My 2020 SU Basketball Preview, Part 3: The Forwards | Syracusefan.com

My 2020 SU Basketball Preview, Part 3: The Forwards

SWC75

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Forwards

Robert Braswell, a 6-7 206 redshirt sophomore from Jacksonville, Fla. / Blythewood (S.C.)

In High school, Robert was a track star, taking the state title in the high jump at 6-10. He’s already 6-7 with a 7 foot wingspan and he can get that lanky body over a 6-10 bar! He can also shoot the lights out as he does in his high school highlights tape:


He was not a highly recruited player. 24-7 ranked him only a 2-star and the #170 player in his class. (They also listed him as 6-9.) Scout and Rivals had him as a 2 star. His was a military family and Robert spent much of his developmental years abroad, especially in Germany. He only came back a couple of years before he was recruited. Also, he had a late 5 inch growth spurt that enabled him to become that ideal combination: a big man who retained some guard skills. But the scouting services just didn’t know much about him until late in the game.

But he had a remarkable freshman year, although he got few opportunities to show his skills. He played only 67 minutes but accumulated 26 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 6 steals but only one block in that time. Per 40 minutes, that’s 15.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 3.6 steals and 0.6 blocks. He was 7 for 10 from inside the arc, 1 for 2 from outside and 9 for 12 from the foul line. More impressively, he committed only 2 fouls in those 67 minutes. Freshmen are normally foul machines and getting only two of them is an indication that this kid knew what was going on out there and what he was doing. The caveat, of course is that that is a limited sample against reserves in games that had been decided. But it left everyone wanting to see more.

Last year, we got less. He played only 48 minutes in seven games and then shut his season down due to “shin splints”. The early shut down enabled him to preserve that year of eligibility so he has three of them left. In those 48 minutes he scored 12 points, pulled down 8 rebounds, had 3 steals but no assists or blocks. per 40 minutes that’s 10.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.5 steals. He was 0 for 3 inside the arc but 4 for 6 from outside. He never got to the line. reduced mobility may have been the problem but he could still drain it from three.

Then there was speculation that he would join our three reserve guards in entering the transfer portal. He finally responded in March: “It’s been talked about but it’s not something I’m really considering. I was weighing my options, but not really anymore. I’m most likely coming back.’’ He is back and the departure of Elijah Hughes was no doubt encouraging in his quest for playing time but the arrival of Alan Griffin and the recruitment of Woody Newton this year and 5 star Benny Williams next year were not. Someday we’ll get to see what Robert Braswell could do given a substantial role but he probably won’t be wearing a Syracuse uniform when we do.

But The Athletic reports: “Redshirt sophomore forward Robert Braswell is turning a corner. Boeheim says Braswell is “shooting the lights out.” That’s not a typo. Associate head coach Adrian Autry says although Braswell has “had a lot to learn, he is progressing into a forward who might be able to fight for minutes. Griffin also says his first impression of Braswell this summer was that he’s “strong, athletic and a good piece to what we will do.”


Marek Dolezaj, a 6-10 201 senior from Bratislava, Slovakia / Karlovka

Casey Stengel was once asked the key to his success and responded, “I never play a game without my man”. The questioner didn’t know what he meant until he realized that Stengel never filled out a line-up without the name “Yogi Berra” in it, even when he wasn’t catching. I think Marek Dolezaj will be Jim Boeheim’s ‘man’ this year. He’s our most versatile player. He’s 6-10. He’s always been too skinny but has, according to the roster anyway, added 16 pounds to go to 201, (still skinny but less so). He can shoot the ball but is often reluctant to do so. I’ve seen him dribble-drive to the basket to score. He can rebound and block shots. He’s a great hustler and is the guy most likely to come up with a loose ball. He plays the passing lanes well. He can run the court and could even bring the ball up if needed, (he can go coast-to-coast). But his greatest ability is his passing ability and court vision. He doesn’t get a ton of conventional assists but he gets a lot of ‘hockey assists’ – the pass that leads to the pass that leads to the basket. The big thing is that he keeps the ball moving. The offense just functions better with him in there.

The thought of him in the middle of the defense, dealing to all the shooters we’ll have on the perimeter, dishing to guys slashing to the basket or feeding Sidibe or Guerrier in the low post is delicious. He has two chinks in his armor, both of which can be addressed. For one thing, he has a tendency to pick up silly fouls and get into foul trouble which seems odd as he has the reputation of a smart player who sees what’s going on out there. He’ll commit a foul at mid-court or grab somebody going be him or another defender. He needs to cut that out. Also, he needs to get more confident in his own shot. Jim Boeheim wanted him to spend the summer before his junior year working on his shot but a hand injury prevented that. This year the problem has bene finding an open gym during the pandemic. Jimmy wants him to hit three pointers but I think what he really needs is a 10-12 footer from the top of the key. Not only could he score from there but defenders would have to come out to cover him, which would open up the passing lanes and allow Marek to drive to the basket. It would make him one of the most complete players in the league and the country.

