SWC75
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As I’m doing this the schedule is unsettled so I’ll just preview the teams. The schedule will be posted as it’s put together or altered, here:
2020-21 Men's Basketball Schedule - Syracuse University Athletics
BOSTON COLLEGE (13-19, 7-13 in the ACC. We beat them 76-50 here and 84-71 there.)
Coach Jim Christian, with one winning season in six years, tried again to get the Eagles above the waterline with three grad transfers and a hoped-for return of an injured player. Their AD, Martin Jarmond said “There is so much uncertainty now with everything, you need to have calm in uncertain times”. Then he left for UCLA. Christian is now being evaluated by the new AD, Patrick Kraft and needs to win now.
His best returning player is 6-3 175 guard Jay Heath, who averaged 13.4ppg. “He was a strong long-range shooter and tough off the dribble…a reliable scorer and solid defender” But he makes too many turnovers and shot 55% from the line. Winston Tabbs scored 13.9 two years ago before he hurt his knee and “has the ability to run the team.” 6-1 175 Rich Kelly scored 16.7 for Quinnipiac and “he could score and distribute.” 6-3 185 Makai Aston-Langford scored 4.0ppg for Providence two years ago, transferred to BC and, poor fellow, had to sit out a year before he could play here. He’s joined by his brother 6-5 195 DeMarr Langford, will join him. He’s “a slasher with good defense”.
6-8 220 Stefon Mitchell averaged 7.8ppg and 8.7rpg last year. Christian has brought in 6-8 230 Frederick Scoot from Rider, where he averaged 12.6p/5.2r, 6-9 230 Andre Adams from Southern Utah (9.0p/6.5r) and 6-9 230 James Karnik from Lehigh (12.2p/7.2). I wish we had some guys who were 230 but I have to wonder if transfers from Quinnipiac, Rider, Southern Utah and Lehigh are going to help BC compete in the ACC. Of course we got Elijah Hughes from East Carolina, so you never know.
CLEMSON (16-15, 9-11 in the ACC. We lost 70-71 there.)
Last year’s Tigers beat #3 Duke, #5 Louisville, #6 Florida State and, well, us. They also broke a 59 game losing streak in Chapel Hill, where they had never won before. Unfortunately, they lost 15 other games, 11 in the ACC.
6-2 180 Al-Amir Dawes led the team with 76 assists but had 78 turnovers to go with them. He’ll be challenged for the point guard position by 5-10 205, (odd dimensions for a basketball player) Nick Honor, a transfer from Fordham, where he scored 15.0ppg and had 95 assists to 54 turnovers. 6-5 195 John Neumann score 9.5ppg with 3.9rpg but ‘tweaked’ his knee in the finale and did not opt for surgery. 6-3 190 Alex Hemenway “showed a terrific shooting touch from the perimeter”, 47.6% from three on 20 for 42. He’s needed as the rest of the team was 30.6%. 6-3 200 Chase Hunter is “Clemson’s top overall athlete”, (over Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne?). 6-4 194 Clyde Trapp killed us last year with 17p/9r/6a.
The Tigers best returning player is 6-8 240 Amir Simms, 13.0p/7.2r. He’s lost his mates up front, Tevin Mack, (who killed us with 32p/10r, one of several guys who got into the lane on us that we couldn’t seem to defend, resulting in a ‘career’ game.) and Trey Jamison. Coach Brad Brownell will look to two freshman to fill those posts: 6-10 235 PJ Hall, the top recruit in South Carolina who can “post up and shoot threes”, and 6-8 205 Olivier-Maxence Prosper, (“What name have you decided to give the infant? ‘Olivier-Maxence’? OoooKay…”), who likes to “slash to the rim”.
DUKE (25-6, 15-5 in the ACC. They beat us 88-97 here.)
One Blue Chip Class leaves, another comes in. Duke remains a conference and national title contender. They are one of two schools trying to do it with classes of “one and done” players: top recruits who play in college for a year because the NBA won’t accept them until they are a certain age. We won a championship ourselves with a one and done and we’d love to have another player that good but only Kentucky and Duke try to win with entire classes of one and dones. They win a lot of games but it’s hard to get the continuity and mature leadership you need to win a title that way. The Wildcats did it with a true superstar in Anthony Davis in 2012, (who was considering coming here before John Calipari stepped in). Duke did it in 2015 with a somewhat less stellar class. They had three freshmen in their starting line-up, including 7 footer Jahlil Okafor but also a senior point guard in Ty Jones and a junior forward in Amile Jefferson. That’s the only Final Four they’ve made in the last ten years, (we’ve made two of them). Mike Krzyzewski had bene to 11 final four before that and won four title. He did that by building teams rather than just recruiting them. That’s harder now than it’s ever been before but look at the other national championships of that decade: the two Connecticut teams, the Louisville team, the two Villanova teams, North Carolina, (which hasn’t succumbed to the one and done trend), and Virginia. They’ve done it mostly with guys who stayed in college for four years and played together as a team.
Duke will try it again this year having lost their last three scorers from last year. Six freshmen have joined the program – for this year anyway. One is 6-2 180 Jeremy Roach, “an open court savant who has a great skill set and can crate for his teammates. He isn’t alights-out shooter but can dash past defenders off the dribble. 6-3 175 DJ Steward “can score inside and out and breaks down defenders well.” That sounds like trouble for Joe Girard and Buddy Boeheim. They do have a senior in the backcourt, 6-2 185 Jordan Goldwire who “can score, distribute and defend”. He averaged 4.7ppg last year.
The big catch is Jalen Johnson, a 6-8 215 forward, “one of the most skilled freshmen in the conference and probably the nation. He can set up his teammates, score inside and out and handle the ball well. His sturdy frame will serve him on the boards as well.” 6-8 215 Jaemyn Brakefield “is a lefthanded stretch four who can score from the post of off the dribble”. 6-6 213 Wendell Moore Jr. “struggled with turnovers and his shooting percentage a freshman”. 7-0 230 Mark Williams “can run, block shots and rebound but don’t expect a lot of scoring from him yet. 6-7 210 Henry Coleman is a “high motor four man, good in the open court and has solid post moves”. 6-9 214 Matthew Hurt “can score inside and out” and did so for 9.7ppg and 3.8 rpg. They do have a junior up front, 6-7 208 Joey Baker who averaged 5.0ppg but needs to improve his shooting.
We’ll see but this just doesn’t seem like a dominant team to me. Also, their big men are about the size of ours, except ours, aside from Mark Williams, are apparently a little taller. There’s nobody the size of Okafor, Zion Williamson or last year’s phenom, Vernon Carey. It doesn’t mean they won’t best us by 20 points but I’m just not in awe of them this year – yet, anyway.
FLORIDA STATE (26-5, 16-4 in the ACC. We lost to them 77-80 there.)
