I'm thinking that next years team is going to be a big time surprise for a lot of people, Gasaway will be among them.
CJ Fair is going to have a monster year. Look for him to take the ball both left and right this coming year. CJ will also be the defacto leader of next years team and will help bring along and mentor the plentiful young talent which will be learning the ropes of the zone. Most people are looking for CJ to assume the mantle of scorer for this coming years team but the real promise of the team lies in all of the unknowns and the potential for those unknowns to really surprise some people.
Look, anyone who watched Grant last year has to have noticed that he is going to be a complete terrorist to the opposition in the very near future. The kid has it all, NBA pedigree, off the chart hops and athleticism and a cool demeanor. Christmas, in his 3rd season will finally have found his "inner fierce" certainly bring a little more of it to the court each game. Coleman- Even Fab sucked his freshman year. The incredible shrinking leash treatment etc... Dejuan is going to make a huge jump this year and could perhaps give us the 1st semblance of scoring from the center position since Arnize. He has great hands, can pass from the center position and just has too much talent to not begin to make his jump. Ennis, WILL BE AS GOOD AS ADVERTISED and will be the best freshman point in the country. By season's end, one of the best in the Nation.
And then there is Gbinje, "Silent G man", former Dookie, been riding the pine for several years now and has considerable talent. Do you not think he is going to play like coach K's worst nightmare ever when we play Duke? Think Wes, less athleticism, better handle, better outside shot, better basketball smarts and REALLY, REALLY hungry to play and play well.
And wait! there's more!.. as if the above isn't reason for optimism, and you aren't yet jumping on the Central NY Orange bandwagon, forget the bandwagon for a moment and hop on the Bus w/ 2 esses. That's BUSS. That stands for Biggest Unknown Syracuse Sensation. Just hope we play Indiana again on our way to our 2nd consecutive Final 4 campaign. Buss will be to Tom Creen what "Silent G Man" will be to K.
Cooney AKA White Hot. I mean he has to have shaken off the Yips by now, right? I think he is going to show people why he was recruited by Syracuse. He will be much better.
Roberson and Johnson. OK, this is part of my point. We are pretty far down the depth chart and this is what we are looking at? OMG!!!! Syracuse Basketball must be in the midst of a serious freakin Renaissance if this is they type of personnel we are talking about at this juncture. Both of these kids have NBA potential. Any question about depth, and depth is a very valuable commodity for sure, should be answered now.
Baye, last but certainly not least. Baye will be the emotional leader of this team with respect to his workman like ethic and setting the tone with respect to intensity on the floor. Baye is the type of player that while perhaps not the best player on the team, you just love him for all he has brought to the program over 4 years. 4 years... not to many 4 year players. Baye surprised people right out of the gate. He is an outstanding icon for Syracuse Basketball. Smart, hard working, caring about others and just a great human being. Any team that has a person like Baye Moussa Kieta to coalesce around... well I like their chances, not just in the ACC but the National Championship Picture as well.
I just can't wait!
.
