My 2025 SU Basketball Preview Part 3: The Forwards | Syracusefan.com

My 2025 SU Basketball Preview Part 3: The Forwards

SWC75

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Forwards

Chris Bell 6-7 192 (Junior)

Chris was a deer in the headlights his first season here. His forte is outside shooting But he only hit 34.5% of his treys and when he wasn’t hitting, he got down on himself and didn’t do anything else, except draw Jim Boeheim’s wrath. Last year, he started hitting late in the year. He exploded with a 30 point game against Louisville, in which he hit 8 of 10 three pointers. Then he hit another 8 of 10, scoring 26 points at NC State. He had another big game against Louisville with 23 points but he did it with a more balanced game: 3 of 4 inside the arc, 3 of 5 outside it and 8 of 9 from the line. He was making moves to get open, not just standing there waiting for a pass. He also showed some interest in rebounding with 6 against Wake Forest, 5 against Georgia Tech and 7 against Louisville and defense, both of which had been lacking previously.

I think Bell is actually the best athlete on the team and maybe the best NBA prospect. He’s our most athletic dunker on the break. The fans start saying “Whoa!!!” when they see him running down court on the break, knowing that something big is coming. He also loves blocking shots from behind when the other team is on the break. If his game is coming together, he could explode as a real star in college basketball. He’ll be the primary beneficiary of our new-found inside game and the passing of our big men. When an inside scorer gets the ball, the defense collapses in toward him, often leaving an outside shooter wide open and when an outside shooter gets a pass coming to him from where the basket is, he can go right up in one motion. If he is team is playing ring-around-the-rosy on the outside, he has to turn to catch the ball and reset toward the basket, often with a defender in his face. I expect Chris to ring the bell this year.

Here are his highlights from last year:



Chris is small forward. At this point, he doesn’t have the ball handling skills to play guard. He might need them in the NBA. Here are his numbers from last season:
23.8m 17.7p 3.5r 1.0a 0.8s 1.0b = 29.3+ 8.1mfg 0.3mft 1.2to 2.7pf = 12.3-
11.7NP 9.3OE 2.4FG
He hit 42.0% of his three pointers, 45.9% of his two pointers and 84.2% of his free throws.


Jyare Davis 6-7 220 (Senior)

With the departure of Maliq Brown, Coach Autry needed some depth at the forward position. Jyare transferred here from Delaware, where he played extensively for three years and averaged 14.4 points and 5.8 rebounds. The obvious question is: can a guy from Delaware compete in the ACC? Schools like Delaware often have guys who can compete at a higher level: they just don’t have enough of them for the team to compete at the higher level. In other cases the individual player attempting to make the jump up isn’t quite as good as he hoped and suffers from a lack of playing time at his new school. I have a feeling Jyare, if he gets his chance, will prove that he belongs here.

He was originally recruited by Providence but, after a redshirt year, returned to his home state to become a Blue Hen. He’d been the top high school player in Delaware, (at the same school that gave us Trevor Cooney), and the #49 small forward in his class, per 247. “Coach (Autry) talked about how much he liked my versatility,’’ Davis said. “They want me to be tough around the basket. I can hit mid-range shots and I can drive to the basket. “I want to become a better 3-point shooter,’’ he added. “I think I can expand my game and do some things I haven’t shown yet. I think they will help me become the best player I can be.’’ (Syracuse.com) 247Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein wrote in part that Davis "provides a versatile, inside-out, scoring threat who has a strong frame and physical style. He can operate with his back to the basket on the block or in the mid-post, where he goes right into contact. Davis is a threat to attack the rim off the bounce, or score over top of smaller defenders in the mid-range area. He also flashes a solid passing instinct, especially when cutters move for him on his post catches, with a 15% assist rate. ... Davis shot just 25.6% from the three-point line last year but shot a ball with good loft and decent touch when he had room and rhythm. He also converted 81% of his free-throws and had an effective field goal percentage of 53.6 in spot-up situations, so there is potential there, and if he becomes a more reliable floor-spacer it would help his game go to new levels. ... Defensively, Davis is more four than three right now, with his physical strength, but he rebounds the ball plenty well enough for that spot." (Inside the Loud House)

Here are his highlights from last year:

Jyáre Davis - Delaware - 2023-24 Transfer Portal Highlights

He’s not tall but strong and can score over taller players. In some ways, he’s a shorter version of Lampkin, with a back- to-the-basket game and good passing skills. But, unlike Lampkin, he can hit jump shots. He was only 25% from three point range but he can make them, (reports from practice are that he’s much improved there), and has a wonderful pull-up jumper. I love the over-the-shoulder pass he makes at 1:50 of the tape. I could picture Lampkin having a two man game inside when they are in there together. And he, too could hit guys like Bell with a pass coming from inside. Some see him as an emergency center. At 6-7, I think he’ll be behind Freeman and Mastrovic there. He’s more of a 3 ½ than a 4 ½.

Here are his “net points” numbers from last year:
3.2m 24.7p + 10.8r + 3.5a + 1.1s + 1.1b = +41.2, 10.3mfg + 1.3mft + 2.6to + 3.1pf = -12.3 =
23.9NP 13.1OE 10.8FG He shot 51.3% from two, 25.6% from three and 81.4% from the line. I think Jyare is going to be a fan favorite – and maybe a coach’s favorite, too.