Jim Boeheim is a strong believer in putting your best line-up out there and sticking with them. He’s won 965 games doing that, (actually 1,066). Leonard Hamilton is a believer in using his whole roster. He’s won 582 games doing that. “We’re 18 strong. We win by committee.” He had 9 different players lead the Seminoles in scoring last year. Of late Hamilton has been the more successful coach, going 104-34 the last four years while Boeheim has gone 80-57. But Hamilton has never been to a Final Four while Boeheim has been to 6 of them, the last 5 as head coach. In those four years, Hamilton’s team has beaten Boeheim’s 3 of 4 times but one of Boeheim’s losses was in overtime. And this is Hamilton’s best teams against some of Boeheim’s worst. That makes it rather unclear as to which approach is better. It will be another clash of the two styles this year.
One thing that both Krzyzewski’s and Hamilton’s methods deal with well is the loss of players. Krzyzewski just goes out and recruits new blue chippers. Hamilton’s losses were a much a smaller part of his mosaic than Boeheim’s are to his: Whatever it is, several players were doing it and he’s just lost one of them. They lost guard Trent Forrest but still have 6-5 215 MJ Walker who averaged 10.6ppf and shot 36% from three, 6-6 215 Anthony Polite (5.8ppg) and 6-4 210 RayQuan Evans, who averaged 3.1 in just 11.5 minutes. Hamilton has added 6-6 215 JUCO transfer Sardaar Calhoun, who averaged 18.9ppg. Those are some big, NBA sized guards.
Hamilton has his own 5-star freshman, Scottie Barnes, a 6-9 225 forward. He has a 7-2 wingspan and will be “too talented, smart and hard-working to keep on the bench and could emerge as the team’s point forward/assists leader”. He also “has the quickness to lock down on the perimeter but also the length and strength to bang in the paint and soar for rebounds”. But he needs to improve his ball handling and shooting. 6-8 260 RaQuan Gray had trouble shooting (39% from the field, including 22% from three) but can bang on the boards. Hamilton loves 7 footers and has 7-2 235 Tanor Ngom, a transfer from Ryerson in Canada where he averaged 16.7p/11.5r and 7-1 260 Balsa Koprivico, who has a 9-1 standing reach, (that’s what they should measure, not height: you play basketball with your brain but not your skull). Those are big, NBA-sized forwards and centers.
GEORGIA TECH (17-14, 11-9. in the ACC. We beat them 97-63 there and 79-72 here.)
The second score against them last year is the more relevant one. Tech is pulling out of a long dry period and actually had a better ACC record last year than we did, 11-9. They won 9 of their last 12 games They have four starters back, including three double-figure scorers.
They have a higher scoring back-court than ours and surely a better defensive one. 6-0 179 Jose Alvarado averaged 14.4 points, 4.0 assists and, belying his height, 3.4 rebounds a game. 6-5 193 Michael DeVoe a scored 16.0 with 3.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists. 5-10 160 Bubba Parham, (the smallest ‘Bubba’ ever), is “a dynamic play maker”, who was the Southern Conference freshman of the year then had 21.4p/3.4r/3.5a as a sophomore before transferring to Tech, where he “never found a rhythm” last year while scoring only 5.2ppg. Two problems: Tech was #287 in the country in 3 point percent age and #345 in turnover percentage.
They lost 6-10 250 James Banks and 6-10 226 Evan Cole but still have 6-9 230 Moses Wright who was ”one of the league’s most improved players” last year as he scored 13.0ppg with 6.9rpg. He had seven double-doubles. 6-7 220 Jordan Usher is a “wing slasher who is a tough scorer around the basket”. He averaged 8.2p/4.4r. He’s one of two USC transfers on the squad, the other being 6-3 200 guard Jordan Sturdivant. Another transfer, 6-11 245 Rodney Howard from in-state rival Georgia will add some size but not as much as 7-1 240 freshman Saba Gigiberia, who has a 7-4 wingspan.
LOUISVILLE (24-7, 15-5 in the ACC. We lost to them 66-90, there.)
It’s rare for a school to go directly from one Hall of Fame coach to another but Louisville did it when they went from Denny Crum to Rick Pitino. Actually, they had another Hall of Famer before that in Peck Hickman, who first built up the program. From 1944 to 2017 the Cardinals had a Hall of Fame coach for all but the four years Hickman’s assistant, John Dromo coached them before Dromo had to retire early due to a heart attack. They may have another in Chris Mack, who has complied an impressive 259-118 record in 11 years including 44-21 at the ‘Ville since he took over the mess left behind by Pitino.
Last year they reached the #1 ranking in the nation with a 9-0 start before fading to 15-7 the rest of the way. Mack lost all five starters from that team, including his four top scorers. But he isn’t bereft of talent. It’s just that the players he uses this year will have more to prove. His best player might be 6-5 210 guard David Johnson. “He was the dynamic playmaker the cardinals needed”, averaging 6.3 points and 2.8 assists. Radford transfer Carlik Jones, (6-1 180), was the Big South’s Player of the year, averaging 20.0 points and 5.5 assists. San Francisco transfer Charles Minlend, (6-4 210), averaged 14.7 points and 4.7 rebounds for a team that won 22 games.
Malik Williams, (6-11 245) is ”the team’s vocal leader, understands the pack line system and returns as the most polished rebounder and shot blocker”, 8.5p/6.1r). The pack line system:
en.wikipedia.org
Samuel Williamson (6-7 200, 4.4p/2.5r) is expected to be the Cardinals next break-out star. “His 3 point shooting needs to be better, but the former 5 star recruit is a multi-level scorer with rebounding chops and a point guard’s passing vision.” Mack compares 6-5 195 freshman D’Andre Davis to graduated Dwayne Sutton, who averaged 9.1p/8.2r for him last year.
Mack will get the most out of these players but still, this might be a good year to beat the Cardinals. And we play them twice.
U of MIAMI (15-16, 7-13 in the ACC. We lost to them 65-69 there.)
The Hurricanes seme primed to make a big move forward this season. While teams above them are mostly rebuilding, they have 6 of their top 7 scorers back, a couple of good freshman and big man transfer who could help them. their backcourt and wings look good and they have plenty of size up front.
Chris Lykes isn’t one of the big guys. He might be the smallest player in college basketball, (5-7 165), but has a big talent. He averaged 15.4 points last year. Lindy’s describes him as a “highly efficient playmaker” but he only averaged 2.4 assists. However “Lykes now has dynamic, experienced players around him” so that stat could rise. He hit 38% of his threes and 81% of his frees. He can be tough to stay in front of on defense and can harass a bigger player with his quickness. But he can be shot over and passed over. Kameron McGusty is a 6-5 192 transferred in from Oklahoma to average 12.5p/4.0r. Isaiah Wong, (6-3172) is a “dynamic scorer primed for a break-out sophomore campaign) after averaging 7.7p/3.0r in 21 minutes a game. Harlond Beverly, (6-4 186), is a “slasher/distributor who could take a big step forward with a better 3 point touch”, (22%). Lykes, McGusty, Wong and Beverly – no that doesn’t sound like a law firm.
