Naheem McLeod Transferring to Syracuse (5/15/23)

[Orangezoo]

Will he be the tallest player in SU basketball history? Chewy was 7'2".

I think so.. cat rescuer wasn't even 7-4..

 

[Orangezoo]

 

[50YRsofCuse]

who would prefer the staff sign in his stead? or would you prefer to leave the schollie unused?

If Judah Mintz returns, leave the one remaining scholarship open and use it for one of the two incoming 2024 players.

If Judah Mintz does not return, use one of the two remaining scholarship for a strong point guard candidate like Ty-Laur Johnson. Otherwise if you can’t get him or someone like him, leave both scholarships open for the next year.

Like to see Red have an pressing defensive strategy and make use of the entire 11 scholarship players he has on board right now.

 

[Orangezoo]

Will Chukwu be tallest in Syracuse basketball history?

As soon as Paschal Chukwu takes the floor for Syracuse he'll own at least one SU record.

www.syracuse.com

From and older article before Jesse and company.

With Naheem you now have him at 7-4, a 7-2 Patterson, 6-11 Carey( some have said he is 7ft) and 6-11 Hima on the roster.

 

[RF2044]

Will Chukwu be tallest in Syracuse basketball history?

As soon as Paschal Chukwu takes the floor for Syracuse he'll own at least one SU record.

www.syracuse.com

From and older article before Jesse and company.

With Naheem you now have him at 7-4, a 7-2 Patterson, 6-11 Carey( some have said he is 7ft) and 6-11 Hima on the roster.

#airportimpressive

 

[Ringostar57]

I like McLeod. Young man has a plan. Sees beyond tomorrow. And, I love Autry's approach and interest in his players.

 

[DoctorBombay]

How about Dunkin McLOUD?

Runs/moves well for a big dude.

 

[CardiacCuse]

If Judah Mintz returns, leave the one remaining scholarship open and use it for one of the two incoming 2024 players.

If Judah Mintz does not return, use one of the two remaining scholarship for a strong point guard candidate like Ty-Laur Johnson. Otherwise if you can’t get him or someone like him, leave both scholarships open for the next year.

Like to see Red have an pressing defensive strategy and make use of the entire 11 scholarship players he has on board right now.

interesting idea. In the era of portal and transfer madness, I dont see the point of not picking up a senior or grad transfer with open schollies.

but I get the idea of not creating a log jam of young players all the same age.

still, having 4 centers battle it out for minutes and letting the spoils go to the victor seems better than leaving roster spots open.

look what happened when jess got injured 2 years ago...the season was OVER. injuries happen and you need depth. I am strongly against leaving any schollie unused.

BUT I prefer using them on vets and grad transfers wherever possible...to clear the way for new recruits and also to bring some experience for this young roster. I'm surprised they havent really brought in anyone with a track record i.e. senior/grad transfer...i figured that would be the obvious strategy with such a young team and wanting to make a splash in 2024 25 with recruiting.

 

[kcsu]

Im naming him Hoss

 

[SP_Gilbs]

I know its been speculated here but not sure we've heard it directly from the coaches until now. Sounds like Maliq will definitely be getting some time at the 5.

 

[orangefog]

I know its been speculated here but not sure we've heard it directly from the coaches until now. Sounds like Maliq will definitely be getting some time at the 5.

I’m glad we got confirmation that Red is not losing his mind.

 

[cusefan88]

Would love to see Brown get 5-10mins at Center and another 10-12 backing up Benny at PF.

 

[DoctorBombay]

Would love to see Brown get 5-10mins at Center and another 10-12 backing up Benny at PF.

Would rather not see Benny too much at the 4 position. He's not Jason Tatum, and granted he'll need to develop a jumper and handle...and we hope he does, but his skill set is much better aligned to a 3 than a 4.

 

[Orangezoo]

I know its been speculated here but not sure we've heard it directly from the coaches until now. Sounds like Maliq will definitely be getting some time at the 5.

Good stuff. I'll just add since some may ask... Mcleod has committed but not signed thus I believe Griff is unable to discuss him yet.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Would rather not see Benny too much at the 4 position. He's not Jason Tatum, and granted he'll need to develop a jumper and handle...and we hope he does, but his skill set is much better aligned to a 3 than a 4.

He can’t handle the ball well enough to play the 3.

