pictures of his two young kids. I spent Thanksgiving in a New York City hostel while covering a tournament in Madison Square Garden. OK, that one isn’t so glamorous.

Early in my career, an editor told me to always make sure to watch what happens in between plays — what players and coaches are doing on the sidelines, what players do on the court after a shot — because that is often from where the best moments come.

Syracuse’s Elite Eight loss was full of those moments, and it’s why it will be the event I remember most from my time here.

My fingers rarely stopped typing during the game, whether it was capturing coach Jim Boeheim’s reaction after receiving his first technical foul of the year, or Jared Sullinger’s demeanor as he went to the bench in foul trouble. Late in the game, Joseph turned the ball over, and as he picked it up from the sideline, he put it to his mouth and attempted to take a bite out of the rubber.

When the game ended, I took my notepad and recorder into both locker rooms. Before talking to anyone, I surveyed the scenes and attempted to describe them on paper.

Agony and ecstasy. Scoop Jardine, overwhelmed by tears, and Deshaun Thomas, overcome by glee with a giant grin. I filed a story I was as proud of as any, and still am to this day.

As my colleagues and I drove back to Syracuse the next day, we had mixed emotions, as well. On one hand, it would be nice to return to campus — spending nearly every week on the road for two months takes its toll — but on the other hand, our journey was also done. I knew I was preparing for editor in chief and would no longer be on the beat.

One year later, I submit my final words of an unimaginable four-year run at The Daily Orange. I think I understand a little better what Joseph felt that night.

I just can’t believe it’s over.

Mark Cooper is editor in chief of The Daily Orange, where his columns will no longer appear. He can be reached at mcooper.syr@gmail.com or on Twitter at @mark_cooperjr.

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Published on May 9, 2013 at 12:22 am