SWC75
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Lindy’s article on the ACC is entitled “Plenty of New Faces, Doing the Exact Same Thing“. They identified five programs that have collectively led the league over the past six years – and we aren’t among them. Their picks are Duke, Florida State, Louisville, North Carolina and Virginia, calling them the “usual suspect”. But they say that three teams are “the likeliest to crash the house party. Look at Georgia Tech, Miami and Syracuse, three squads with experienced backcourts.” But are Joe Girard and Buddy Boeheim good enough to crash the party – or might they need help from some newcomers?
Buddy Boeheim, a 6-6 195 junior from Fayetteville, N.Y. / Jamesville-DeWitt/Brewster Academy (N.H.)
Buddy is the coaches son. it remains to be seen how much that will mean as he attempts to fight off challenges to his playing time from Alan Griffin, (if JB wants to use him as a guard, which he was at Illinois), Kadary Richmond, (to get him on the court when Joe Girard is running the point), Joe Girard, (to get him on the court when Kadary is running the point) or even Caz Owens, (who is impressing in practice).
In his first wo years here, Buddy had the following per-40-minute averages:
2019: 546 minutes 15.9 points 3.8 rebounds 2.4 assists, 1.3 steals 1.8 turnovers 2.8 fouls
2020: 1,040 minutes 17.2 points 2.1 rebounds 2.4 assists, 1.2 steals 1.6 turnovers 1.9 fouls
He’s shot 44.6%/46.5% from two, 35.1%/37.0% from three and 78.8%/71.4% from the line
Some are projecting that he could be this team’s leading scorer. That won’t happen if his minutes back-track toward what they were in his freshman year, which could happen.
He’s got ‘game’. He can shoot it and has range. Like all shooters, he can be streaky. He scored 25 points in the second half of the Georgetown game but that was his total for the game. He can be taken out of a game if they put a man on him. His foul shooting dropped off a bit. He should be an 80% guy. But I’ve seen him use the dribble to avoid a defender and set up a shot. I’ve seen him drive to the basket to score on an aggressive defender. He doesn’t do those things as often as Alan Griffin does in his tape but he seems to be working on those skills. He’s a decent passer and has a good basketball IQ, (as he should considering his linage).
The issue is his defense. He knows his father’s zone and usually positions himself where he should be. He plays the passing lanes well. But, like Joe Girard, he gave up too many open threes, (we were 120th in the country in 3pt percentage defense and gave up 288 of them – only 10 of 350 D-1 teams gave up more). JB tried to sell the notion that the forwards were as much at fault but it was usually Buddy or Joe who was closing on the shooter late. We also had far too much penetration into the paint, which put our big men at a disadvantage, like a goalie facing too many shots on goal. And in this sport, that means foul trouble. If we are to improve greatly as a team, those deficiencies have to be cleared up. It’s possible it could be done as these still young players, (a sophomore and a freshman) improve – and you can improve on defense just as you can improve on offense. In that UNC game, the Tar Heels missed 14 of 16 three pointers, had 18 turnovers and Bourama Sidibe played for 35 minutes, committing 4 fouls. But we don’t know if that’s a fluke or the way the team was going to continue playing. More likely getting newcomers Kadary Richmond and also Woody Newton into games will have a bigger impact on our defense.
Syracuse.com has a very specific analytical breakdown:
Buddy Boeheim: What went right, wrong in 2019-20 (Syracuse basketball review)
This Nunes article says that Buddy is modeling his game after Klay Thompson’s:
Syracuse guard Buddy Boeheim has become one of the best shooters in college basketball
Buddy was a 3-star, ranked #349 in the country and #77 as a shooting guard by 24-7. But click on ‘history’ and that becomes 264/54. ESPN/Scout has him as the #38 shooting guard and Rivals had him as #43. All sources have him as a # star player. I suspect that if you ranked the shooting guards in the country now, he’d be higher than that.
Here are his highlights from last year:
He can shoot with range and get his shot off under pressure. He sees the whole court and is a good passer. He’s a very good offensive player on a team that has several of them.
Joseph Girard III, a 6-1 195 sophomore from Glens Falls, N.Y. / Glens Falls
Joe Girard is the highest scoring player we’ve ever recruited to Syracuse. In fact he may be the highest scoring player anyone’s ever recruited. As a junior at Glens Falls High School he became one of 6 players to average 50 points a game in US history. The next year he ‘dropped’ to 48.6 and led his team to the state Class B championship. For his career, he averaged 39.0 points per game – and it was five-year career since he was allowed to play with the varsity as an 8th grader.
