Orangeyes Daily Articles for Wednesday for Basketball

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Welcome to Juneteenth!

Although Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on January 1, 1863, it was not until after the war was over that slaves became free in Texas, possibly because the Proclamation could not be enforced there, or because news of the Proclamation had not been spread there. The war ended in April of 1865, but word did not reach Texas until the following month, and it was not until June that the Confederate Army in the area surrendered. On June 19th, Union General Gordon Granger read “General Order No. 3” in Galveston, which said all slaves were free. The next year freed slaves began celebrating not only the proclamation, but the freeing of all slaves in general, and gave the day the name Juneteenth. Over time the celebrations spread to other parts of the country.

SU News

Syracuse Basketball: NBA guru provides perfect team fits for SU prospects (itlh; Esden Jr)

An NBA guru from CBS Sports revealed which NBA teams would be perfect fits for several Syracuse basketball alum in the 2019 NBA Draft.

Some anonymous NBA scouts provided some harsh criticisms of former Syracuse basketball stars Tyus Battle, Oshae Brissett earlier this week.

One scout called Tyus mediocre/average in several categories including as a shooter, playmaker, and as an athlete.

While another scout was a bit more intense with his remarks saying, Oshae Brissett was “awful” last year and overall “underachieved” in his brief Syracuse basketball career.

But not all NBA gurus hate what they’ve seen from the two Syracuse basketball alum on tape. NBA Draft Insider Kyle Boone of CBS Sports joined Paul ‘Boy Green’ Esden on The Manchild Show Tuesday morning and shared his insight:

“I think both players will be just outside that second round range. There are only 60 picks and I think I have Tyus ranked 68 or so on my big board. I think Tyus will be one of the first players that teams call to sign an undrafted free agent deal.”

He actually has Tyus ranked 78 on his big board and Oshae Brissett is ranked 102, per CBS Sports. Kyle also provided some perfect NBA team fits for both players based on what he’s seen on tape:

On Tyus Battle:

“If he can stick on a two-way deal a team like the Golden State Warriors make sense. They need a wing, a guy that can be a shot creator. It wouldn’t surprise me if he stuck around in the NBA.”

On Oshae Brissett:

“I think their (Tyus and Oshae) size, length, and feel for the game are really impressive. I’d be shocked if they ended up getting drafted but wouldn’t be shocked if both stuck around in the NBA. In terms of NBA fit, the Portland Trailblazers is a team I keep coming back too. Portland is fairly thin at the forward spot. Oshae is a guy who is pretty versatile, he can move around really well in space. If he could improve as a shooter, I think he could really add a lot of value to that team.”

Interesting analysis on NBA team fits from Kyle Boone of CBS Sports, let’s explore those in a bit more detail.

Portland Trailblazers

Portland is 19th in the league in cap space.
The Trailblazers only hold one selection in the 2019 NBA Draft:
25th overall pick in the first round.
The team only has four forwards under contract for next season:
Maurice Harkless (SF).
Meyers Leonard and Zach Collins are both listed at power forward on ESPN, but really are centers (both north of seven feet tall).
Skal Labissiere (PF) and is 6-foot-11.
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Audio Vault (espnsyracuse.com; radio; Axe)

The hosts of the “Golic and Wingo Show” Trey Wingo, Mike Golic, and Mike Golic Jr. join the show to talk about their everyday routine of hosting a morning show, what the guys think of when asked about Syracuse, and much more!

Elijah Hughes is the spark Syracuse basketball needs - The Juice Online (the juice; McGlynn)

If you look around the Syracuse basketball locker room, there are not a ton of familiar names left.

Paschal Chukwu and Frank Howard graduated. Tyus Battle left for the NBA draft, somewhat surprisingly followed by Oshae Brissett. Suddenly, Elijah Hughes finds himself as the lone returning starter on for a completely turned over Syracuse men’s basketball program.