 

[50YRsofCuse]

interesting idea. In the era of portal and transfer madness, I dont see the point of not picking up a senior or grad transfer with open schollies.

but I get the idea of not creating a log jam of young players all the same age.

still, having 4 centers battle it out for minutes and letting the spoils go to the victor seems better than leaving roster spots open.

look what happened when jess got injured 2 years ago...the season was OVER. injuries happen and you need depth. I am strongly against leaving any schollie unused.

BUT I prefer using them on vets and grad transfers wherever possible...to clear the way for new recruits and also to bring some experience for this young roster. I'm surprised they havent really brought in anyone with a track record i.e. senior/grad transfer...i figured that would be the obvious strategy with such a young team and wanting to make a splash in 2024 25 with recruiting.

All valid points.

I lean toward using every player and run a continuous motion offensive and defensive strategy. Use a zone defense to protect a key player in foul trouble. Otherwise go all out. Work the ball to the open player for a good shot and send 4 players to the boards.

Feel that 4 players at the C and maybe one at the PF position as a relief can work unless one player stands out above the rest.

The guard rotation (JJ, Chance, Quadir and JT) will work out nicely and if Judah comes back, the guards will be even more of a strength and JT can help out at the SF position.

At Forward, Chris, Benny, Malik and JT and possibly Carey will be serviceable. Just can’t have stationary people at the 3 waiting for their shots. Need more movement and introduction of plays that produce results. The offense can’t play 3 on 5 with continual success. Get everyone involved.

 

[chugg21]

umm not really imo

starling, for instance, was on acc all-freshman team. is he going to be an all-american next season? not sure. it is possible though. but that isn't a project the way peter carey, patterson or hima are. he's at least proven himself to a certain

there are certain tiers of project. the centers on the roster are all on the lower tier of that spectrum is my point. it should be more staggered. if you have 4 centers - 2 should be ready to start and have experience...not all 4 that have never been a starter etc.

i wasnt trying to say that the other players are proven. they arent. but that is NCAABB in 2023. look around. there arent many proven players anywhere. the second they play slightly well they think they are ready for the NBA - a la Mintz. (who still hasnt proven himself as a NCAA PG, imo)

so there's a difference...thats what I was getting at. the centers are all extreme projects whereas the others are somewhere between reasonbly proven to project as well...

could patterson or carey surprise? i hope so...it isnt out of the realm of possibility. I'm not writing them off.

my point was that it is weird roster construction to have that many totally unproven, no-experience players at the center spot...redundant and unusual and the issue imo

JJ made ACC all-freshman team because of reputation and usage. If he came here and put up the stat line he did there, we would be calling him a huge bust. 11 pts with a negative ast/to ratio and 29% from 3. Appears he was a negative defensively on top of it too.

 

[CardiacCuse]

JJ made ACC all-freshman team because of reputation and usage. If he came here and put up the stat line he did there, we would be calling him a huge bust. 11 pts with a negative ast/to ratio and 29% from 3. Appears he was a negative defensively on top of it too.

okay so you think jj is just as much a project as carey hima and patterson etc...got it.

I disagree.

 

[OrangeDW]

JJ made ACC all-freshman team because of reputation and usage. If he came here and put up the stat line he did there, we would be calling him a huge bust. 11 pts with a negative ast/to ratio and 29% from 3. Appears he was a negative defensively on top of it too.

That’s with the stink of Notre Dame on him though.

In Orange: 14 ppg, 35% from 3, and a positive A/T ratio with solid defense.

Because I want him to, and he kinda has to for us to be any good.

 

[two3zone]

okay so you think jj is just as much a project as carey hima and patterson etc...got it.

I disagree.

I didn’t get that from what he said. JJ didn’t have a great year at all, awards are funny, Rafael Palmero won a gold glove while only playing 15 or so games in the field. Averaging 11 points and doing everything else below average doesn’t deserve an award.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I didn’t get that from what he said. JJ didn’t have a great year at all, awards are funny, Rafael Palmero won a gold glove while only playing 15 or so games in the field. Averaging 11 points and doing everything else below average doesn’t deserve an award.

Tino was robbed!

 

[cuseincincy]

interesting idea. In the era of portal and transfer madness, I dont see the point of not picking up a senior or grad transfer with open schollies.


