Good article on key for next year

[OrangeBear]

I agree with this. If we can just get Ennis back, Cuse will be right in the mix to get to the FF.

Syracuse's 2014-15 fortunes tied to Ennis

March, 22, 2014
Mar 22
11:07
PM ET
By Jeff Goodman | ESPN.com

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Rich Barnes/Getty ImagesWhat does the future hold for Jim Boeheim and Syracuse?
It was a little more than one month ago that the Syracuse Orange were 25-0 and rolling through the ACC. Orange fans were sticking their chests out and beaming with the sizzling start that had some even speculating about a perfect regular season. Then came the home loss to Boston College, followed by a road setback at Cameron against Duke -- the one in which Jim Boeheim went bananas at the end of the game after a controversial call. There was a loss at Virginia, another home setback to Georgia Tech, an early exit to NC State in the ACC tourney, and finally the loss to Dayton on Saturday in the NCAA tourney.

It just shows the importance of scheduling. Boeheim is known for a soft non-conference schedule and his unwillingness to leave the state of New York. But in this case, it was a back-loaded ACC slate that helped all of us overrate the Orange. Syracuse knocked off a single NCAA tournament team away from the Carrier Dome in the non-conference slate: Baylor. The Orange beat Villanova, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Duke and NC State, but all of those came in the friendly confines of the Dome. The lone quality true road win against a tourney team came on Feb. 12 at Pittsburgh.

The Orange had talent and had racked up 25 consecutive victories, but a lack of depth and the schedule caught up with them.

Just about everyone forgot about the fact that Syracuse lost DaJuan Coleman early in the season with a season-ending knee injury. Coleman was only averaging 4.3 points and 4.2 rebounds, but he was playing at well below 100 percent -- and would have given the Orange a legitimate scoring threat in the post had he been healthy. Coleman started 12 games before having to shut it down. Rakeem Christmas and Baye-Moussa Keita are both defensive-minded big men who aren’t threats to score in the paint.

Boeheim went with a short rotation that included even-keeled freshman point guard Tyler Ennis and shooter Trevor Cooney in the backcourt -- with senior C.J. Fair, sophomore Jerami Grant and Christmas up front. Those guys played a ton all season long. Ennis logged nearly 36 minutes per game this season and wore down at times down the stretch. Cooney appeared to have lost his legs -- and one of the nation’s top shooters was just 6-of-37 from beyond the arc in the six losses. Fair was also averaging nearly 38 minutes per contest.

The team was gassed and didn’t have enough depth, a backup point guard and more than one knock-down shooter. Ennis made enough shots the first half of the season, but he’s an average perimeter shooter.

Now the question becomes whether Ennis and Grant decide to bolt for the NBA. Fair is gone, but if the team’s point guard and athletic forward return to school the Orange will have a chance to battle for ACC supremacy -- and a Final Four -- next season. Both are considered -- by multiple NBA executives -- candidates to be taken somewhere in the 10-20 range of the NBA draft.

Ennis is the key. Boeheim can absorb the loss of Grant, but he doesn’t have a ready-made point guard who can come in and do what Ennis was able to do -- which was make Syracuse fans quickly forget about their previous star point guard, Michael Carter-Williams. Incoming freshman Kaleb Joseph will come in and allow Ennis to play fewer minutes, but he’s not a 35-minute-a-game guy as a frosh. The Orange will add long and talented freshman Chris McCullough, and Tyler Roberson should be able to slide into Grant’s role. Coleman will team with Christmas to form a quality big man tandem -- and Cooney will still give the Orange a perimeter threat.

Next season depends on Ennis – and whether he stays or goes. No one thought he’d be a guy who would even have the opportunity to leave after just one season in Syracuse. He’s not ultra-athletic, isn’t a lights-out shooter, isn’t jet-quick or big and strong. However, the crop of point guard prospects in the 2014 draft is lackluster -- and Ennis could wind up as a lottery pick if he declares.

With him, Syracuse is a Final Four threat. If he leaves, the Orange are a fringe Top-25 team.

 

[OttoMets]

I'm sorry, any analysis that pegs Coleman as a "legitimate scoring threat" is questionable - this is someone who is wholly unfamiliar with this team.