The thing is, he was a volume shooter, practically the team’s whole offense. Could he adjust to being one of several players who could score? And, could he play the point, where he was pressed into service with the failure of Jalen Carey, Brycen Goodine and Howard Washington to take over that position? The answer was “Yes”. Joe is often compared to two players: Jimmer Fredette, who also came from Glens Falls, (but didn’t score the way Joe did) and became national player of the year at BYU and the man coaching him here at Syracuse, Gerry McNamara, another volume high school scorer who was pressed into playing the point at SU.
Here are Joe’s 40-minute averages for his freshman year and then the numbers of some other prominent Syracuse point guards who started as freshmen:
Joe Girard: 1,056 minutes 15.1 points 3.7 rebounds 4.3 assists 1.8 steals 1.8 turnovers 1.8 fouls
Two pointers: 38.5%, three pointers: 32.3%, free throws: 89.4%
Pearl Washington: 1,087m 16.9p 3.1r 7.3a 2.8s 4.1to 3.7pf 54.4%/(no three pointers)/66.2%
Michael Edwards 794m 10.5p 1.8r 8.5a 1.5s 4.0to 3.1pf 49.5%/33.7%/75.0%
Adrian Autry 1,030m 11.7p 3.1r 6.4a 2.4s 4.3to 4.0pf 44.0%/31.7%/70.5%
Jason Hart 1,144m 10.7p 4.0r 6.4a 3.1s 3.5to 3.0pf 39.5%/32.9%/69.0%
Gerry McNamara 1,236m 15.1p 2.6r 5.0a 2.5s 2.8to 2.2pf 31.7%/35.7%/90.9%
Jonny Flynn 1,243m 17.6p 3.0r 6.0a 1.7s 3.1to 1.6pf 52.9%/34.8%/77.5%
Tyler Ennis 1,215m 14.6p 3.8r 6.2a 2.4s 1.9to 2.3pf 42.9%/35.3%/76.5%
Kaleb Joseph 847m 8.7p 3.2r 5.6a 1.3s 3.4to 2.7pf 41.8%/20.0%/71.9%
Joe scored as much as GMAC and better than anybody except the Pearl and Jonny. He didn’t hit 6 pointers in the first half in the national championship game as GMAC did but he’s a streak shooter and might have if he had a team around him that could have gotten there. he is stronger, (he won two state titles as a football quarterback and at 195 pounds weighs almost as much as our 6-10 guys) and was a better rebounder than any of them except, (strangely – I don’t recall him getting a lot of rebounds), Tyler Ennis. He didn’t have a lot of assists but 4.3-1.8 isn’t a bad assist-to-turnover ratio. He didn’t have a lot of assists but I remember him having quick hands – he wasn’t just stealing passes. He was a good and creative dribbler and took good care of the ball. he didn’t get in foul trouble. He’s a bit small, (listed at 6-1 but I wonder), for the zone and had problems covering shooters or preventing the ball from getting into the paint.
Ironically what he wasn’t was an outstanding shooter. He could hit from range and had a quick release but missed 230 shots- 8.7 per 40 minutes. He wasn’t the #1 option and wasn’t feeling the brunt of the defense. He wasn’t a penetrator so all his offense came from the outside. He needs better shot selection and to use his dribbling skills to get around people to set up shots and passes. I think it will come as he matures. He’s a gym rat and will continue to work on these things. But he’s in the same boat as Buddy Boeheim: how do we get Kadary Richmond in the game? What happens if JB wants to use Alan Griffin in the backcourt? Unlike Buddy, Joe can play either guard position so we may see some sets with Richmond at the point and Joe at the ‘2’ or vice versa.
Here is another analytical breakdown rom Syracuse.com:
Joe Girard: What went right, what was a concern in 2019-20 (Syracuse basketball review)
24-7 gave Joe three stars and rated him the 202nd best player in the country and the 29th best combo guard. (But click on ‘history and it becomes 175/26 and he was as high as #113 on 8/18/18.) They had him as a 3 star as did Rivals who ranked him the 47th best shooting guard. ESPN/Scout had him at 4 stars and the 24th best shooting guard.
Here is his highlight film:
Joseph Girard III 2019-20 Season Highlights | Syracuse Guard
I remember back in the Jimmy Lee days our fast breaks were as likely to result in wide-open jump shots as lay-ups or dunks. GMAC could do that, too and JGIII can as well. He and Buddy can play a great two man game out front. Between them they scored 37% of our points last year.
