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Message: [QUOTE="SWC75, post: 2362946, member: 289"] GUARDS [I]Tyus Battle[/I] 6-6 205 sophomore Tyus was our top recruit last season and had an excellent freshman year, playing the “2” positon: big guard. He came in with a reputation as a strong defender who could drive to the basket to score but was “working” on his outside shot, (much like Brissett and Moyer this year). He turned out to be a good outside shooter, not on the level of Andrew White or John Gillon when he was hot, but it was a solid part of his game and he used to ti beat Clemson on the road at the buzzer: [MEDIA=youtube]F_pwUI5HMIg[/MEDIA] With White, Gillon, Lydon and now Thompson gone, he’s the star of the team by default- but also because of his ability. He’s got the whole package. There are really only two questions: How will he adjust to being the #1 offensive option and thus the #1 defensive target and, if he has a good year, will he join the list of guys who jumped to the NBA after only 1-2 years here? The former is what matters right now and that may depend on how all of his new teammates produce to take the defensive pressure off of him. The only two returning players who played last year, Chukwu and Howard, don’t figure to be much help. It’s going to be up to Sidibe, Brissett, Dolezaj and Thorpe. At least a couple of those guys will have to become double-figure scorers or Tyus may find himself being double or triple teamed all the time. With all the questions up front and the experience in the backcourt, Boeheim may go to a three guard look sometimes, in which case Battle may find himself playing small forward. Syracusefan.com based on the scrimmage: “He struggled a bit tonight, especially with Frank Guarding him…I guess he went about 4 for 15 and struggled both at the rim and from the 3…it could mean Frank is better than we thought….Battle may have to play some 3 for us to get enough offense on the court…” Boeheim on Media Day: “We’ve had a couple weeks of practice. I think Tyus has worked extremely hard. I really do. I think he’s a much-improved player. He’s much stronger. Much more physical. Much more confident in what he should do. I think he had a great year last year, particularly the end of the year. He showed against the best teams in the country in our league what he can do. And I think he’s much better this year.’’ An interview with Tyus: [URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajB9yDsDmxU"]Meet the Orange | Tyus Battle[/URL] [I]Geno Thorpe[/I] 6-3 184 senior Geno is our only grad transfer this year. He’s from South Florida, which doesn’t sound promising but we got Andrew White from Nebraska and John Gillon from Colorado State. That’s kind of what the program is for: to give players who have graduated with still a year of eligibility who played for non-basketball powers a chance, as grad students, to use that additional year to play for a team that is a national power and will give them a chance to display their skills on a bigger stage instead of just being the best player on a bad team. We would have had our first losing record in 49 years without last year’s grad transfers and this year’s grad transfer could play a very significant role as well. Geno led the Bulls in scoring (15.1), assists (4.6) and steals (1.6). Unlike John Gillon, Thorpe has the size to play defense in the zone and his highlights show as many defensive plays as offensive plays. If we have a two guard set, Thorpe will pressure Frank Howard for playing time. If Howard falters, Thorpe will probably become the point guard in what could be a dynamic backcourt. If we got with the three guard line-up, Thorpe will become the shooting guard with Howard at the point, although they will probably share ball handling duties. Whatever we do, Geno will be a big part of it. The backcourt is clearly this team’s strength and in college ball, the backcourt is often the key to the team. He didn’t play in the recent scrimmage due to a minor injury, (he turned his ankle: it’s not expected to be serious.) Boeheim on Media Day: “Geno’s a good player. He can the play 1 or the 2. He’s experienced. He’s a pretty good shooter. He’s a very good driver. He’s a very good defensive player in both man-to-man and zone. He makes a lot of plays on defense. He’s aggressive, physical.’’ Highlights: [URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt7wxvPqrcY"]USF Men's Basketball: 2017 Run With The Bull - Geno Thorpe Feature[/URL] [I]Frank Howard[/I] 6-5 205 junior Frank had an up-and-down career here, with more downs than ups. He’s a good passer but not much of a shot, an indifferent defender and a mediocre ball handler. We now know that his problem last year was an unpublicized “core muscle” injury, (actually four separate injuries: three on the right side and one on the left. From Syracuse.com: “"Some days I would feel pretty good and then the next day it would hurt again,'' Howard said. "I would play three minutes in a game and it would feel like I had played 40. Howard said the recovery and rehab after the surgery was worse than when he tore the ACL in his knee in high school. With the knee, you can stabilize it,'' Howard said. "You have a brace and crutches or whatever. But with your core, there's not much you can do. It hurt whenever I reached for something or rolled over in bed. It just takes time.” He had surgery on May 11. He was back on the court as of the end of June and is now determined to show what he can do while fully healthy. I’m sure he realizes that if he doesn’t perform well, Geno Thorpe will be getting a lot of his minutes. Syracusefan.com based on the scrimmage: “I’m sure he will frustrate people because he missed a few bunnies during the scrimmage but he shot it well both from three and midrange. He also played really hard on defense like he took