“Few incoming freshman stand to influence a team more than Earl Timberlake”, (6-6, 215). Timberlake is a DeMatha product and is “a two-way talent, an imposing rim-crunching wing (who) brings the intensity and physicality that Miami has been missing. with a rare frame for a high school prospect”. 6-6 225 Matt Cross in a “physical, versatile wing who can play both forward spots and has a nice shooting touch.” They will be joining ‘springy’ 6-9 208 Anthony Walker (3.3p/2.1r), who showed “flashes of potential” as a freshman. Former Syracuse University football coach Greg Robinson makes Athlon Sports' bottom 20 list
6-10 215 Sam Waardenburg likes to use his height to launch unblockable jumpers from the top of the key and the arc but he helps with the rebounding, (6.0p/5.9r). Deng Gak, (6-10 222), was a four star prospect before a series of ‘owies’ limited him to 201 minutes in the last two seasons. 7-0 238 Rodney miller plays the low blocks and produced 7.2p/5.5r last year. From Cincinnati comes Nysier Brooks, (6-11 245) where he averaged 8.1p/6.5r. that’s plenty of beef inside and plenty of talent outside.
NORTH CAROLINA (14-19, 6-14 in the ACC. We lost to them 79-92 there but won 81-53 in the ACCT)
The Tar Heels last year had the kind of season Syracuse has managed to avoid for half a century:
A look at "The Streak"
They have the talent to bounce back quickly Roy Williams has brought in a 6 man recruiting class that is one of the best in the nation. Those guys will be part of the next good North Carolina team, the next great north Carolina team and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them cut down the next again while they are in Chapel Hill, (assuming they stay there long enough – but Tar Heels tend to stay, perhaps because their heels get stuck in the tar.)
Caleb Love (6-3 170), “is the kind of scoring point guard who can energize an entire program. He has a first-rate handle, can get into the paint well with his attacking mentality and can hit the three”. 5-11 160 RJ Davis “is a lean combo guard who can make shots off the dribble and also hit the three.” Kerwin Walton, (6-4 170), is “an excellent shooter with great range, a good passer and can defend well”. Anthony Harris is a 6-4 190 redshirt freshman who tore his ACL last year. “if he’s back, he can help out behind the arc and off the dribble.”
Carolina is about big men and Roy has brought in two good ones in Day’Ron Sharpe (6-10 245), “a sturdy, athletic player who excels defensively and on the boards and has some polished post moves”. Walker Kessler (also 6-10 245), “is highly skilled can step outside and shoot, score inside and rebounds well”. They join 6-9 235 Garrison Brooks, (16.8p, 8.5r), who ”returns after scoring well inside, leading the team in rebounding and playing some solid interior defense”, Armando Bacot, (6-10 232, 9.6p, 8.3r), is a “strong interior players (who) is particularly effective on the boards and defensively”. They also have 6-11 250 Sterling Manley who missed last season with knee surgery.
NORTH CAROLINA STATE (20-12, 10-10 in the ACC. We lost to them 74-79 here.)
The Wolfpack also has a good mix of quality people on the outside and a lot of big guys for the middle. 6-5 205 Devon Daniels “can score dish and defend”. He averaged 12.7 points and 5.3 rebs. 6-0 180 Braxton Beverly “is a fine wing sniper who will help spread defenses”, (7.1ppg, 37% from three). 6-1 180 Thomas Allen transferred from Nebraska, where he averaged 8.7ppg and shot 36% from three point range. “He’ll “provide shooting and can handle work at the point”. Coach Kevin Keats brought in two freshmen for the point: Cam Hayes, (6-1 175), “a strong facilitator who can score and defend well”, and Shakeel Moore, (6-1 185), a left-handed version of Hayes, (too bad it isn’t baseball).
The big name up front is DJ Funderburke (6-10 225), “a powerful interior scorer and strong rebounder who can also defend the interior”, (12.8p/6.1r). 6-11 230 Manny Bates is “a study interior player and an elite shot-blocker”. 6-7 205 Jericole Hellems “can score inside and out”, (9.5p/3.4r). Keats added two freshmen here, too: 6-10 220 Ebenezer (what are you going to call your baby? “Ebenezer”) Dowuons, who is “raw offensively but rebounds and blocks shots” and 6-7 230 Nick Farrar, “a sturdy interior player who scores close to the hoop”.
NOTRE DAME (20-12, 10-10 in the ACC. We lost to them 87-88 there but won 84-82)
The Irish overcame injuries that got them down to 7 recruited players to win 20 games and split their conference season. As often happens after such a season, they will be awash in experienced depth this year.
Mike Brey “thinks Prentice Hubb is one of the best guards in the ACC. He’s a strong distributor and productive scorer…he can shoot from distance, although he needs to get a bit more accurate, and can defend well.” Who doesn’t need to get a bit more accurate? (6-3 175, 12.1p/5.1a). 6-5 190 Carmac Ryan scored 8.7ppg at Stanford two years ago “and is a solid three point shooter”. 6-6 203 Dane Goodwin (10.8p/3.8r), was 38% from outside the arc and “has the ability to set up his teammates”. 6-4 201 Robby Carmody tore his ACL after 7 games last year but is “strong off the dribble and can defend”.
Their best big man is 6-11 223 Juwan Durham , (7.8p/4.6r), who is “looking to be a more potent offensive force but he is a good finisher close to the basket”, (the best place to finish), “and a strong rebounder, particularly on the offensive end and an elite shot-blocker” 6-10 225 Nate Laszewski “can step outside” and is also “solid on the boards”. There are two freshmen big men: 6-7 225 Elijah Taylor is “tough and can score from 15 feet in” and Matt Zona, (same size – why isn’t he at ‘Zona’?) who is “comfortable in the half court and can bang”.
PITTSBURGH (16-17, 6-14 in the ACC. We beat them 69-61 here and 72-49 there.)
In recent seasons, Big, Bad Pittsburgh has just been bad Pittsburgh. Jeff Capel is trying to make them Big again.
Trey McGowans transferred to Nebraska but Capel still has Xavier Johnson, (6-3 200, 11.7p/3.7r, 5.0a), “a strong facilitator who excels at setting up his teammates and can make things quite difficult for opponents defensively. But he must cut back on his turnovers and get more accurate with his shot.” 6-4 1845 Nike Sibande transferred from Miami University where he scored 15.1p/4.1r/5.1a over a three year period 6-3 200 Ithiel Horton came from Delaware where he averaged 13.2ppg and hit 41% of his three point shots, which is important because the Panthers only averaged 29.6% last year.6-5 185 freshman Femi Odukale is also “a solid three point shooter”. (Update: the NCAA did not grant Nike Sibande’s waiver of sitting out a year after his transfer. It doesn’t just happen to us.)
Justin Champaigne, (6-6 200 12.7p/7.0r)”is a strong defender who can block shots and is tough to stop heading to the basket.” 6-10 235 Terrell brown “is a stalwart on the interior who finishes well close to the hoop, rebounds on both ends and is a top-flight rim protector.” The top man in Capel’s recruiting class is 6-9 240 John Hughley, who has “great hands, a strong skill set, good vison and a powerful frame.” (I never read about a basketball player’s vision in these pre-season magazine before but it’s part of the picture.) 6-8 210 freshman Noah Collier “is versatile and can guard multiple positions”. 6-6 210 swingman Au’diese Toney, (9.5p/4.8r), is “strong inside the arc and a productive offensive rebounder”. Freshman Williams Jeffress, (6-7 205), “is versatile and skilled – and also very young”.