Chaz Owens, a 6-5 200 freshman from Blue Bell, Pa. / Wissahickon/Shipley School/Scotland Campus
Chaz is the son of SU great Billy Owens. He was the last addition to the team and some people were surprised that he was given a scholarship, thinking he would be a walk-on like Adrian Autry Jr. Chaz is no Billy, who was the #1 recruit in the country back in 1988 and was a consensus first team All-American in 1991 when he led the team to the Big East title almost single-handedly, averaging 23.3 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists a game. No SU players has put up numbers as good as that since. Billy was 6-9 230. Chaz is 6-5 200.
Syracuse.com: “A 6-foot-5 guard, Owens had no other scholarship offers from Division I schools. As a senior at Shipley High School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, Owens averaged 11.4 points and 8.2 rebounds but drew only passing interest from Division II and III schools. Owens spent last year at Scotland (Pa.) Campus, a prep school located just outside Chambersburg, Pa. "It was crazy to me that nobody really offered him anything,'' (Billy) Owens said. "I think maybe they were comparing him to me and not judging him for himself.''
But here are reports from practice that Chaz is more than just a legacy recruit. Syracuse.com: “Owens brings size, athleticism and versatility to the guard position. He also plays with a willingness to do the little things that fans often miss but coaches appreciate. He shares the ball, works hard on defense and rebounds well for a guard.” That makes him sound like an ideal back-up guard. The Athletic: “He might not play early, but Chaz Owens isn’t merely a legend’s legacy. The son of SU legend Billy Owens was a late addition to the roster this summer. His father’s connection with Boeheim landed him a spot on the team. But in recent practices, he has held his own, thrown down dunks and defended at a “high level,” per the team source. Behind each good team lies a productive scout team, and the Orange are hoping Owens can help prepare rotation players in practice this season. Will he be a player capable of cracking the rotation down the road? Maybe. It’s too early to tell, and the backcourt is locked up for the next two to three years.” From Inside the Loud House.com: “Put all the recruiting ranking stuff to the side for a second. Chaz Owens, son of former Syracuse basketball legend Billy Owens, is an under-the-radar player in the 2020 recruiting cycle who brings a ton of promise and talent to the 'Cuse.”
24-7 and the other services had no numerical ranking for Chaz who was listed as a 2-star, probably by default. MaxPreps lists him as the 2,133rd best player in the country, with no position rank. How do they know he wasn’t the 2,132nd best player? Here are his highlights:
CHAZ OWENS Highlights (Shipley School c/o 2019, Team PYO AAU)
Chaz Owens
CHAZ OWENS season opener HIGHLIGHTS (SHIPLEY SCHOOL c/o 19)
He can shoot and he can dunk. He dribble to set up one shot and had a nice scoop shot on a drive to the basket. His father has taught him to ward off defenders on his drive and to keep the ball on the other side of his body. He can dribble. He’s taller than Howard Washington. Howard had an excellent assist to turnover ratio last year: (per 40m): 6.5-3.0. I doubt Chaz will put up numbers like that but he can help us in ways Howard could not. I predict there will be a game in his career here where we will have to rely on him and he'll come through for a big win.
Kadary Richmond, 6-5 180 freshman from Brooklyn, N.Y. / South Shore/Brewster Academy (N.H.)
Everybody is talking about Kadary Richmond. (One wag pointed out the irony that Billy Owens’ son will be playing on the same team as a player named ‘Richmond’: it was the Spiders who ended his career here.) We weren’t quite sure what we had when he committed to play here. He’s been listed as a small forward, a shooting guard and a point guard. He seems to be “blowing up”, at least in the SU practices.
The Athletic: ““I love having the ball in my hands, but I know Joe (Girard) will probably stay at the one,” Richmond said. “I’m just trying to be a playmaker. That’s my best attribute. Griff said he can see me playing at the top of the zone, with my length, and being on the bottom because I can rebound and challenge shots.” Richmond’s length should be a bonus to the defense, which struggled last season. He also knows he must remain aggressive in looking for his own offense. Be a threat to score. Attack downhill. This is what distinguishes him. “I think he’s got a big, big upside, even right away,” coach Jim Boeheim said. “He gets to the rim better than anyone we’ve ever had lately... He's one of the best point guards in the country, one of the best young guards in the country."”
It's a good article:
His dream realized, Syracuse's Kadary Richmond is ready to work
Busting Brackets.com: “Syracuse was able to bring in a smart IQ player that knows what he’s doing with the basketball. Richmond tends to know how to control the game when he is on offense. His ability to create space off the dribble and penetration made him such a gifted scorer in High School. Given his point guard skills for his size, Richmond will be able to play the point forward position to his advantage. He will be able to have the ball in his hands-on offense, then use his size to get a stop on the other end.”
