Our team will be playing our other team on weds

[CardiacCuse]

Where we will be solid and reliable in my opinion is the backcourt - Girard, Mintz and Sy (no worries there). Front court will be problematic being that Jesse is the only guy we know to be reliable. The biggest unknown and the one guy for us to be a real force is Benny. If he makes the leap, we are a team to be reckoned with. Bol and the transfer center must be serviceable as backups. The freshman forwards are the big unknowns and we should have made sure to get a forward from the portal.

Again, Benny is the key and the main factor as to whether the team will be successful with the help of a solid center and backcourt. On his off nights, the guards must step up and an occasional meaningful big game from anyone else will be helpful.

based on the comments of BA...they were kinda quiet on Benny..

when i clicked on the article...I was hoping they would be gushing over benny...

hopefully he can make a leap...still a long ways off until the season starts

 

[Orangezoo]

yeah...certainly not my ideal scenario, but think it will help us enjoy the season more if we aren't looking at the Top 25 wishing we were there. Long term, obviously, we'd like to get back to where we are and changes will need to be made. For as long as JB remains, this is the best case reality

This year is going to force JBs hand to expand the circle of trust. It's Joe Symir and Jesse right now. Judah likely next in line. After that who are the next 2/3 guys? I hope that being an open question naturally prevents the stagnant struggles we have dealt with in our recent non NCAA years.
Also I'm fine with a 7 or 10 seed too.

 

[Hopkins16]

based on the comments of BA...they were kinda quiet on Benny..

when i clicked on the article...I was hoping they would be gushing over benny...

hopefully he can make a leap...still a long ways off until the season starts

Benny reminds me of Roberson... very nice guy with a lot of talent but either lacks confidence or is unsure of himself, and lack a high basketball IQ. I would be fine if we could boost his confidence - the high IQ is needed and better off with the ball handlers/decision makers.

Some players need a cuddly coach who calmly points out their mistakes and keep encouraging them through mistakes, but that ain't Jim.

 

[OmahaCuse]

Benny reminds me of Roberson... very nice guy with a lot of talent but either lacks confidence or is unsure of himself, and lack a high basketball IQ. I would be fine if we could boost his confidence - the high IQ is needed and better off with the ball handlers/decision makers.

Some players need a cuddly coach who calmly points out their mistakes and keep encouraging them through mistakes, but that ain't Jim.

If we can get Benny out in transition, dunks and layups it helps. Easy baskets soemthing we could not get with Cole, Jimmy or Buddy. We need PGs who can drive and can run in transition.

 

[two3zone]

Benny reminds me of Roberson... very nice guy with a lot of talent but either lacks confidence or is unsure of himself, and lack a high basketball IQ. I would be fine if we could boost his confidence - the high IQ is needed and better off with the ball handlers/decision makers.

Some players need a cuddly coach who calmly points out their mistakes and keep encouraging them through mistakes, but that ain't Jim.

Roberson dropped 14 and 20 on Duke, if his confidence wasn’t there it was for other reasons. He dominated high school and showed flashes here, one constant thought was being the whipping boy after every game to the media.

 

[Hopkins16]

If we can get Benny out in transition, dunks and layups it helps. Easy baskets soemthing we could not get with Cole, Jimmy or Buddy. We need PGs who can drive and can run in transition.

Yes, a flier and lane filler like Benny would thrive in transition and a fast paced game. Getting easy baskets helps with confidence in the half court game.

 

[orangemass]

Copeland slow footed from what I’ve seen and heard. Lazy defender, but that can obviously change… can’t seem him playing this yr unless an injury occurs… however, like the pressing idea

Laz sims?

 

[Cuse_NYC]

Sure, we could also name every guy who looks kind of like Bunch that didn't work out, but I prefer to be optimistic, Negative Nancy.

Being realistic…

 

[kcsu]

He is bigger but other than rebounds(hopefully) he is a very similar player. Hard working, streak shooter and physical balls to the wall kind of player.