VIRGINIA (23-7, 15-5 in the ACC. We lost to them 34-48 here but beat them 63-55 there.)
Virginia doesn’t get bad, or even mediocre. Tony Bennett may be the best coach in the country and one of the best in history and in a rebuilding year after winning the school’s first national championship they went ‘only’ 23-7 and 15-5 in the ACC. Using the ‘pack line’ defense his father invented, he wins without one and dones and always has good mix of veteran players and newcomers. An influx of talented newcomers with scoring ability should put them back in the national championship picture. Last year they averaged 57.0 ppg and won 23 games. because they only gave up 52.4. Their national title team averaged 71.4-56.1.
Kihei Clark isn’t big, (5-9 163) but he plays big, (10.8p/4.2r, 6.0a). he “is one of the nation’s leading distributors and a weapon from the outside. He plays sticky defense and is a solid rebounder.” He shot 37.5% from the arc last year but “if he improves his shooting inside the arc, he should average 15 a game. That’s saying something on a team that scores 60 a night”. 6-5 196 Tomas Woldetenase is a “long range specialist” (but not as good as Clark: 36.1% and 6.6ppg). 6-7 207 freshman Jabri Abdur-Rahim is the son of NBA star Shareef Abdur-Rahim. “He’s athletic, skilled and good inside the lane….a stone scorer with the ability to get his own shot whenever he wants.” Another freshman, 6-3 198 Reece Beekman, is “a pass first facilitator, excellent in the open floor and can score off the dribble…it will be interesting to see how Bennett uses him with Clark. Then there are the ‘CM’s: 6-3 177 freshman Carson McCorkle, “an excellent long-range shooter who can also get to the rim” and 6-3 195 Casey Morsell, who “has some skill and good size on defense but shot the ball poorly, (4.0ppg missed 70 of 85 three pointers).
They lost Mamadi Diakite, (13.7p, 6.8r) but 6-8 225 Sam Hauser transferred in from Marquette where he averaged 14.9p/7.2r. he can “score inside and out and hits the boards well”. “it only seems like Jay Huff is entering his 9th season with the Cavalliers”. The 5th year senior is 7-1 243 and “a fine finisher inside, a sturdy rebounder and can block a couple of shots a game”. Redshirt freshman Kadin Shedrick is 6-11 but only 214, (he’d be a muscle man on the ‘Cuse), but should provide some rim protection and some rebounding.
VIRGINIA TECH (16-16, 7-13 in the ACC. We lost to them 63-67 here but beat them 71-69 there.)
Buzz Williams buzzed off to Texas A&M just as it seemed he was about to make the Hokies a rival to the Cavs and an ACC contender. Tech collapsed without him like a bad soufflé, going 7-13 in the conference.
Three players from that team transferred out, including their leading scorer. “This year’s team won’t be burdened by high expectations.” Coach Mike you has countered that exodus with a couple of top 100 recruits and “a quartet of transfers who much produce immediately.
Wabissa Bede, (6-0 200, 5.2p/5.5a) “was a stalwart last year, an outstanding distributor who takes care of the ball well and plays good defense. He isn’t a threat to shoot but he’s a fine leader.” He won’t need to score because everybody else in the backcourt can. Cartier DIarra (6-4 185, 13.3p/3.8r) is a Kansas State grad transfer “who can create by himself, (I thought only God could do that), and set up others” but who “must become more efficient”, (God would be efficient).. Tyrece Radford (6-1 205, 10.2p/6.2r), “is tough to stop inside the arc and can also rebound well. Jalen Cone, (5-10 170, 8.0ppg), “is a sniper and one of the nation’s best long-range shooters”, (45.7%). Nahiem Alleyne (6-3 195, 8.8p/2.3r), shot 35.2% and “can score inside and out and set up a teammate”. The two freshmen are: Joe Bamisile (6-4 195) “has outstanding range on his shot and can get to the hoop” and Darius Maddox (6-4 180) :has a good handle a varied offensive game and plenty of skill at the defensive end.”
Up front, Young will employ grad transfers Cordel Pemsi from Iowa, Justyn Mutts from Delaware and Keve Aluma from Young’s former school, Wofford. Pemsi, (6-9 248, 2.6p/3.2r), was limited last year by injuries but “brings good heft up front and can help on the boards and defensively”. Mutts (6-7 220, 12.2p/8.4r), “is a banger who can rebound well and score in close.” Aloma (6-9 240, 6.9p/6.8r) “will provide help on the boards. So it’s shooters in the backcourt and bangers up front for the Hokies.
WAKE FOREST (13-18, 6-14 in the ACC. We beat them 75-73 here.)
Very few coaches were fired after last season because the pandemic had hit, schools were losing revenue and they didn’t want to be paying two coaches at once. Wake forest made the move by finally firing Danny Manning after a 78-111 record in six seasons. But they got the pick of the available coaches and landed Steve Forbes who was 130-43 at East Tennessee State, including 30-4 last year. But Forbes has a big task at Wake, especially after three players graduated and four transferred out from a bad team. Predictably Forbes has brought in whatever transfers and high school recruits he could get his hand son to fill the gaps.
Ian Dubose, (6-4 210, 19.0p. 7.3r) was the leading scorer in the Southland Conference at Houston Baptist. “he can score off the dribble and hit the long ball.” Jonah Antonio, (6-5 180 6.9p, 2.4r), transferred in from UNLV, (this is his fourth college team). He ”can score some but must improve his shooting”. (Then he could score more.) Jalen Johnson, (6-6 196, 3.5p, 2.0r) came from Tennessee and
“can help out with depth”. “Expect sophomore Jahcobi Neath, (6-3 200, 5.3p/2.2a) to handle the point after showing last year that he could distribute and shoot some”. (There’s a glowing review.) 6-4 170 Quadry Adams is a freshman combo guard, “good in transition and can defend”. Isaiah Wilkins (6-4 225, 4.3p/2.6r), transferred from Virginia Tech and has gotten a waiver to play immediately. (Why would you go from Virginia Tech to Wake Forest?) “He projects as a ‘role player’.” (On this team?) Davien Williamson, (6-2 165, 10.4p/2.6a) transferred from Forbes’ 30-4 ETU team and was just granted a waiver to still play for him.
Isaiah Mucius (6-8 195, 7.3p/4.7r), “has a diverse offensive game and is capable of helping out on the boards” Ody Oguama (6-9 205, 2.9p/3.9r), “is a fine rim protector and rebounder but his offensive game is limited to easy shots around the rim”. Tarig Ingrham, (6-9 250) is a redshirt freshman who tore his ACL last year. “he has a stout frame and can rebound. His offensive game is developing”. Ismael Massoud, (6-8 200, 4.8p/2.0r), “is a perimeter weapon but struggled with his shot last year.”