SI.com: “Richmond will be heavily relied upon to handle the ball and could be the primary reserve at either position. Richmond was ranked in ESPN’s Top 100 Recruiting Rankings at #91. He is a four-star recruit who really makes defenders play up tight on him. Richmond’s ability to hit the three-pointer is complimented well with his aggressive drives to the bucket. He is a very crafty player who will fit right into the Orange’s system. “Kadary is a special talent, just has a tremendous feel for the game. Really crafty and can make plays. One of the best playmakers I have seen. Just really fun to play with,” said Boeheim.”
Buddy Boeheim called Richmond, “a special talent. He has a tremendous feel for the game, really crafty, can make plays. Him and Joe (Girard) have been battling (in practice)." One of our posters, (‘Ceerqqq’) said “Joe's greatest challenge at this stage in his career is to show how he can perform against taller, talented guards. Well, now he's getting a chance to work on that challenge every day. If he can show that he can score against Kadary, and play respectable defense against him, then Joe's future is truly golden. “
Orangefizz does a nice breakdown of his film:
Film Breakdown: Kadary Richmond – Orange Fizz – Free Syracuse Recruiting News
24-7 ranked him 84th nationally and 17th by position- small forward, saying: “Good length for a combo guard. Solid athlete. Good two-foot jumper. An off-the-dribble scorer. Great change of direction moves on the drive. Rebounds his position and has good potential as a defender.” Hit the history button and it becomes 86/19. More interesting is that he was ranked #328 as recently as June 25, 2019. That shows how much his stock has risen. Scout has him at $88/20# and Rivals #85/#20. All have him as 4 stars.
His high school team was probably the best in the country with 8 top 100 players and some people have said he was their best player. Here are his highlights:
Kadary Richmond 6'5 Point Guard Senior Year 2018-19 South Shore H.S
I see an exciting, aggressive, athletic, long-armed and quick player who can hit long and medium jumpers or drive to the basket and score or dish or send it back out to a three point guy. He’s the one guy we have who could break down a defense with his driving ability. He makes steals and runs the court beautifully. He looks like he would be a force at the top of the zone, turning a major weakness last year into a strength this year. We’re going to have a very productive offensive team, maybe unstoppable at times. But to become the defensive team we need to become to get back to where we were a decade ago, we need Kadary in there.
If you look at the most optimistic national rating for each of these players coming out of high schools, they rank this way:
Marek Dolezaj and Quincy Guerrier #72
Woody Newton #79
Kadary Richmond #84
Bourama Sidibe #89
Jesse Edwards #138
Frank Anslem #150
Robert Braswell #170
Joe Girard #175
Alan Griffin #185
Buddy Boeheim #264
John Bol Ajak #315
Chaz Owens NR
That doesn’t sound like a crew that will return us to glory. Not only are there no McDonald’s All-Americans but there aren’t any top 50 players. Or top 60 players. Fortunately, these recruiting ratings are no more than a grainy snapshot of a player’s abilities at a particular point in time. It’s like looking at a single frame of a film and trying to determine if the butler did it, (how the player will turn out in the end). There aren’t 88 better centers in the country than Bourama Sidibe. There aren’t 71 forwards in the country better than Marek Dolezaj or probably even Quincy Guerrier. There aren’t 174 better guards than Joe Girard or 263 better than Buddy Boeheim. We know there aren’t 184 better players than Alan Griffin, as shown by his #4 ranking among the nation’s transfers. Also consider that Jalen Carey’s best ranking was #38 and Brycen Goodine #77. How did that work out?
I think we’ll have a deep, exciting team with three top outside shooters, (Girard, Boeheim and Griffin, who may be on the court at the same time), two guys who can score inside, (Sidibe, Guerrier), a guy who can drive and score or dish, (Richmond) and a guy who can plant himself in the midst of the defense and dish to everybody, (Dolezaj). When they are all playing well, we will be not just hard but likely impossible to stop.
But the key to ‘lift off’ will be on defense. Hopefully, the returning players, (Sidibie, Dolezaj, Guerrier, Boeheim and Girard) will improve, at least incrementally and Griffin will surprise us there. But the big improvement, if it comes, could be from freshmen Richmond and Newton if they get the playing time and can adjust to Boeheim’s system.
Then there’s the future, which these players could all be a part of since they can all return without losing a year of eligibility. But then there’s the improved recruiting which involves, (as far as we know right now) will include at least two five star players, Bennie Williams next year and (somebody as good as) Dior Johnson the year after that. Happy Days are Here Again.