Coming into the 2018-19 season, Hughes was a relative unknown to the Orange faithful. He sat out the previous year after transferring from East Carolina. He was far from polished during his only season with the Pirates, but improved as the year went on.

For much of his first season in Central New York, he was relegated to a role player, mostly operating as a tertiary ball handler and spot up shooter. Among starters, he had the third highest usage rating, trailing Battle and Brissett.

Make no mistake, this is Elijah Hughes’ team now. That might be a very good thing for Syracuse. He has already shown the ability to take over games.

He posted a double-double vs. Notre Dame, dropped 22 points on Miami and stepped up with 25 points against Baylor.

Hughes led the Orange last year in 3-point attempts, taking 85 more shots from behind the arc than any other player on the team. He also hit 36.9 percent of them, best mark on the team of anyone who took at least 30 3-pointers.

He is a shot-making specialist, potentially even better than Battle was, with the ability to take over a game with this type of scoring.

Consistency will be crucial for Hughes to fulfill the role appropriately of all-around superstar. He went missing at times and at others, totally cold from the field.

» Related: NBA Draft profile of Syracuse forward Oshae Brissett

It happens to the very best of players, but unfortunately for Hughes, Syracuse lacks the surrounding offense talent on paper to survive those types of performances.

Buddy Boeheim is the next-highest returning scorer after averaging just 6.8 points per game as a freshman. He will likely improve that mark with increased playing time heading into next season as a likely starter. He flashed potential of what he can be, dropping 35 points over two games during the ACC Tournament.

On the flip side, he failed to make a shot from the floor in Syracuse’s NCAA tournament game against Baylor. He is still young and needs a lot of development.

Outside of Boehiem, there is no one else on this team that even projects as a talented scorer. Marek Dolezaj thrives mostly on putbacks and layups, but does not have a post game.
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NBA Draft 2019: Ranking the Top 10 prospects from ACC Basketball (bustingbrackets.com; Marks)

ACC Basketball is one of the deepest leagues in the NCAA, and this year is no different. Who are the top 10 NBA Draft prospects from the conference of champions?
On June 22, 2017, in a bustling Barclays arena, ACC Basketball set the record for most ACC players drafted in the NBA Draft first round with 10 players — Jayson Tatum (Duke), Jonathan Isaac (FSU), Dennis Smith Jr. (NC State), Luke Kennard (Duke), Donovan Mitchell (Louisville), Justin Jackson (UNC), John Collins (Wake Forest), Harry Giles (Duke), Tyler Lydon (Syracuse), and Tony Bradley (UNC) — which broke the previous record of eight players set by the ACC in 1995 and tied by the SEC in 2012.

This Thursday at the 2019 NBA Draft, the so-called “Conference of Champions” is looking to do it again, with a cast of suitable draft prospects all battling for first-round consideration, with several young players working out with teams firmly in the first round and teams on the bubble.

The ACC is used to boasting top-tier talent in its many programs — the likes of Duke and UNC routinely compete for top recruits that later become NBA-caliber players, with the former becoming the NCAA’s foremost one-and-done factory (yes, beating out Kentucky, although it seems as if Memphis is joining the fun now), with high school recruits jumping to the team in Durham with their eyes set on one day hearing their name called by Adam Silver or Mark Tatum.

The 2018-19 men’s college basketball season saw several teams put forth legitimate NBA-caliber prospects, with this year’s ACC class being one of the deeper ones in recent history. The likes of Duke, UNC, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Florida State all have multiple players in contention for a draft selection on Thursday night, with some programs perhaps getting as many as two or three players called in the first round alone.

So, who are the top 10 2019 NBA Draft prospects from the ACC?

Honorable Mentions
The ACC was very, very deep this year, both in terms of college talent and NBA-caliber draft prospects. Outside of the top 10, there were still a few players that jumped out as legitimate guys that could hear their names called on draft night, albeit in the second round, and it would be rude not to throw them in here. Some (most) of these prospects likely won’t get picked in Thursday’s draft, but all of them should earn Summer League invites and serious interest for two-way and Exhibit 10 contacts.