Overall, I don’t see this conference as too intimidating this year. I think Virginia will be very good but Duke might be a bit down. Florida State and Miami should be good and so might NC State. Louisville and North Carolina are rebuilding but can do that quickly. Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and Clemson should be solid. BC, Pitt, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest will continue to struggle. I think we’ll have our best team since the early 80’s but not quite back to that level. But we should be able to make some noise in this conference and stay off the bubble.
2020-21 Men's Basketball Schedule - Syracuse University Athletics
BOSTON COLLEGE (13-19, 7-13 in the ACC. We beat them 76-50 here and 84-71 there.)
Coach Jim Christian, with one winning season in six years, tried again to get the Eagles above the waterline with three grad transfers and a hoped-for return of an injured player. Their AD, Martin Jarmond said “There is so much uncertainty now with everything, you need to have calm in uncertain times”. Then he left for UCLA. Christian is now being evaluated by the new AD, Patrick Kraft and needs to win now.
His best returning player is 6-3 175 guard Jay Heath, who averaged 13.4ppg. “He was a strong long-range shooter and tough off the dribble…a reliable scorer and solid defender” But he makes too many turnovers and shot 55% from the line. Winston Tabbs scored 13.9 two years ago before he hurt his knee and “has the ability to run the team.” 6-1 175 Rich Kelly scored 16.7 for Quinnipiac and “he could score and distribute.” 6-3 185 Makai Aston-Langford scored 4.0ppg for Providence two years ago, transferred to BC and, poor fellow, had to sit out a year before he could play here. He’s joined by his brother 6-5 195 DeMarr Langford, will join him. He’s “a slasher with good defense”.
6-8 220 Stefon Mitchell averaged 7.8ppg and 8.7rpg last year. Christian has brought in 6-8 230 Frederick Scoot from Rider, where he averaged 12.6p/5.2r, 6-9 230 Andre Adams from Southern Utah (9.0p/6.5r) and 6-9 230 James Karnik from Lehigh (12.2p/7.2). I wish we had some guys who were 230 but I have to wonder if transfers from Quinnipiac, Rider, Southern Utah and Lehigh are going to help BC compete in the ACC. Of course we got Elijah Hughes from East Carolina, so you never know.
CLEMSON (16-15, 9-11 in the ACC. We lost 70-71 there.)
Last year’s Tigers beat #3 Duke, #5 Louisville, #6 Florida State and, well, us. They also broke a 59 game losing streak in Chapel Hill, where they had never won before. Unfortunately, they lost 15 other games, 11 in the ACC.
6-2 180 Al-Amir Dawes led the team with 76 assists but had 78 turnovers to go with them. He’ll be challenged for the point guard position by 5-10 205, (odd dimensions for a basketball player) Nick Honor, a transfer from Fordham, where he scored 15.0ppg and had 95 assists to 54 turnovers. 6-5 195 John Neumann score 9.5ppg with 3.9rpg but ‘tweaked’ his knee in the finale and did not opt for surgery. 6-3 190 Alex Hemenway “showed a terrific shooting touch from the perimeter”, 47.6% from three on 20 for 42. He’s needed as the rest of the team was 30.6%. 6-3 200 Chase Hunter is “Clemson’s top overall athlete”, (over Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne?). 6-4 194 Clyde Trapp killed us last year with 17p/9r/6a.
The Tigers best returning player is 6-8 240 Amir Simms, 13.0p/7.2r. He’s lost his mates up front, Tevin Mack, (who killed us with 32p/10r, one of several guys who got into the lane on us that we couldn’t seem to defend, resulting in a ‘career’ game.) and Trey Jamison. Coach Brad Brownell will look to two freshman to fill those posts: 6-10 235 PJ Hall, the top recruit in South Carolina who can “post up and shoot threes”, and 6-8 205 Olivier-Maxence Prosper, (“What name have you decided to give the infant? ‘Olivier-Maxence’? OoooKay…”), who likes to “slash to the rim”.
DUKE (25-6, 15-5 in the ACC. They beat us 88-97 here.)
One Blue Chip Class leaves, another comes in. Duke remains a conference and national title contender. They are one of two schools trying to do it with classes of “one and done” players: top recruits who play in college for a year because the NBA won’t accept them until they are a certain age. We won a championship ourselves with a one and done and we’d love to have another player that good but only Kentucky and Duke try to win with entire classes of one and dones. They win a lot of games but it’s hard to get the continuity and mature leadership you need to win a title that way. The Wildcats did it with a true superstar in Anthony Davis in 2012, (who was considering coming here before John Calipari stepped in). Duke did it in 2015 with a somewhat less stellar class. They had three freshmen in their starting line-up, including 7 footer Jahlil Okafor but also a senior point guard in Ty Jones and a junior forward in Amile Jefferson. That’s the only Final Four they’ve made in the last ten years, (we’ve made two of them). Mike Krzyzewski had bene to 11 final four before that and won four title. He did that by building teams rather than just recruiting them. That’s harder now than it’s ever been before but look at the other national championships of that decade: the two Connecticut teams, the Louisville team, the two Villanova teams, North Carolina, (which hasn’t succumbed to the one and done trend), and Virginia. They’ve done it mostly with guys who stayed in college for four years and played together as a team.
Duke will try it again this year having lost their last three scorers from last year. Six freshmen have joined the program – for this year anyway. One is 6-2 180 Jeremy Roach, “an open court savant who has a great skill set and can crate for his teammates. He isn’t alights-out shooter but can dash past defenders off the dribble. 6-3 175 DJ Steward “can score inside and out and breaks down defenders well.” That sounds like trouble for Joe Girard and Buddy Boeheim. They do have a senior in the backcourt, 6-2 185 Jordan Goldwire who “can score, distribute and defend”. He averaged 4.7ppg last year.
The big catch is Jalen Johnson, a 6-8 215 forward, “one of the most skilled freshmen in the conference and probably the nation. He can set up his teammates, score inside and out and handle the ball well. His sturdy frame will serve him on the boards as well.” 6-8 215 Jaemyn Brakefield “is a lefthanded stretch four who can score from the post of off the dribble”. 6-6 213 Wendell Moore Jr. “struggled with turnovers and his shooting percentage a freshman”. 7-0 230 Mark Williams “can run, block shots and rebound but don’t expect a lot of scoring from him yet. 6-7 210 Henry Coleman is a “high motor four man, good in the open court and has solid post moves”. 6-9 214 Matthew Hurt “can score inside and out” and did so for 9.7ppg and 3.8 rpg. They do have a junior up front, 6-7 208 Joey Baker who averaged 5.0ppg but needs to improve his shooting.
We’ll see but this just doesn’t seem like a dominant team to me. Also, their big men are about the size of ours, except ours, aside from Mark Williams, are apparently a little taller. There’s nobody the size of Okafor, Zion Williamson or last year’s phenom, Vernon Carey. It doesn’t mean they won’t best us by 20 points but I’m just not in awe of them this year – yet, anyway.
FLORIDA STATE (26-5, 16-4 in the ACC. We lost to them 77-80 there.)