it personally…made a few nice passes to both Moyer and Bourama.” Boeheim from Media Day: “He’s getting better. We’ll see what he can do. I think he’s improved. He’s shooting the ball better. He was a little rusty. Obviously, he didn’t play this summer. I don’t think it hurt him that much because he’s had plenty of game experience. I think he’s a much better player this year at this stage than he was last year.’' He compared him to Scoop Jardine, who “struggled for two years and then had two great years. I think he’s shown more signs than Scoop did.” An interview with Frank from his freshman year: [URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42xIuBikUPo"]Meet the Orange | Frank Howard[/URL] His best game that season was probably against Gonzaga in the NCAAs: [URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPz0-tZrRk0"]Highlights | Syracuse vs. Gonzaga | NCAA Regional Semifinal[/URL] [I]Howard Washington [/I]6-3 180 freshman Yes, we could have an all-Howard backcourt. But for now, this Howard will probably wait his turn. He’ll give us the sort of depth in the backcourt that the frontcourt doesn’t have. He will certainly be in the mix for the point guard spot for next year. In his highlight tape he showed the skills you’d want in the point guard without being dazzling. I loved the interviews, where he never used the term “I” and analyzed the game as a coach would. I could see him being a point guard and maybe a coach someday. He’s that kind of heady player. He’s been compared to another Canadian point guard, Tyler Ennis, whose steadiness and ability to make big plays when we needed them keyed our 25-0 run in the 2013-14 season. Syracusefan.com based on the scrimmage: “Another kid whom I think scouting services under-rated. He’s not going to blow anyone away athletically but he makes the right play every time and is a good passer. I think he has a lot of shooting potential. His form is consistent and he’s never going to be a guy we would have to worry about making a bad play. I would trust him with the ball in his hands…. H. Washington most pleasant surprise to me - looks ready to contribute now and will be a really good player here... love his game.” Boeheim from Media Day: “Both Howard and Oshae (Brissett) work extremely hard. Extremely hard. As hard as anybody that we’ve had. I think they’re both good players and they’re getting better. They need to get into games and adjust to those situations before you know what they’re going to be.’’ Highlights: [URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgHxqXq4_xw"]Syracuse point guard Howard Washington at King of Kings[/URL] [URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqB_4F4OKRI"]Howard Washington highlights triple double vs Ridley[/URL] [URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ethZRn1xi2Q"]Phenom Howard Washington Class of 2016 Varsity Basketball highlights in 8th grade[/URL] I love his “We” not “I” interviews: [URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfFuzRKXl5c"]Jahvon Blair and Howard Washington - Post Game Interviews[/URL] [URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAa0x90sb-s"]Howard Washington Post Game[/URL] Other comments from Syracusefan.com based on the scrimmage: “I saw three strong players, Oshae, Battle, Howard. Oshae was a very pleasant surprise. Moyer was okay….. If anybody's worried after what they saw they should just relax. I saw a lot of guys who could shoot, handle guys would pass rebound and play defense. I'm encouraged.” Elijah Hughes, a transfer from East Carolina, is an under-grad and so has to sit out this year. A walk-on named Braedon Bayer played for Thorpe in the scrimmage and hit some threes. Cusefan307: “He reminded me of one of those kids Pitino always used to have sitting on his bench at Louisville.” That brings back bad memories. Maybe Braedon Bayer can create some good ones. [B]Overall[/B]: The key to the improvement of the football team this fall was the improvement of the defense and that will also be the key to the improvement of the basketball team. We had a lot of exciting games last year but those were our best games. We had to try to out-score people to win. Normally we are a strong defensive team that is able, because of our defense, to stay in games when our offense is malfunctioning and take over games when the offense is productive. I think we will have a productive offense. This year Battle, Thorpe, Brissett, Dolezai and even Sidibie should be able to score. We’ll lack and inside game but and rebounding but hopefully can get a lot of blocks and steals and get out and run. I think Thorpe and Howard will be a big defensive upgrade over Gillon and White and our big men have the length to be disruptive. But the concerns loom large: this will be perhaps our youngest team ever and we will be more dependent on untried players than I can ever remember. We are almost totally lacking in the sort of physical strength that ACC teams often feature up front. There is no depth at center. I’d like to think this team can surprise as so many unheralded Boeheim teams have but the ingredients for a disaster are certainly there as well and the ACC is a totally unforgiving conference. We’ve had 47 consecutive winning seasons, the longest streak in the country. That streak could be in serious jeopardy this year. One thing we shouldn’t do is to look at this year as just the lead-up to next year. In modern basketball the team has to be reconstructed every year. You can’t be sure who will be on the team next year. This year’s team could have had Chris McCullough, Malachi Richardson, Tyler Lydon and Taurean Thompson. But it doesn’t. We’ve got these guys instead. We need to root for them to go as far as they can go because nobody knows what the future will bring. [/QUOTE]

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