Kyle Guy, Virginia
21 years old | Guard | 6-foot-2.25 | 168 lbs
Stats (JR): 15.4 ppg (.449/.426/.833), 4.5 rpg, 2.1 apg (1.4 tpg)

One of the best three-point shooters that college has seen in the past three years. Elite at the college level shooting off-movement and running off screens. Outside of shooting, he gives nothing else, despite competing on defense. Far too small to play as an NBA shooting guard and doesn’t have the passing chops to play as a point guard (and he’s still small for that, too). Guy stands out as a decent bet to earn a two-way contract, though, since some team may be willing to see if his shooting translates without being a gigantic negative defensively in the G League.

Tyus Battle, Syracuse
21 years old | Wing | 6-foot-7 | 200 lbs
Stats (JR): 17.2 ppg (.431/.321/.763), 3.3 rpg, 2.5 apg (1.8 tpg), 1.2 spg

Battle flashed some signs of self-creation as a scorer, carrying a major offensive load for a mediocre and talent-starved Syracuse team through three years. Remained largely inefficient and didn’t improve much as a shooter, nor did he add much to his game in terms of creating for others. His defense is also a relative unknown after playing within Jim Boeheim’s zone, so teams likely wonder whether he has the defensive chops to stick in the NBA or not. Probably should’ve left last year, considering he didn’t show anything new as a junior and had a better shot at being selected in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft. Likely goes undrafted on Thursday.
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A look at the Triangle, ACC's NBA Draft projections :: WRALSportsFan.com (wralsportsfan.com; Brownlow)

The ACC has 19 players (18 if you count NC State recruit Jalen Lecque and 19 if you count Sacha Killeya-Jones, who transferred to NC State but didn't play) who declared and left their names in the NBA Draft. Of those, five played in the Triangle and seven were supposed to play in the Triangle with Lecque and Killeya-Jones.

All of the Triangle's early entrants but Killeya-Jones are expected to be drafted, and all but one of them is likely to go in the first round.

Six total players from UNC and Duke are expected to go in the first round - and all could even be gone by the 18th pick, if some projections are right.

Looking at four NBA mock drafts ahead of Thursday (from SI.com, NBADraft.net, The Ringer and CBS Sports), here's a look at where the players are projected to go, and their highest and lowest projection:

The Triangle's ACC NBA prospects
Zion Williamson, Duke
High: 1
Low: 1
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Other

John Prine

CNY Pride Parade, X Ambassadors: 17 things to do in CNY (PS; Hernandez)

Friday marks the summer solstice and it's a season many Central New Yorkers wait for all year long. This weekend offers musical performances, family farm days, and the culmination of CNY Pride Week.

John Prine

Acclaimed folk singer-songwriter John Prine brings his The Tree of Forgiveness Tour to the Landmark Theatre.
Where: Landmark Theatre, 362 S Salina St, Syracuse, N.Y. 13202
When: Thursday, June 20 at 8 p.m., doors at 7 p.m.
How much: $59.50-$79.50

2019 Ballpark Craft Beer Festival

The 2019 Ballpark Craft Beer Festival will feature beer sampling on the main concourse. Try batting practice on the field with a chance to win prizes for hitting targets in the outfield. Local restaurants will have food available for sale on the concourse.
Where: NBT Bank Stadium, 1 Tex Simone Dr, Syracuse, N.Y. 13208
When: Friday, June 21 at 7 p.m.
How much: $40-$50

No Strings Attached Concert at WCNY

Celebrate the first day of summer with WCNY and string quartet No Strings Attached at WCNY’s Courtyard. Light refreshments provided. Anjani Dance Academy will perform afterwards features classical Kathak dance, Bollywood dance, Indian Folk dances, and more!
Where: WCNY, 415 W Fayette St, Syracuse, N.Y. 13202
When: Friday, June 21 at 7 p.m.
How much: $5, free for members
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