Assistant Coach Adrian Autry: “He’s an overthinker. If he makes his first shot, he’s confident. If he misses his first shot or two, he’s gonna shut it down. Normally, when you miss a shot or two, you get to the basket, you get to the foul line, you kind of need to see the ball go in to shoot again. But with him, he’s very reluctant — if he misses one or two early he might not put up the next one for awhile.”

Marek was a 4-star recruit on 24-7 but ranked only #111, (I guess there are a lot of 4-stars), the 25th best small forward prospect. (But click on “History” and that becomes 72/22.) Scout and Rivals had nothing on him. Again, the fact that he was from Slovakia, (I call him ‘The Slender Slovak’), probably accounts for his low rating, especially since he never played high school ball here.

Here are his per 40-minute averages his first three years:
2018 1,032 minutes 8.3 points 6.9 rebounds 2.2 assists 1.1 blocks 1.2 steals 2.0 turnovers 4.0 fouls
2019 711 minutes 7.9 points 6.7 rebounds 3.0 assists 0.9 blocks 2.4 steals 2.1 turnovers 5.3 fouls
2020 1,062 minutes 12.5 points 5.0 rebounds 3.3 assists 1.0 blocks 1.4 steals 2.3 turnovers 3.9 fouls
His two-point field goal percentage has gone from 55.8% to 64.1% to 51.9%
His three-point field goal percentage has gone from 22.2% to 37.9% to 14.3%
His free throw percentage has gone from 71.1% to 59.1% to 74.7%

Marek looks like an NBA player in his highlight film:

Marek Dolezaj 2019-20 Season Highlights | Syracuse Forward

But it is a highlight film, not a lowlight film and you don’t see any jump shots.


Alan Griffin, 6-5 190 junior from Ossining, N.Y. / Ossining/Archbishop Stepinac / U of Illinois

This Alan Griffin, (no relation to Allen Griffin, JB’s assistant coach and former point guard), comes from Illinois, where he played guard but put up some very interesting numbers for a guard. He didn’t start for the Illini, despite being a very productive player. Here Is a post I made a few weeks ago on Griffin:

“His averages per 40 minutes:

19.8p 10.0r 1.4a 1.0s 0.5b 32.7+ 7.3mfg 0.4mft 1.7to 2.5pf 11.9- = 20.8np 12.1oe 8.7fg

He's a very efficient scorer an under-rated rebounder and doesn't hurt his team with mistakes. He averaged only 18.1ppg. The guy ahead of him was Avo Dosunmu who averaged this:

19.8p 5.2r 4.0a 1.0s 0.2b 30.2+ 8.3mfg 1.0mft 3.2to 2.0pf 14.5- = 15.7np 10.5oe 5.2fg He averaged 33.5mpg

Griffin looks like better player statistically and both were sophomores. That suggests, as I think I've read in a much earlier post that Dosunmu was the better defender.

Griffin looks like quire a talent but I don't know that he will improve our defense, which is what we need more than anything. But I'm intrigued by his rebounding numbers. Kid is jumping jack.”

A 6-5 guard averaging 10.0 rebounds per 40 minutes of play is remarkable. He’s obviously an excellent scorer. People are talking about him replacing Elijah Hughes, whose per 40 numbers last year were:
20.7p 5.4r 3.7a 1.3s 0.9b 32.0+ 9.1mfg 1.1mft 2.5to 2.0pf 14.7- = 17.3np 10.5OE 6.8FG
(points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, the ‘positive’ total, missed field goals, missed free throws, turnovers, fouls, the ‘negative’ total, ‘net points’: the positives minus the negatives, ‘offensive efficiency’: points minus missed shots, ‘floor game’: np – oe)
Hughes shot 51.8% from two, 34.2% from three and 81.3% from the line. Griffin shot 60.0%/41.6%/ 86.1% From these numbers, Griffin looks like a better player than Hughes, although I’ll believe that when I see it. Griffin averaged 18 minutes a game and not the #1 offensive option. Hughes played 27 minutes a game and was. The big concern if that if a player who can put up those numbers and not start, what does that say about his defense? And can he adjust to playing in Boeheim’s zone? But Elijah did a lot of growing up here and AG2 can, too.

Alan’s younger brother Adrian is part of Duke’s 2021 recuring class, so they could wind up playing against each other. His sister Aubrey plays for Connecticut. His father, Adrian, played in the NBA for nine years and his mother was a track star in college. This guy DID grow up playing basketball, unlike some of our other players. Still 2-4-7 had his as a 3-star recruit and the #185 player in his class, the #41 shooting guard. (But press the ‘history’ button and you get 225/45. Go figure.) I wonder what they didn’t see in him. Scout had him as the #72 small forward and Rivals the #44 shooting guard. But now 2-4-7 rates him as the #4 transfer in the country. (Scout ranks him #7 and CBS sports ranks him #8). This is the type of ranking we’ll hear more and more about. He will have two years of eligibility here.