Happy Days Are Here Again / Get Happy (Judy Garland & Barbra Streisand)
Lindy’s article on the ACC is entitled “Plenty of New Faces, Doing the Exact Same Thing“. They identified five programs that have collectively led the league over the past six years – and we aren’t among them. Their picks are Duke, Florida State, Louisville, North Carolina and Virginia, calling them the “usual suspect”. But they say that three teams are “the likeliest to crash the house party. Look at Georgia Tech, Miami and Syracuse, three squads with experienced backcourts.” But are Joe Girard and Buddy Boeheim good enough to crash the party – or might they need help from some newcomers?
Buddy Boeheim, a 6-6 195 junior from Fayetteville, N.Y. / Jamesville-DeWitt/Brewster Academy (N.H.)
Buddy is the coaches son. it remains to be seen how much that will mean as he attempts to fight off challenges to his playing time from Alan Griffin, (if JB wants to use him as a guard, which he was at Illinois), Kadary Richmond, (to get him on the court when Joe Girard is running the point), Joe Girard, (to get him on the court when Kadary is running the point) or even Caz Owens, (who is impressing in practice).
In his first wo years here, Buddy had the following per-40-minute averages:
2019: 546 minutes 15.9 points 3.8 rebounds 2.4 assists, 1.3 steals 1.8 turnovers 2.8 fouls
2020: 1,040 minutes 17.2 points 2.1 rebounds 2.4 assists, 1.2 steals 1.6 turnovers 1.9 fouls
He’s shot 44.6%/46.5% from two, 35.1%/37.0% from three and 78.8%/71.4% from the line
Some are projecting that he could be this team’s leading scorer. That won’t happen if his minutes back-track toward what they were in his freshman year, which could happen.
He’s got ‘game’. He can shoot it and has range. Like all shooters, he can be streaky. He scored 25 points in the second half of the Georgetown game but that was his total for the game. He can be taken out of a game if they put a man on him. His foul shooting dropped off a bit. He should be an 80% guy. But I’ve seen him use the dribble to avoid a defender and set up a shot. I’ve seen him drive to the basket to score on an aggressive defender. He doesn’t do those things as often as Alan Griffin does in his tape but he seems to be working on those skills. He’s a decent passer and has a good basketball IQ, (as he should considering his linage).
The issue is his defense. He knows his father’s zone and usually positions himself where he should be. He plays the passing lanes well. But, like Joe Girard, he gave up too many open threes, (we were 120th in the country in 3pt percentage defense and gave up 288 of them – only 10 of 350 D-1 teams gave up more). JB tried to sell the notion that the forwards were as much at fault but it was usually Buddy or Joe who was closing on the shooter late. We also had far too much penetration into the paint, which put our big men at a disadvantage, like a goalie facing too many shots on goal. And in this sport, that means foul trouble. If we are to improve greatly as a team, those deficiencies have to be cleared up. It’s possible it could be done as these still young players, (a sophomore and a freshman) improve – and you can improve on defense just as you can improve on offense. In that UNC game, the Tar Heels missed 14 of 16 three pointers, had 18 turnovers and Bourama Sidibe played for 35 minutes, committing 4 fouls. But we don’t know if that’s a fluke or the way the team was going to continue playing. More likely getting newcomers Kadary Richmond and also Woody Newton into games will have a bigger impact on our defense.
Syracuse.com has a very specific analytical breakdown:
Buddy Boeheim: What went right, wrong in 2019-20 (Syracuse basketball review)
This Nunes article says that Buddy is modeling his game after Klay Thompson’s:
Syracuse guard Buddy Boeheim has become one of the best shooters in college basketball
Buddy was a 3-star, ranked #349 in the country and #77 as a shooting guard by 24-7. But click on ‘history’ and that becomes 264/54. ESPN/Scout has him as the #38 shooting guard and Rivals had him as #43. All sources have him as a # star player. I suspect that if you ranked the shooting guards in the country now, he’d be higher than that.
Here are his highlights from last year:
He can shoot with range and get his shot off under pressure. He sees the whole court and is a good passer. He’s a very good offensive player on a team that has several of them.
Joseph Girard III, a 6-1 195 sophomore from Glens Falls, N.Y. / Glens Falls
Joe Girard is the highest scoring player we’ve ever recruited to Syracuse. In fact he may be the highest scoring player anyone’s ever recruited. As a junior at Glens Falls High School he became one of 6 players to average 50 points a game in US history. The next year he ‘dropped’ to 48.6 and led his team to the state Class B championship. For his career, he averaged 39.0 points per game – and it was five-year career since he was allowed to play with the varsity as an 8th grader.