Jim Boeheim is a strong believer in putting your best line-up out there and sticking with them. He’s won 965 games doing that, (actually 1,066). Leonard Hamilton is a believer in using his whole roster. He’s won 582 games doing that. “We’re 18 strong. We win by committee.” He had 9 different players lead the Seminoles in scoring last year. Of late Hamilton has been the more successful coach, going 104-34 the last four years while Boeheim has gone 80-57. But Hamilton has never been to a Final Four while Boeheim has been to 6 of them, the last 5 as head coach. In those four years, Hamilton’s team has beaten Boeheim’s 3 of 4 times but one of Boeheim’s losses was in overtime. And this is Hamilton’s best teams against some of Boeheim’s worst. That makes it rather unclear as to which approach is better. It will be another clash of the two styles this year.
One thing that both Krzyzewski’s and Hamilton’s methods deal with well is the loss of players. Krzyzewski just goes out and recruits new blue chippers. Hamilton’s losses were a much a smaller part of his mosaic than Boeheim’s are to his: Whatever it is, several players were doing it and he’s just lost one of them. They lost guard Trent Forrest but still have 6-5 215 MJ Walker who averaged 10.6ppf and shot 36% from three, 6-6 215 Anthony Polite (5.8ppg) and 6-4 210 RayQuan Evans, who averaged 3.1 in just 11.5 minutes. Hamilton has added 6-6 215 JUCO transfer Sardaar Calhoun, who averaged 18.9ppg. Those are some big, NBA sized guards.
Hamilton has his own 5-star freshman, Scottie Barnes, a 6-9 225 forward. He has a 7-2 wingspan and will be “too talented, smart and hard-working to keep on the bench and could emerge as the team’s point forward/assists leader”. He also “has the quickness to lock down on the perimeter but also the length and strength to bang in the paint and soar for rebounds”. But he needs to improve his ball handling and shooting. 6-8 260 RaQuan Gray had trouble shooting (39% from the field, including 22% from three) but can bang on the boards. Hamilton loves 7 footers and has 7-2 235 Tanor Ngom, a transfer from Ryerson in Canada where he averaged 16.7p/11.5r and 7-1 260 Balsa Koprivico, who has a 9-1 standing reach, (that’s what they should measure, not height: you play basketball with your brain but not your skull). Those are big, NBA-sized forwards and centers.
GEORGIA TECH (17-14, 11-9. in the ACC. We beat them 97-63 there and 79-72 here.)
The second score against them last year is the more relevant one. Tech is pulling out of a long dry period and actually had a better ACC record last year than we did, 11-9. They won 9 of their last 12 games They have four starters back, including three double-figure scorers.
They have a higher scoring back-court than ours and surely a better defensive one. 6-0 179 Jose Alvarado averaged 14.4 points, 4.0 assists and, belying his height, 3.4 rebounds a game. 6-5 193 Michael DeVoe a scored 16.0 with 3.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists. 5-10 160 Bubba Parham, (the smallest ‘Bubba’ ever), is “a dynamic play maker”, who was the Southern Conference freshman of the year then had 21.4p/3.4r/3.5a as a sophomore before transferring to Tech, where he “never found a rhythm” last year while scoring only 5.2ppg. Two problems: Tech was #287 in the country in 3 point percent age and #345 in turnover percentage.
They lost 6-10 250 James Banks and 6-10 226 Evan Cole but still have 6-9 230 Moses Wright who was ”one of the league’s most improved players” last year as he scored 13.0ppg with 6.9rpg. He had seven double-doubles. 6-7 220 Jordan Usher is a “wing slasher who is a tough scorer around the basket”. He averaged 8.2p/4.4r. He’s one of two USC transfers on the squad, the other being 6-3 200 guard Jordan Sturdivant. Another transfer, 6-11 245 Rodney Howard from in-state rival Georgia will add some size but not as much as 7-1 240 freshman Saba Gigiberia, who has a 7-4 wingspan.
LOUISVILLE (24-7, 15-5 in the ACC. We lost to them 66-90, there.)
It’s rare for a school to go directly from one Hall of Fame coach to another but Louisville did it when they went from Denny Crum to Rick Pitino. Actually, they had another Hall of Famer before that in Peck Hickman, who first built up the program. From 1944 to 2017 the Cardinals had a Hall of Fame coach for all but the four years Hickman’s assistant, John Dromo coached them before Dromo had to retire early due to a heart attack. They may have another in Chris Mack, who has complied an impressive 259-118 record in 11 years including 44-21 at the ‘Ville since he took over the mess left behind by Pitino.
Last year they reached the #1 ranking in the nation with a 9-0 start before fading to 15-7 the rest of the way. Mack lost all five starters from that team, including his four top scorers. But he isn’t bereft of talent. It’s just that the players he uses this year will have more to prove. His best player might be 6-5 210 guard David Johnson. “He was the dynamic playmaker the cardinals needed”, averaging 6.3 points and 2.8 assists. Radford transfer Carlik Jones, (6-1 180), was the Big South’s Player of the year, averaging 20.0 points and 5.5 assists. San Francisco transfer Charles Minlend, (6-4 210), averaged 14.7 points and 4.7 rebounds for a team that won 22 games.
Malik Williams, (6-11 245) is ”the team’s vocal leader, understands the pack line system and returns as the most polished rebounder and shot blocker”, 8.5p/6.1r). The pack line system:
Basketball playbook - Wikipedia
Mack will get the most out of these players but still, this might be a good year to beat the Cardinals. And we play them twice.
U of MIAMI (15-16, 7-13 in the ACC. We lost to them 65-69 there.)
The Hurricanes seme primed to make a big move forward this season. While teams above them are mostly rebuilding, they have 6 of their top 7 scorers back, a couple of good freshman and big man transfer who could help them. their backcourt and wings look good and they have plenty of size up front.
Chris Lykes isn’t one of the big guys. He might be the smallest player in college basketball, (5-7 165), but has a big talent. He averaged 15.4 points last year. Lindy’s describes him as a “highly efficient playmaker” but he only averaged 2.4 assists. However “Lykes now has dynamic, experienced players around him” so that stat could rise. He hit 38% of his threes and 81% of his frees. He can be tough to stay in front of on defense and can harass a bigger player with his quickness. But he can be shot over and passed over. Kameron McGusty is a 6-5 192 transferred in from Oklahoma to average 12.5p/4.0r. Isaiah Wong, (6-3172) is a “dynamic scorer primed for a break-out sophomore campaign) after averaging 7.7p/3.0r in 21 minutes a game. Harlond Beverly, (6-4 186), is a “slasher/distributor who could take a big step forward with a better 3 point touch”, (22%). Lykes, McGusty, Wong and Beverly – no that doesn’t sound like a law firm.