The legend of the coon dog will live forever

 

[Orangezoo]

The legend of the coon dog will live forever

As it should

 

[MikeSU02]

Where we will be solid and reliable in my opinion is the backcourt - Girard, Mintz and Sy (no worries there). Front court will be problematic being that Jesse is the only guy we know to be reliable. The biggest unknown and the one guy for us to be a real force is Benny. If he makes the leap, we are a team to be reckoned with. Bol and the transfer center must be serviceable as backups. The freshman forwards are the big unknowns and we should have made sure to get a forward from the portal.

Again, Benny is the key and the main factor as to whether the team will be successful with the help of a solid center and backcourt. On his off nights, the guards must step up and an occasional meaningful big game from anyone else will be helpful.

Until I see those three play legit D, I’m not banking on them being a lock for reliability.

That’s across the board outside of Jesse. No one besides him, from last year’s team or new, is getting a pass from me for D until they’re showing out in a game on that end of the floor.

 

[sutomcat]

Until I see those three play legit D, I’m not banking on them being a lock for reliability.

That’s across the board outside of Jesse. No one besides him, from last year’s team or new, is getting a pass from me for D until they’re showing out in a game on that end of the floor.

Thought Symir was our best guard defensively last year. Faint praise but I think it is clear he is a better athlete and can do things our other guards could not do last year. Look at what he did in the Duke game in the ACC tournament.

He should be an above average player defensively. And I think he could be above average playing zone or man.

Mintz got a lot of praise from people in the know for his defense for Oak Hill. He has the ability to pressure the ball extended far from the basket; a key element you need to play man effectively.

There has been talk about SU possibly playing some man on and off for decades. If Mintz is the defender some think, hey, it might just happen. Even if only for short periods.

Anyway, I agree you can't bank on frosh playing good defense but Mintz might be a guy who is good defensively from day one. I hope so because we need him to be good on both sides of the court right away.

Edwards should be really good defensively. Just needs to learn to stay out of foul trouble better. The upgrades defensively at other positions should help here; guys got to the basket way too easily against some of our slow footed players last year and Jesse was left trying to defend his man and the guy with the ball too many times.

I expect Hima will be an upgrade over Anselem defensively at center. Frank was not a shot blocker. That is important for our defense.

I think at forward, we have a similar situation to guard, where Benny is going to be an upgrade over the guys we had at forward last year. Not sure he will be great but he is faster and more athletic and he has been around long enough that he should be pretty solid.

I think the other forward is probably going to be a mix of Symir, Taylor and Bunch. Maybe some Brown or Carey (would love it if Carey is ready to help at PF).

I think Symir will be good against lesser teams but his lack of height will hurt us against good teams. Someone needs to step up here and it is very possible we will have someone who is a major liability on defense playing the other forward spot.

I will say this: whoever turns out to be the best defender of all the other forward candidates will likely be the one playing the most minutes. Very concerned over this position, and who the backup forward is going to be.

 

[Orangezoo]

Thought Symir was our best guard defensively last year. Faint praise but I think it is clear he is a better athlete and can do things our other guards could not do last year. Look at what he did in the Duke game in the ACC tournament.

He should be an above average player defensively. And I think he could be above average playing zone or man.

Mintz got a lot of praise from people in the know for his defense for Oak Hill. He has the ability to pressure the ball extended far from the basket; a key element you need to play man effectively.

There has been talk about SU possibly playing some man on and off for decades. If Mintz is the defender some think, hey, it might just happen. Even if only for short periods.

Anyway, I agree you can't bank on frosh playing good defense but Mintz might be a guy who is good defensively from day one. I hope so because we need him to be good on both sides of the court right away.

Edwards should be really good defensively. Just needs to learn to stay out of foul trouble better. The upgrades defensively at other positions should help here; guys got to the basket way too easily against some of our slow footed players last year and Jesse was left trying to defend his man and the guy with the ball too many times.

I expect Hima will be an upgrade over Anselem defensively at center. Frank was not a shot blocker. That is important for our defense.