Ennis's return will help us. It's a big summer for him (and others, of course). He's got to get quicker; he and Cooney were a sieve at the top of the zone for much of this year. He's got to improve his shooting, both long-range and in close. And hopefully his comfort level improves to the point where he can set his teammates up in transition; we're negating an athletic advantage by playing at such a slow pace.

 

[NKR1978]

I'm sorry, any analysis that pegs Coleman as a "legitimate scoring threat" is questionable - this is someone who is wholly unfamiliar with this team.

Ennis's return will help us. It's a big summer for him (and others, of course). He's got to get quicker; he and Cooney were a sieve at the top of the zone for much of this year. He's got to improve his shooting, both long-range and in close. And hopefully his comfort level improves to the point where he can set his teammates up in transition; we're negating an athletic advantage by playing at such a slow pace.

Rautins made his biggest leap to start his fourth year in the program. Still hopeful that Cooney will keep getting better.

I imagine that our style of play the last couple years is about as much to play as it is to watch. I'd sacrifice a little bit of defensive efficiency for an offense that is capable of scoring.

 

[AZOrange]

Rautins made his biggest leap to start his fourth year in the program. Still hopeful that Cooney will keep getting better.

I imagine that our style of play the last couple years is about as much to play as it is to watch. I'd sacrifice a little bit of defensive efficiency for an offense that is capable of scoring.

He did. I actually like gbinje down low sometimes and having the 3 guard lineup. Mike was impressive last night. He could be a complete wildcard. Not sure peeps realize how good Cmac is...

 

[Noexcuse]

I'm sorry, any analysis that pegs Coleman as a "legitimate scoring threat" is questionable - this is someone who is wholly unfamiliar with this team.

Ennis's return will help us. It's a big summer for him (and others, of course). He's got to get quicker; he and Cooney were a sieve at the top of the zone for much of this year. He's got to improve his shooting, both long-range and in close. And hopefully his comfort level improves to the point where he can set his teammates up in transition; we're negating an athletic advantage by playing at such a slow pace.

Good you can write off the analysis on the basis of this, which I remember hearing JB himself say when DC went down for the season.

 

[OttoMets]

Rautins made his biggest leap to start his fourth year in the program. Still hopeful that Cooney will keep getting better.

I imagine that our style of play the last couple years is about as much to play as it is to watch. I'd sacrifice a little bit of defensive efficiency for an offense that is capable of scoring.

Cooney's really being sold short on here today. Understandably so, maybe, because he played poorly in many facets of the game for like 50% of the season (I was confident that anyone we ran out there this season would be more effective than Brandon Triche; on the whole, Cooney was not). But all indications are that Cooney is a hard worker and a capable shooter. He's got a good foundation in place, now he needs to add to it.

But the S&C guys have got to work with those two to improve their lateral quickness. Cooney and Ennis were truly our worst defensive backcourt since Flynn and Devendorf.

As far as the style of play goes, it was brutal to watch and had to be frustrating for our forwards (there was yet another instance of Grant leaking out in the first half and Ennis ignoring the clear lob opportunity). I think Boeheim saw something in Ennis that made him reluctant to push the pace this year. The rare times he did push it, Ennis struggled to make the right pass. He was somewhat better as a finisher, but not as good as a Division I player should be. Interested to see how he develops here.

 

[OttoMets]

Good you can write off the analysis on the basis of this, which I remember hearing JB himself say when DC went down for the season.

I don't care what Boeheim said to the press. Anyone who follows the team knows that 90% of that is calculated BS, just like anyone who follows the team has seen that Coleman is completely ineffective on offense.

 

[AZOrange]

Cooney's really being sold short on here today. Understandably so, maybe, because he played poorly in many facets of the game for like 50% of the season (I was confident that anyone we ran out there this season would be more effective than Brandon Triche; on the whole, Cooney was not). But all indications are that Cooney is a hard worker and a capable shooter. He's got a good foundation in place, now he needs to add to it.

But the S&C guys have got to work with those two to improve their lateral quickness. Cooney and Ennis were truly our worst defensive backcourt since Flynn and Devendorf.