The thing is, he was a volume shooter, practically the team’s whole offense. Could he adjust to being one of several players who could score? And, could he play the point, where he was pressed into service with the failure of Jalen Carey, Brycen Goodine and Howard Washington to take over that position? The answer was “Yes”. Joe is often compared to two players: Jimmer Fredette, who also came from Glens Falls, (but didn’t score the way Joe did) and became national player of the year at BYU and the man coaching him here at Syracuse, Gerry McNamara, another volume high school scorer who was pressed into playing the point at SU.
Here are Joe’s 40-minute averages for his freshman year and then the numbers of some other prominent Syracuse point guards who started as freshmen:
Joe Girard: 1,056 minutes 15.1 points 3.7 rebounds 4.3 assists 1.8 steals 1.8 turnovers 1.8 fouls
Two pointers: 38.5%, three pointers: 32.3%, free throws: 89.4%
Pearl Washington: 1,087m 16.9p 3.1r 7.3a 2.8s 4.1to 3.7pf 54.4%/(no three pointers)/66.2%
Michael Edwards 794m 10.5p 1.8r 8.5a 1.5s 4.0to 3.1pf 49.5%/33.7%/75.0%
Adrian Autry 1,030m 11.7p 3.1r 6.4a 2.4s 4.3to 4.0pf 44.0%/31.7%/70.5%
Jason Hart 1,144m 10.7p 4.0r 6.4a 3.1s 3.5to 3.0pf 39.5%/32.9%/69.0%
Gerry McNamara 1,236m 15.1p 2.6r 5.0a 2.5s 2.8to 2.2pf 31.7%/35.7%/90.9%
Jonny Flynn 1,243m 17.6p 3.0r 6.0a 1.7s 3.1to 1.6pf 52.9%/34.8%/77.5%
Tyler Ennis 1,215m 14.6p 3.8r 6.2a 2.4s 1.9to 2.3pf 42.9%/35.3%/76.5%
Kaleb Joseph 847m 8.7p 3.2r 5.6a 1.3s 3.4to 2.7pf 41.8%/20.0%/71.9%
Joe scored as much as GMAC and better than anybody except the Pearl and Jonny. He didn’t hit 6 pointers in the first half in the national championship game as GMAC did but he’s a streak shooter and might have if he had a team around him that could have gotten there. he is stronger, (he won two state titles as a football quarterback and at 195 pounds weighs almost as much as our 6-10 guys) and was a better rebounder than any of them except, (strangely – I don’t recall him getting a lot of rebounds), Tyler Ennis. He didn’t have a lot of assists but 4.3-1.8 isn’t a bad assist-to-turnover ratio. He didn’t have a lot of assists but I remember him having quick hands – he wasn’t just stealing passes. He was a good and creative dribbler and took good care of the ball. he didn’t get in foul trouble. He’s a bit small, (listed at 6-1 but I wonder), for the zone and had problems covering shooters or preventing the ball from getting into the paint.
Ironically what he wasn’t was an outstanding shooter. He could hit from range and had a quick release but missed 230 shots- 8.7 per 40 minutes. He wasn’t the #1 option and wasn’t feeling the brunt of the defense. He wasn’t a penetrator so all his offense came from the outside. He needs better shot selection and to use his dribbling skills to get around people to set up shots and passes. I think it will come as he matures. He’s a gym rat and will continue to work on these things. But he’s in the same boat as Buddy Boeheim: how do we get Kadary Richmond in the game? What happens if JB wants to use Alan Griffin in the backcourt? Unlike Buddy, Joe can play either guard position so we may see some sets with Richmond at the point and Joe at the ‘2’ or vice versa.
Here is another analytical breakdown rom Syracuse.com:
Joe Girard: What went right, what was a concern in 2019-20 (Syracuse basketball review)
24-7 gave Joe three stars and rated him the 202nd best player in the country and the 29th best combo guard. (But click on ‘history and it becomes 175/26 and he was as high as #113 on 8/18/18.) They had him as a 3 star as did Rivals who ranked him the 47th best shooting guard. ESPN/Scout had him at 4 stars and the 24th best shooting guard.
Here is his highlight film:
Joseph Girard III 2019-20 Season Highlights | Syracuse Guard
I remember back in the Jimmy Lee days our fast breaks were as likely to result in wide-open jump shots as lay-ups or dunks. GMAC could do that, too and JGIII can as well. He and Buddy can play a great two man game out front. Between them they scored 37% of our points last year.