The Athletic: “Alan Griffin is shaping up to be the perfect fit to replace Elijah Hughes. With Hughes gone, all eyes turn to the 6-5 shooting guard. “He is a really good scorer and player, small forward-type player,” Boeheim said recently. Griffin shot 42 percent from 3 last season, and he’s a sneaky talented playmaker. Senior forward Marek Dolezaj says the team knew Griffin would come in and shoot, but what has been most impressive has been his rebounding. “He is super athletic, and he crashes the boards hard,” Dolezaj says. “We have struggled to rebound the ball, so he’ll be a really good player for us. Different from Elijah, but another good shooter on the wing.”

Alan’s highlight film from last year at Illinois:

Alan Griffin Season Highlights 2019-20 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball

Plenty of jumps shots there, along with a few drives to the basket. I like how he dribbles to set up his shot. He can get off the ground in a hurry, too.


Quincy Guerrier, a 6-7 220 sophomore from Montreal, Quebec / Thetford Academy (Quebec)

The first thing everybody noticed about Guincy is that he passes the ‘look’ tests. (Our guys don’t usually do too well at the ‘look’ test.) He was clearly the strongest player on the team but athletic and he possessed basketball skills, although one of them was by reputation only. He was supposed to be quite a shooter. JB said he played outside most of the time in Canada. But in his first year here, he missed 21 of 24 three-point shots, (that’s 12.5%). He tried driving to the basket but early on he looked more like a bull in a china shop, drawing many offensive fouls. He looked like a flop. But he learned how to play at this level as the season progressed and was driving around people to score by the end of the season. He was also able to use his strength to get rebounds and score inside. He only had 21 fouls in the last 9 games and had games of 16 points and 10 rebounds against NC State and 14 points and 12 rebounds vs. Louisville. In the finale against UNC he had 7 points and 9 rebounds in 18 minutes. When you see a player develop before your eyes – especially as a freshman- it suggests a high ceiling and a strong work ethic.

And he was playing with an undisclosed injury in his ‘core’: torn groin muscles that were operated on in June. “When the muscle was cold was when I was really feeling it. When I started to play and my body was hot, it wasn’t that bad. It was after playing games that it was really bothering me. I was crying in bed because it was really bothering me.” The Athletic: “Quincy Guerrier (is) closer to full health. Players say he has grimaced at times in practice as he continues to recover from surgery in June for a groin injury. He has participated in five-on-five and drills, although he’s not running or jumping at 100 percent, Dolezaj says. The presumptive sixth man is eager to prove the player he can be after playing all of last season through pain.” His problem is that he’s got to fight Alan Griffin for playing time.

A return to form in his jump shot would help. I can see that a groin injury might effect a jumper just a bit. Any forward needs to be able to hit from the corner but, just as I want to see Dolezaj hit from the top of the key, I want to see Quincy learn a pull-up jump that could supplement his powerful drive to the basket.

24-7 had Quincy as a 190 pound ‘shooting guard’ and ranked him #121 in the class and #30 at his position but gave him 4 stars. (But click on ‘history’ and it becomes 72/18. And on May 28, 2018 they rated him at #43.) Rivals and Scout didn’t rate him but Quincy helpfully volunteered that he would have been in their top 30 if they had. He also compared his game to that of Buddy Hield. An article said that coaches of the teams he played against suggested he’d have been a top 45 player in the states.

Quincy played 531 minutes last year and per 40 he averaged 13.5p/10.4r/1.2a/0.9s/1.5b, shooting 56.5% on twos, 12.5% on threes and 60.6% on free throws. He’s 6-7 and Marek is 6-10 but when they are on the court, Quincy is really the power forward and Marek the ‘small’ forward, although it’s difficult to pigeonhole wither with a label.

Quincy Guerrier 2019-20 2019-20 Season Highlights | Syracuse Forward

He can go get those alley-oops. And nobody moves him when he’s got position. Nothing wrong with his motor, either. He also has the widest smile on the team, if that counts for anything.


Woody Newton, a 6-8 200 freshman from District Heights, Md. / McKinley Tech/Mt. Zion Prep

Newton’s high school team squared off against Kadary Richmond’s in a tournament. He scored 21 points of 5 for 7 from three point range. Richmond: “He’s a good shooter for somebody his size and he can handle the ball. He plays hard.”

Syracuse.com: “Newton described himself as a ‘slasher’ on offense, a guy who can slither into the lane and score at the rim, sometimes by dunking on people. He said he weighs 200 pounds, but he has slender legs and acknowledges that he will need to gain 10-15 pounds to be able to compete in college.”