As far as the style of play goes, it was brutal to watch and had to be frustrating for our forwards (there was yet another instance of Grant leaking out in the first half and Ennis ignoring the clear lob opportunity). I think Boeheim saw something in Ennis that made him reluctant to push the pace this year. The rare times he did push it, Ennis struggled to make the right pass. He was somewhat better as a finisher, but not as good as a Division I player should be. Interested to see how he develops here.

Triche might be the most underrated good player in the history of this program.

 

[NKR1978]

Cooney's really being sold short on here today. Understandably so, maybe, because he played poorly in many facets of the game for like 50% of the season (I was confident that anyone we ran out there this season would be more effective than Brandon Triche; on the whole, Cooney was not). But all indications are that Cooney is a hard worker and a capable shooter. He's got a good foundation in place, now he needs to add to it.

But the S&C guys have got to work with those two to improve their lateral quickness. Cooney and Ennis were truly our worst defensive backcourt since Flynn and Devendorf.

As far as the style of play goes, it was brutal to watch and had to be frustrating for our forwards (there was yet another instance of Grant leaking out in the first half and Ennis ignoring the clear lob opportunity). I think Boeheim saw something in Ennis that made him reluctant to push the pace this year. The rare times he did push it, Ennis struggled to make the right pass. He was somewhat better as a finisher, but not as good as a Division I player should be. Interested to see how he develops here.

His inability to run the break (when we actually got a chance to) was remarkable. Bad angles, bad passes, bad decisions in general. If we see it, you'd think NBA scouts would see it.

 

[AZOrange]

His inability to run the break (when we actually got a chance to) was remarkable. Bad angles, bad passes, bad decisions in general. If we see it, you'd think NBA scouts would see it.

The only time it ever worked was when he didn't pass it...

 

[OttoMets]

Triche might be the most underrated good player in the history of this program.

Yep, good player. Inconsistent as a scorer, but certainly a solid guy who could do a number of things and around whom a championship team could be built.

 

[CarolinaCuse]

Dumb article. I don't know how anybody can say that scheduling contributed to the downward spiral at the end of the season. Cuse struggled with the same issues at the beginning of the season as the end of the season - shooting. Our OOC schedule was fine. Our philosophy of scheduling is fine. We lost to BC & GA Tech at home. We lost to Dayton in Buffalo. Many games were close over the course of the entire season (remember St. Francis NY?). It had NOTHING to do with scheduling. Anybody with basic data skills knows that we shot extra poorly in the games that we lost and that most games were close because we couldn't consistently score. IMO - if Ennis and Grant come back next year, we have the potential to be better than this year. Players' offensive skills will develop. Defense will continue to get stronger. I was never sold on CJ being the go-to, crunch time player.

 

[orangepassion]

The funny with Joseph is if Ennis leaves, he probably starts and plays 36 minutes a game and if Ennis leaves, he probably never plays once the conference season starts.

 

[BuffOrange]

Dumb article. I don't know how anybody can say that scheduling contributed to the downward spiral at the end of the season. Cuse struggled with the same issues at the beginning of the season as the end of the season - shooting. Our OOC schedule was fine. Our philosophy of scheduling is fine. We lost to BC & GA Tech at home. We lost to Dayton in Buffalo. Many games were close over the course of the entire season (remember St. Francis NY?). It had NOTHING to do with scheduling. Anybody with basic data skills knows that we shot extra poorly in the games that we lost and that most games were close because we couldn't consistently score. IMO - if Ennis and Grant come back next year, we have the potential to be better than this year. Players' offensive skills will develop. Defense will continue to get stronger. I was never sold on CJ being the go-to, crunch time player.

+1.
"Oh no only 1 road win vs a tourney team!" That's the same # as Duke had in 2010 when they won it.
"Oh no only 1 con-conf win away from home vs a tourney team!" You know who else that's true of? Kansas and their schedule that's taken on legendary status (ok they had 2 if you count New Mexico in their Garden, KC; but also lost their toughest home game vs SDSU who was worse than Nova).

Closing with 4 of 5 on the road is tough an unusual. But FFS - beat BC & Ga Tech at home and losing 2 of 3 @ Duke & UVA are a blip on the radar.
We were favored in our last 4 losses that weren't Duke/UVA by 14, 13, 9, and 7pts. Unbelievable.