BUT I prefer using them on vets and grad transfers wherever possible...to clear the way for new recruits and also to bring some experience for this young roster. I'm surprised they havent really brought in anyone with a track record i.e. senior/grad transfer...i figured that would be the obvious strategy with such a young team and wanting to make a splash in 2024 25 with recruiting.

Agree 100%. Two areas I was disappointed w HCJAB was his use of the scholarships. It seemed like our last scholarship got turned into a reward for senior walk-ons. A nice warm fuzzy for the hard work they put in, but it did nothing to better the team. Part of it was not wanting to give the scholarship to someone expecting to stay 4 years that may never contribute. The new rules make that being given to a senior/grad transfer a no brainer with little downside. Speaking of downside, that was my other issue with the roster. It seemed like we did not recruit over players or bring in competition often enough. Admirable respect for the current players but it didn't make the team better. I call this the "Marvin Lewis/Andy Dalton Syndrome." The dumbest statement I ever heard a coach make was Marvin Lewis when asked if the Bengals would bring in another QB. "We don't want Andy to think he's in a competition. We want him to know he's the starter without having to look over his shoulder."

 

[Orangezoo]

Agree 100%. Two areas I was disappointed w HCJAB was his use of the scholarships. It seemed like our last scholarship got turned into a reward for senior walk-ons. A nice warm fuzzy for the hard work they put in, but it did nothing to better the team. Part of it was not wanting to give the scholarship to someone expecting to stay 4 years that may never contribute. The new rules make that being given to a senior/grad transfer a no brainer with little downside. Speaking of downside, that was my other issue with the roster. It seemed like we did not recruit over players or bring in competition often enough. Admirable respect for the current players but it didn't make the team better. I call this the "Marvin Lewis/Andy Dalton Syndrome." The dumbest statement I ever heard a coach make was Marvin Lewis when asked if the Bengals would bring in another QB. "We don't want Andy to think he's in a competition. We want him to know he's the starter without having to look over his shoulder."

You could argue Red has absolutely over recruited. Bringing JJ and Westry when you have JT and Quadir on the roster. Based on interview with Griff- Brown will be right there fighting for minutes at the 5. Based on McLeods interview Red didn't promise him anything giving him the opportunity to play his way up. If Judah leaves and we bring in another talented guard- same thing.

 

[CardiacCuse]

You could argue Red has absolutely over recruited. Bringing JJ and Westry when you have JT and Quadir on the roster. Based on interview with Griff- Brown will be right there fighting for minutes at the 5. Based on McLeods interview Red didn't promise him anything giving him the opportunity to play his way up. If Judah leaves and we bring in another talented guard- same thing.

yeah I agree - I think there's a lot of comp for spots on the court going into next season - and I am surprised at just how many of the players are returning, all things considered...bc there will def be players who don;t play much next year who could have left.

for me, some of the forwards are perhaps better at guard - quadir and justin taylor and benny likes to play on the perimeter - I'm just wondering how they are all going to get minutes - but in the end it will make for a better team. I still would like more size and pwer at the forward position, overall. and the center spot is 4 unproven players - I wish there was a proven center on the roster.

If I had to get 2 more players, I would go PF and trade for a vet C. (but not now that mcleod is on board, I guess)

 

[CardiacCuse]

Agree 100%. Two areas I was disappointed w HCJAB was his use of the scholarships. It seemed like our last scholarship got turned into a reward for senior walk-ons. A nice warm fuzzy for the hard work they put in, but it did nothing to better the team. Part of it was not wanting to give the scholarship to someone expecting to stay 4 years that may never contribute. The new rules make that being given to a senior/grad transfer a no brainer with little downside. Speaking of downside, that was my other issue with the roster. It seemed like we did not recruit over players or bring in competition often enough. Admirable respect for the current players but it didn't make the team better. I call this the "Marvin Lewis/Andy Dalton Syndrome." The dumbest statement I ever heard a coach make was Marvin Lewis when asked if the Bengals would bring in another QB. "We don't want Andy to think he's in a competition. We want him to know he's the starter without having to look over his shoulder."

I mean, he got stuck in his ways...his system got more and more calcified as he aged until it became a bit too much and way too predictable formulaic...

it drove away recruits and it made it easy to gameplan against.

so many aspects of what he did at the end were not competitive and didnt enhance winning...he hung because of his greatness but was definitely swimming against his own stream, in a way...

which was maddening for a long time fan that could see it happening...