Newton himself: ““Lately, I’ve been trying to show my perimeter skills, show that I’m a real versatile player that can handle the ball, shoot 3s, do everything on the court. To get to my dream in the NBA, I have to be able to handle the ball and shoot and defend one-through-whatever. I’ve just been working on my guard skills throughout the whole summer.”

Allen Griffin: ““He’s improving his confidence as a shooter and as an overall offensive player. He was his team’s best defender. He took spot shots during the game but from then to now he’s just a whole ‘nother player. His better days are way ahead of him. His potential and his upside is huge.”

The Athletic: “I’m looking for guys we can develop and build to their potential,” Newton recalls Boeheim telling him this spring. “We’re not looking for one-and-dones. We can build you into a pro, because you have great potential. And we can take you from a good shooter into a great shooter. Griffin and Boeheim made their message clear. They didn’t promise a starting spot. Rather, they assured Newton hard work would make him a contributor right away. “Play and be you,” Griffin told him. “Play and have fun.” This is the player Syracuse is getting: Newton, 18, will bolster a thin frontcourt with skill in the 15- to 18-foot range. He has a clean, fluid shot, though he’ll need to raise his release point. His arms stretch wide on defense, making him a perfect fit for the bottom of the 2-3 zone. His defense is ahead of his offense... Put together his length, shot-making ability and defense, and now you’ve got a legitimate frontcourt prospect with functionality in the high post.”

“In 13 (Nike) EYBL games this summer, Newton averaged 5.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He shot 47.1% from the field and 40% on 20 3-pointers. He also made 18 of his 35 free throw attempts. Newton called himself the best defender in the country at the EYBL session in Dallas last weekend, and with a long, lanky frame, he affected shots at the rim and had the lateral movement to stay in front of guards on the perimeter. In EYBL this year, he averaged 0.9 steals and 0.4 blocks per game and earned playing time at crucial moments on a talented Team Takeover squad with his defensive presence.”

SI says “The Orange were able to land even more height in four-star recruit Woody Newton. From Baltimore, MD, standing at 6-foot-9, Newton is a combo forward who can play both the three or four position. The potential that Newton could have on this team is what really stands out for him. His athleticism on the floor and defensive skills will be very beneficial to the Orange’s defensive game. Newton has the capability to guard any player from the one through five position.”

Newton: “I will bring to any program a tough player that will lock up any best player in the country. I’m always giving my all, 110%, and I’m ready to work, no matter what.” You have to like the attitude but Kentucky commit Terrance Clarke scored 25 points on him with 9 for 12 shooting. But the key thing is: Newton wants to be a lock-down defender. That’s the first step in becoming one.

Brian Scott, his coach at Mt. Zion: “He fits their system up there the same way those guys did. He’s long, agile and athletic. Everybody thinks it’s the perfect choice for him. He’s exactly what they like to see in a forward. He’s a Swiss Army knife. He does a little bit of everything. He’s a very good defender, a good rebounder, a guy who can grab a rebound and lead the break. He’s got an aggressive streak. He can get to the basket, but he’s got to get stronger. It’s nothing we can’t fix over the course of the next year,”

Newton told The Daily Orange: “I’m planning on coming in and making an immediate impact.” Again, I like the confidence. But in this era of frustrated players transferring out I wonder what will happen if he doesn’t get the chance to make an immediate impact. The competition at forward is going to be enormous. And there is the specter of a 5 star recruit, Benny Williams, on the horizon.

24-7 ranks him as the #123 player in the class and the #25 power forward. But hit the “history button and that changes to 125/25, with a ranking of #54 on June 25, 2018. But articles I found on both OrangeFizz and NunesMagician state that 24-7 rates him the #79 player and the #12 power forward. They give him 4 stars. Rivals has him as #126 and the #26 PF but Orange Fizz quotes them as ranking him #73. ESPN/Scout lists him as the #22 PF but doesn’t give an overall ranking.

Here is his highlight tape:

Woody Newton

He looks smooth, quick and explosive, although his defense is represented by a couple of blocked shots.
 
An exciting group of forwards. I am looking forward to seeing Marek surprise and become a consistent scorer! Thanks SWC75! Enjoyed reading this!
 
marek has shown glimpses of greatness every year he's been here. he just hasn't been able to sustain it for more than a couple of games. from what i gathered he has put on weight/muscle for this year. it's also rare to find a player like him and not have the right position for him on the floor

marek has the option of playing here 2 more years to boot...so 3 more years including this one.

without hughes' scoring somebody is gonna have to make up for that

as for quincy. i'm in his camp. the dude has an nba body and has shown big time skill that needs to be cultivated. he can't worry about taking a jumper and being yanked out of the game. if boeheim doesn't give him extended minutes thus year he's only hurting the team
 

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