“Few incoming freshman stand to influence a team more than Earl Timberlake”, (6-6, 215). Timberlake is a DeMatha product and is “a two-way talent, an imposing rim-crunching wing (who) brings the intensity and physicality that Miami has been missing. with a rare frame for a high school prospect”. 6-6 225 Matt Cross in a “physical, versatile wing who can play both forward spots and has a nice shooting touch.” They will be joining ‘springy’ 6-9 208 Anthony Walker (3.3p/2.1r), who showed “flashes of potential” as a freshman. Former Syracuse University football coach Greg Robinson makes Athlon Sports' bottom 20 list
6-10 215 Sam Waardenburg likes to use his height to launch unblockable jumpers from the top of the key and the arc but he helps with the rebounding, (6.0p/5.9r). Deng Gak, (6-10 222), was a four star prospect before a series of ‘owies’ limited him to 201 minutes in the last two seasons. 7-0 238 Rodney miller plays the low blocks and produced 7.2p/5.5r last year. From Cincinnati comes Nysier Brooks, (6-11 245) where he averaged 8.1p/6.5r. that’s plenty of beef inside and plenty of talent outside.
NORTH CAROLINA (14-19, 6-14 in the ACC. We lost to them 79-92 there but won 81-53 in the ACCT)
The Tar Heels last year had the kind of season Syracuse has managed to avoid for half a century:
A look at "The Streak"
They have the talent to bounce back quickly Roy Williams has brought in a 6 man recruiting class that is one of the best in the nation. Those guys will be part of the next good North Carolina team, the next great north Carolina team and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them cut down the next again while they are in Chapel Hill, (assuming they stay there long enough – but Tar Heels tend to stay, perhaps because their heels get stuck in the tar.)
Caleb Love (6-3 170), “is the kind of scoring point guard who can energize an entire program. He has a first-rate handle, can get into the paint well with his attacking mentality and can hit the three”. 5-11 160 RJ Davis “is a lean combo guard who can make shots off the dribble and also hit the three.” Kerwin Walton, (6-4 170), is “an excellent shooter with great range, a good passer and can defend well”. Anthony Harris is a 6-4 190 redshirt freshman who tore his ACL last year. “if he’s back, he can help out behind the arc and off the dribble.”
Carolina is about big men and Roy has brought in two good ones in Day’Ron Sharpe (6-10 245), “a sturdy, athletic player who excels defensively and on the boards and has some polished post moves”. Walker Kessler (also 6-10 245), “is highly skilled can step outside and shoot, score inside and rebounds well”. They join 6-9 235 Garrison Brooks, (16.8p, 8.5r), who ”returns after scoring well inside, leading the team in rebounding and playing some solid interior defense”, Armando Bacot, (6-10 232, 9.6p, 8.3r), is a “strong interior players (who) is particularly effective on the boards and defensively”. They also have 6-11 250 Sterling Manley who missed last season with knee surgery.
NORTH CAROLINA STATE (20-12, 10-10 in the ACC. We lost to them 74-79 here.)
The Wolfpack also has a good mix of quality people on the outside and a lot of big guys for the middle. 6-5 205 Devon Daniels “can score dish and defend”. He averaged 12.7 points and 5.3 rebs. 6-0 180 Braxton Beverly “is a fine wing sniper who will help spread defenses”, (7.1ppg, 37% from three). 6-1 180 Thomas Allen transferred from Nebraska, where he averaged 8.7ppg and shot 36% from three point range. “He’ll “provide shooting and can handle work at the point”. Coach Kevin Keats brought in two freshmen for the point: Cam Hayes, (6-1 175), “a strong facilitator who can score and defend well”, and Shakeel Moore, (6-1 185), a left-handed version of Hayes, (too bad it isn’t baseball).
The big name up front is DJ Funderburke (6-10 225), “a powerful interior scorer and strong rebounder who can also defend the interior”, (12.8p/6.1r). 6-11 230 Manny Bates is “a study interior player and an elite shot-blocker”. 6-7 205 Jericole Hellems “can score inside and out”, (9.5p/3.4r). Keats added two freshmen here, too: 6-10 220 Ebenezer (what are you going to call your baby? “Ebenezer”) Dowuons, who is “raw offensively but rebounds and blocks shots” and 6-7 230 Nick Farrar, “a sturdy interior player who scores close to the hoop”.
NOTRE DAME (20-12, 10-10 in the ACC. We lost to them 87-88 there but won 84-82)
The Irish overcame injuries that got them down to 7 recruited players to win 20 games and split their conference season. As often happens after such a season, they will be awash in experienced depth this year.
Mike Brey “thinks Prentice Hubb is one of the best guards in the ACC. He’s a strong distributor and productive scorer…he can shoot from distance, although he needs to get a bit more accurate, and can defend well.” Who doesn’t need to get a bit more accurate? (6-3 175, 12.1p/5.1a). 6-5 190 Carmac Ryan scored 8.7ppg at Stanford two years ago “and is a solid three point shooter”. 6-6 203 Dane Goodwin (10.8p/3.8r), was 38% from outside the arc and “has the ability to set up his teammates”. 6-4 201 Robby Carmody tore his ACL after 7 games last year but is “strong off the dribble and can defend”.
Their best big man is 6-11 223 Juwan Durham , (7.8p/4.6r), who is “looking to be a more potent offensive force but he is a good finisher close to the basket”, (the best place to finish), “and a strong rebounder, particularly on the offensive end and an elite shot-blocker” 6-10 225 Nate Laszewski “can step outside” and is also “solid on the boards”. There are two freshmen big men: 6-7 225 Elijah Taylor is “tough and can score from 15 feet in” and Matt Zona, (same size – why isn’t he at ‘Zona’?) who is “comfortable in the half court and can bang”.
PITTSBURGH (16-17, 6-14 in the ACC. We beat them 69-61 here and 72-49 there.)
In recent seasons, Big, Bad Pittsburgh has just been bad Pittsburgh. Jeff Capel is trying to make them Big again.
Trey McGowans transferred to Nebraska but Capel still has Xavier Johnson, (6-3 200, 11.7p/3.7r, 5.0a), “a strong facilitator who excels at setting up his teammates and can make things quite difficult for opponents defensively. But he must cut back on his turnovers and get more accurate with his shot.” 6-4 1845 Nike Sibande transferred from Miami University where he scored 15.1p/4.1r/5.1a over a three year period 6-3 200 Ithiel Horton came from Delaware where he averaged 13.2ppg and hit 41% of his three point shots, which is important because the Panthers only averaged 29.6% last year.6-5 185 freshman Femi Odukale is also “a solid three point shooter”. (Update: the NCAA did not grant Nike Sibande’s waiver of sitting out a year after his transfer. It doesn’t just happen to us.)
Justin Champaigne, (6-6 200 12.7p/7.0r)”is a strong defender who can block shots and is tough to stop heading to the basket.” 6-10 235 Terrell brown “is a stalwart on the interior who finishes well close to the hoop, rebounds on both ends and is a top-flight rim protector.” The top man in Capel’s recruiting class is 6-9 240 John Hughley, who has “great hands, a strong skill set, good vison and a powerful frame.” (I never read about a basketball player’s vision in these pre-season magazine before but it’s part of the picture.) 6-8 210 freshman Noah Collier “is versatile and can guard multiple positions”. 6-6 210 swingman Au’diese Toney, (9.5p/4.8r), is “strong inside the arc and a productive offensive rebounder”. Freshman Williams Jeffress, (6-7 205), “is versatile and skilled – and also very young”.
VIRGINIA (23-7, 15-5 in the ACC. We lost to them 34-48 here but beat them 63-55 there.)