Chaz Owens, a 6-5 200 freshman from Blue Bell, Pa. / Wissahickon/Shipley School/Scotland Campus
Chaz is the son of SU great Billy Owens. He was the last addition to the team and some people were surprised that he was given a scholarship, thinking he would be a walk-on like Adrian Autry Jr. Chaz is no Billy, who was the #1 recruit in the country back in 1988 and was a consensus first team All-American in 1991 when he led the team to the Big East title almost single-handedly, averaging 23.3 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists a game. No SU players has put up numbers as good as that since. Billy was 6-9 230. Chaz is 6-5 200.
Syracuse.com: “A 6-foot-5 guard, Owens had no other scholarship offers from Division I schools. As a senior at Shipley High School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, Owens averaged 11.4 points and 8.2 rebounds but drew only passing interest from Division II and III schools. Owens spent last year at Scotland (Pa.) Campus, a prep school located just outside Chambersburg, Pa. "It was crazy to me that nobody really offered him anything,'' (Billy) Owens said. "I think maybe they were comparing him to me and not judging him for himself.''
But here are reports from practice that Chaz is more than just a legacy recruit. Syracuse.com: “Owens brings size, athleticism and versatility to the guard position. He also plays with a willingness to do the little things that fans often miss but coaches appreciate. He shares the ball, works hard on defense and rebounds well for a guard.” That makes him sound like an ideal back-up guard. The Athletic: “He might not play early, but Chaz Owens isn’t merely a legend’s legacy. The son of SU legend Billy Owens was a late addition to the roster this summer. His father’s connection with Boeheim landed him a spot on the team. But in recent practices, he has held his own, thrown down dunks and defended at a “high level,” per the team source. Behind each good team lies a productive scout team, and the Orange are hoping Owens can help prepare rotation players in practice this season. Will he be a player capable of cracking the rotation down the road? Maybe. It’s too early to tell, and the backcourt is locked up for the next two to three years.” From Inside the Loud House.com: “Put all the recruiting ranking stuff to the side for a second. Chaz Owens, son of former Syracuse basketball legend Billy Owens, is an under-the-radar player in the 2020 recruiting cycle who brings a ton of promise and talent to the 'Cuse.”
24-7 and the other services had no numerical ranking for Chaz who was listed as a 2-star, probably by default. MaxPreps lists him as the 2,133rd best player in the country, with no position rank. How do they know he wasn’t the 2,132nd best player? Here are his highlights:
CHAZ OWENS Highlights (Shipley School c/o 2019, Team PYO AAU)
Chaz Owens
CHAZ OWENS season opener HIGHLIGHTS (SHIPLEY SCHOOL c/o 19)
He can shoot and he can dunk. He dribble to set up one shot and had a nice scoop shot on a drive to the basket. His father has taught him to ward off defenders on his drive and to keep the ball on the other side of his body. He can dribble. He’s taller than Howard Washington. Howard had an excellent assist to turnover ratio last year: (per 40m): 6.5-3.0. I doubt Chaz will put up numbers like that but he can help us in ways Howard could not. I predict there will be a game in his career here where we will have to rely on him and he'll come through for a big win.
Kadary Richmond, 6-5 180 freshman from Brooklyn, N.Y. / South Shore/Brewster Academy (N.H.)
Everybody is talking about Kadary Richmond. (One wag pointed out the irony that Billy Owens’ son will be playing on the same team as a player named ‘Richmond’: it was the Spiders who ended his career here.) We weren’t quite sure what we had when he committed to play here. He’s been listed as a small forward, a shooting guard and a point guard. He seems to be “blowing up”, at least in the SU practices.
The Athletic: ““I love having the ball in my hands, but I know Joe (Girard) will probably stay at the one,” Richmond said. “I’m just trying to be a playmaker. That’s my best attribute. Griff said he can see me playing at the top of the zone, with my length, and being on the bottom because I can rebound and challenge shots.” Richmond’s length should be a bonus to the defense, which struggled last season. He also knows he must remain aggressive in looking for his own offense. Be a threat to score. Attack downhill. This is what distinguishes him. “I think he’s got a big, big upside, even right away,” coach Jim Boeheim said. “He gets to the rim better than anyone we’ve ever had lately... He's one of the best point guards in the country, one of the best young guards in the country."”
It's a good article:
His dream realized, Syracuse's Kadary Richmond is ready to work
Busting Brackets.com: “Syracuse was able to bring in a smart IQ player that knows what he’s doing with the basketball. Richmond tends to know how to control the game when he is on offense. His ability to create space off the dribble and penetration made him such a gifted scorer in High School. Given his point guard skills for his size, Richmond will be able to play the point forward position to his advantage. He will be able to have the ball in his hands-on offense, then use his size to get a stop on the other end.”