Donnie Freeman 6-9 205 (Freshman)

Donnie is the Great Orange Hope: a 5 star, McDonald’s All American power forward that may be the next Carmelo Anothy – or at least the first Donnie Freeman. 247 has him as the 15 best player in his high school class and the #2 power forward. “There aren’t many more naturally talented four-men in the national class of 2024 than Freeman. He has a wealth of tools with good size, soft hands, touch, mobility, and athleticism, that give him the potential to be a versatile two-way player. Those gifts made him a high-profile prospect early on in his high school years, but he’s just now beginning to turn potential into production on a more consistent basis. He’s still fairly undeveloped physically with a leaner base in his lower body and an upper body that hasn’t filled out yet. He’ll need to add a significant amount of muscle mass in the coming years, but if he can do that while still maintaining his ability to run and jump with the same fluidity and agility, there is obvious physical upside. Offensively, he shows flashes of being a true three-range weapon. He’s already a bouncy finisher at the rim who is a shooting threat out to the arc, and likes to rise over contesting defenders from both the mid-post and mid-range areas. He’s not yet much of a creator off the bounce, can get knocked off his spots, and be occasionally turnover prone in the process. Defensively, he can both move laterally and get off his feet to block shots and that versatility should only continue to develop as he adds strength. He’s a solid rebounder, but could be more assertive in that area. Overall, Freeman has all the tools a developing four-man could want, it’s just a matter of him getting physically stronger, making sure the motor is always running at full throttle, and continuing to increase the total impact he makes on both ends of the floor.”

Here’s a highlight film:

5 ⭐️ Donnie Freeman Commitment and Junior Season Highlights


I see a guy who, while not bulging with muscles, is not a string bean, (which a lot of our big men have been in recent years), either. He is a quick leaper who can get around people in traffic. He also gets his jumper off quickly and has three point range. (This being a highlight film, all the shots go in.) I didn’t see a back-to-the-basket move but maybe that will come. My only reservation is that that he’s a freshman. I recall that Benny Willaims was supposed to be a three level scorer and maybe a one-and-doner but he never developed into the player people had envisioned. Benny was not as highly rated as Donnie is and people have assured me that Donny will not another Benny. But Donnie is still a teenager, (19). Jyare Davis will be 23 in January. Chris Bell will be 22 in February. Petar Majstorovic is also 19 but had been playing with professionals in France, (now a major basketball power). If Donny isn’t quite ready to become a superstar, Red may favor the more experienced guys until he is.


Petar Majstorovic 6-8 215 (Freshman)

Red wanted one more big man on the roster and his recruiters found this guy, a Serbian who has been playing in France for and ‘under 21’ professional team. The level of basketball in France has become very high, (our Olympic men’s and women’s teams bare beat them) and so Petar has been playing at a high level. Cuse.com: “He averaged 9.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.9 steals and 23.6 minutes played per contest ... He shot .624 from the field and .679 from the foul line ... He scored in double digits in 19-of-34 contests and posted double-digit rebound totals in nine games.”

Here is a highlight film:

x.com


I saw everything I need to see in that film: quick moves around the basket, back to the basket moves, passing ability and three point range on his jumper. He’s the perfect guy to fit in with Lampkin, Davis, Freeman and shooters like Bell and the guards.


Chaz Owens 6-5 205 (Senior)

Chaz is the son of SU great Billy Owens. He was given a scholarship by Jim Boeheim but didn’t play much. He transferred to junior college and is back. I’m assuming he was given a scholarship this time around. His playing time should be about the same. He actually looks like a decent player in his high school highlight film:

CHAZ OWENS Highlights (Shipley School c/o 2019, Team PYO AAU)

In his first go-around here he played in 8 games and 13 minutes in two years and scored 4 points .
 
Really love Petars moves but he has to learn a left hand for nba or evan Euro. He has great feet like a poor man McHale but Kevin used both hands and if this kid learns that he could be real good.
 
Petar Davis and of course Freeman are all better than Benny. Benny was a great athlete, but he wasn't a good basketball player. These guys are basketball players. Freeman is special. Smooth looks like a G in a power forward body. He is not going to disappoint. In Petar and Davis, we have two solid all around forwards that have strength, solid shooting strokes, good handles and basketball IQs. I think that this is the best collection of forwards we have had in close to a decade.
 
To me, Petar was the key recruit for the coming season.

He had the equivalent of French G League experience, playing against professionals last year, in like a AAA league. He is used to playing more physically than a high school player. He seems like a better offensive version of our recent Central European recruits, and it appears that he is a legitimate threat from three.

His recruitment means that in case of injury to MacLeod, Donnie Freeman doesn't have to be the back-up center.

That means, Freeman, Davis and Petar can rotate among the 4 position, and Freeman can occasionally step down to the 3, later in the year, if he proves a capable threat from three.

He changes all of our front court rotations, and he gives us that extra body to help make sure that nobody has to play out of position in the front court.
 
Really love Petars moves but he has to learn a left hand for nba or evan Euro. He has great feet like a poor man McHale but Kevin used both hands and if this kid learns that he could be real good.
IDC if he ever plays pro after SU.
 

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