Virginia doesn’t get bad, or even mediocre. Tony Bennett may be the best coach in the country and one of the best in history and in a rebuilding year after winning the school’s first national championship they went ‘only’ 23-7 and 15-5 in the ACC. Using the ‘pack line’ defense his father invented, he wins without one and dones and always has good mix of veteran players and newcomers. An influx of talented newcomers with scoring ability should put them back in the national championship picture. Last year they averaged 57.0 ppg and won 23 games. because they only gave up 52.4. Their national title team averaged 71.4-56.1.
Kihei Clark isn’t big, (5-9 163) but he plays big, (10.8p/4.2r, 6.0a). he “is one of the nation’s leading distributors and a weapon from the outside. He plays sticky defense and is a solid rebounder.” He shot 37.5% from the arc last year but “if he improves his shooting inside the arc, he should average 15 a game. That’s saying something on a team that scores 60 a night”. 6-5 196 Tomas Woldetenase is a “long range specialist” (but not as good as Clark: 36.1% and 6.6ppg). 6-7 207 freshman Jabri Abdur-Rahim is the son of NBA star Shareef Abdur-Rahim. “He’s athletic, skilled and good inside the lane….a stone scorer with the ability to get his own shot whenever he wants.” Another freshman, 6-3 198 Reece Beekman, is “a pass first facilitator, excellent in the open floor and can score off the dribble…it will be interesting to see how Bennett uses him with Clark. Then there are the ‘CM’s: 6-3 177 freshman Carson McCorkle, “an excellent long-range shooter who can also get to the rim” and 6-3 195 Casey Morsell, who “has some skill and good size on defense but shot the ball poorly, (4.0ppg missed 70 of 85 three pointers).
They lost Mamadi Diakite, (13.7p, 6.8r) but 6-8 225 Sam Hauser transferred in from Marquette where he averaged 14.9p/7.2r. he can “score inside and out and hits the boards well”. “it only seems like Jay Huff is entering his 9th season with the Cavalliers”. The 5th year senior is 7-1 243 and “a fine finisher inside, a sturdy rebounder and can block a couple of shots a game”. Redshirt freshman Kadin Shedrick is 6-11 but only 214, (he’d be a muscle man on the ‘Cuse), but should provide some rim protection and some rebounding.
VIRGINIA TECH (16-16, 7-13 in the ACC. We lost to them 63-67 here but beat them 71-69 there.)
Buzz Williams buzzed off to Texas A&M just as it seemed he was about to make the Hokies a rival to the Cavs and an ACC contender. Tech collapsed without him like a bad soufflé, going 7-13 in the conference.
Three players from that team transferred out, including their leading scorer. “This year’s team won’t be burdened by high expectations.” Coach Mike you has countered that exodus with a couple of top 100 recruits and “a quartet of transfers who much produce immediately.
Wabissa Bede, (6-0 200, 5.2p/5.5a) “was a stalwart last year, an outstanding distributor who takes care of the ball well and plays good defense. He isn’t a threat to shoot but he’s a fine leader.” He won’t need to score because everybody else in the backcourt can. Cartier DIarra (6-4 185, 13.3p/3.8r) is a Kansas State grad transfer “who can create by himself, (I thought only God could do that), and set up others” but who “must become more efficient”, (God would be efficient).. Tyrece Radford (6-1 205, 10.2p/6.2r), “is tough to stop inside the arc and can also rebound well. Jalen Cone, (5-10 170, 8.0ppg), “is a sniper and one of the nation’s best long-range shooters”, (45.7%). Nahiem Alleyne (6-3 195, 8.8p/2.3r), shot 35.2% and “can score inside and out and set up a teammate”. The two freshmen are: Joe Bamisile (6-4 195) “has outstanding range on his shot and can get to the hoop” and Darius Maddox (6-4 180) :has a good handle a varied offensive game and plenty of skill at the defensive end.”
Up front, Young will employ grad transfers Cordel Pemsi from Iowa, Justyn Mutts from Delaware and Keve Aluma from Young’s former school, Wofford. Pemsi, (6-9 248, 2.6p/3.2r), was limited last year by injuries but “brings good heft up front and can help on the boards and defensively”. Mutts (6-7 220, 12.2p/8.4r), “is a banger who can rebound well and score in close.” Aloma (6-9 240, 6.9p/6.8r) “will provide help on the boards. So it’s shooters in the backcourt and bangers up front for the Hokies.
WAKE FOREST (13-18, 6-14 in the ACC. We beat them 75-73 here.)
Very few coaches were fired after last season because the pandemic had hit, schools were losing revenue and they didn’t want to be paying two coaches at once. Wake forest made the move by finally firing Danny Manning after a 78-111 record in six seasons. But they got the pick of the available coaches and landed Steve Forbes who was 130-43 at East Tennessee State, including 30-4 last year. But Forbes has a big task at Wake, especially after three players graduated and four transferred out from a bad team. Predictably Forbes has brought in whatever transfers and high school recruits he could get his hand son to fill the gaps.
Ian Dubose, (6-4 210, 19.0p. 7.3r) was the leading scorer in the Southland Conference at Houston Baptist. “he can score off the dribble and hit the long ball.” Jonah Antonio, (6-5 180 6.9p, 2.4r), transferred in from UNLV, (this is his fourth college team). He ”can score some but must improve his shooting”. (Then he could score more.) Jalen Johnson, (6-6 196, 3.5p, 2.0r) came from Tennessee and
“can help out with depth”. “Expect sophomore Jahcobi Neath, (6-3 200, 5.3p/2.2a) to handle the point after showing last year that he could distribute and shoot some”. (There’s a glowing review.) 6-4 170 Quadry Adams is a freshman combo guard, “good in transition and can defend”. Isaiah Wilkins (6-4 225, 4.3p/2.6r), transferred from Virginia Tech and has gotten a waiver to play immediately. (Why would you go from Virginia Tech to Wake Forest?) “He projects as a ‘role player’.” (On this team?) Davien Williamson, (6-2 165, 10.4p/2.6a) transferred from Forbes’ 30-4 ETU team and was just granted a waiver to still play for him.
Isaiah Mucius (6-8 195, 7.3p/4.7r), “has a diverse offensive game and is capable of helping out on the boards” Ody Oguama (6-9 205, 2.9p/3.9r), “is a fine rim protector and rebounder but his offensive game is limited to easy shots around the rim”. Tarig Ingrham, (6-9 250) is a redshirt freshman who tore his ACL last year. “he has a stout frame and can rebound. His offensive game is developing”. Ismael Massoud, (6-8 200, 4.8p/2.0r), “is a perimeter weapon but struggled with his shot last year.”
Overall, I don’t see this conference as too intimidating this year. I think Virginia will be very good but Duke might be a bit down. Florida State and Miami should be good and so might NC State. Louisville and North Carolina are rebuilding but can do that quickly. Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and Clemson should be solid. BC, Pitt, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest will continue to struggle. I think we’ll have our best team since the early 80’s but not quite back to that level. But we should be able to make some noise in this conference and stay off the bubble.