SI.com: “Richmond will be heavily relied upon to handle the ball and could be the primary reserve at either position. Richmond was ranked in ESPN’s Top 100 Recruiting Rankings at #91. He is a four-star recruit who really makes defenders play up tight on him. Richmond’s ability to hit the three-pointer is complimented well with his aggressive drives to the bucket. He is a very crafty player who will fit right into the Orange’s system. “Kadary is a special talent, just has a tremendous feel for the game. Really crafty and can make plays. One of the best playmakers I have seen. Just really fun to play with,” said Boeheim.”
Buddy Boeheim called Richmond, “a special talent. He has a tremendous feel for the game, really crafty, can make plays. Him and Joe (Girard) have been battling (in practice)." One of our posters, (‘Ceerqqq’) said “Joe's greatest challenge at this stage in his career is to show how he can perform against taller, talented guards. Well, now he's getting a chance to work on that challenge every day. If he can show that he can score against Kadary, and play respectable defense against him, then Joe's future is truly golden. “
Orangefizz does a nice breakdown of his film:
Film Breakdown: Kadary Richmond – Orange Fizz – Free Syracuse Recruiting News
24-7 ranked him 84th nationally and 17th by position- small forward, saying: “Good length for a combo guard. Solid athlete. Good two-foot jumper. An off-the-dribble scorer. Great change of direction moves on the drive. Rebounds his position and has good potential as a defender.” Hit the history button and it becomes 86/19. More interesting is that he was ranked #328 as recently as June 25, 2019. That shows how much his stock has risen. Scout has him at $88/20# and Rivals #85/#20. All have him as 4 stars.
His high school team was probably the best in the country with 8 top 100 players and some people have said he was their best player. Here are his highlights:
Kadary Richmond 6'5 Point Guard Senior Year 2018-19 South Shore H.S
I see an exciting, aggressive, athletic, long-armed and quick player who can hit long and medium jumpers or drive to the basket and score or dish or send it back out to a three point guy. He’s the one guy we have who could break down a defense with his driving ability. He makes steals and runs the court beautifully. He looks like he would be a force at the top of the zone, turning a major weakness last year into a strength this year. We’re going to have a very productive offensive team, maybe unstoppable at times. But to become the defensive team we need to become to get back to where we were a decade ago, we need Kadary in there.
If you look at the most optimistic national rating for each of these players coming out of high schools, they rank this way:
Marek Dolezaj and Quincy Guerrier #72
Woody Newton #79
Kadary Richmond #84
Bourama Sidibe #89
Jesse Edwards #138
Frank Anslem #150
Robert Braswell #170
Joe Girard #175
Alan Griffin #185
Buddy Boeheim #264
John Bol Ajak #315
Chaz Owens NR
That doesn’t sound like a crew that will return us to glory. Not only are there no McDonald’s All-Americans but there aren’t any top 50 players. Or top 60 players. Fortunately, these recruiting ratings are no more than a grainy snapshot of a player’s abilities at a particular point in time. It’s like looking at a single frame of a film and trying to determine if the butler did it, (how the player will turn out in the end). There aren’t 88 better centers in the country than Bourama Sidibe. There aren’t 71 forwards in the country better than Marek Dolezaj or probably even Quincy Guerrier. There aren’t 174 better guards than Joe Girard or 263 better than Buddy Boeheim. We know there aren’t 184 better players than Alan Griffin, as shown by his #4 ranking among the nation’s transfers. Also consider that Jalen Carey’s best ranking was #38 and Brycen Goodine #77. How did that work out?
I think we’ll have a deep, exciting team with three top outside shooters, (Girard, Boeheim and Griffin, who may be on the court at the same time), two guys who can score inside, (Sidibe, Guerrier), a guy who can drive and score or dish, (Richmond) and a guy who can plant himself in the midst of the defense and dish to everybody, (Dolezaj). When they are all playing well, we will be not just hard but likely impossible to stop.
But the key to ‘lift off’ will be on defense. Hopefully, the returning players, (Sidibie, Dolezaj, Guerrier, Boeheim and Girard) will improve, at least incrementally and Griffin will surprise us there. But the big improvement, if it comes, could be from freshmen Richmond and Newton if they get the playing time and can adjust to Boeheim’s system.
Then there’s the future, which these players could all be a part of since they can all return without losing a year of eligibility. But then there’s the improved recruiting which involves, (as far as we know right now) will include at least two five star players, Bennie Williams next year and (somebody as good as) Dior Johnson the year after that. Happy Days are Here Again.
Happy Days Are Here Again / Get Happy (Judy Garland & Barbra Streisand)