I think at forward, we have a similar situation to guard, where Benny is going to be an upgrade over the guys we had at forward last year. Not sure he will be great but he is faster and more athletic and he has been around long enough that he should be pretty solid.

I think the other forward is probably going to be a mix of Symir, Taylor and Bunch. Maybe some Brown or Carey (would love it if Carey is ready to help at PF).

I think Symir will be good against lesser teams but his lack of height will hurt us against good teams. Someone needs to step up here and it is very possible we will have someone who is a major liability on defense playing the other forward spot.

I will say this: whoever turns out to be the best defender of all the other forward candidates will likely be the one playing the most minutes. Very concerned over this position, and who the backup forward is going to be.

Agree with all. Will be curious on Hima. Also Benny needs to be the guy he was vs Duke. He had a great game relatively speaking but nothing special about it just a solid game you would hope for from the highest rated frontcourt recruit on the team.

 

[Niastri]

Thought Symir was our best guard defensively last year. Faint praise but I think it is clear he is a better athlete and can do things our other guards could not do last year. Look at what he did in the Duke game in the ACC tournament.

He should be an above average player defensively. And I think he could be above average playing zone or man.

Mintz got a lot of praise from people in the know for his defense for Oak Hill. He has the ability to pressure the ball extended far from the basket; a key element you need to play man effectively.

There has been talk about SU possibly playing some man on and off for decades. If Mintz is the defender some think, hey, it might just happen. Even if only for short periods.

Anyway, I agree you can't bank on frosh playing good defense but Mintz might be a guy who is good defensively from day one. I hope so because we need him to be good on both sides of the court right away.

Edwards should be really good defensively. Just needs to learn to stay out of foul trouble better. The upgrades defensively at other positions should help here; guys got to the basket way too easily against some of our slow footed players last year and Jesse was left trying to defend his man and the guy with the ball too many times.

I expect Hima will be an upgrade over Anselem defensively at center. Frank was not a shot blocker. That is important for our defense.

I think at forward, we have a similar situation to guard, where Benny is going to be an upgrade over the guys we had at forward last year. Not sure he will be great but he is faster and more athletic and he has been around long enough that he should be pretty solid.

I think the other forward is probably going to be a mix of Symir, Taylor and Bunch. Maybe some Brown or Carey (would love it if Carey is ready to help at PF).

I think Symir will be good against lesser teams but his lack of height will hurt us against good teams. Someone needs to step up here and it is very possible we will have someone who is a major liability on defense playing the other forward spot.

I will say this: whoever turns out to be the best defender of all the other forward candidates will likely be the one playing the most minutes. Very concerned over this position, and who the backup forward is going to be.

Nice post.

One quibble, though. We are spoiled to the point where we think a 6'3" 195lbs guy is "small" even at PG. Torrence has plenty of size if he can do everything else we need him to do.

I'm more worried about Mintz being so slender. He might be wearing down by mid season of he plays typical Syracuse starter minutes. I'm really hoping for more of an even split between our lead guards, say Girard 31 Mintz 27 and Torrence 22, plus whatever extra minutes we get for overtime.

The biggest concern is if we can score without all of Mintz, Girard and Edwards on the court. As frequently stated here, so much depends on the forwards. Torrence might be unplayable if we lack forwards who can hit a three. Unless GMAC suddenly proves his "shot doctor" prowess and Torrence comes back a deadeye.

 

[jdubs30]

Thought Symir was our best guard defensively last year. Faint praise but I think it is clear he is a better athlete and can do things our other guards could not do last year. Look at what he did in the Duke game in the ACC tournament.

He should be an above average player defensively. And I think he could be above average playing zone or man.

Mintz got a lot of praise from people in the know for his defense for Oak Hill. He has the ability to pressure the ball extended far from the basket; a key element you need to play man effectively.

There has been talk about SU possibly playing some man on and off for decades. If Mintz is the defender some think, hey, it might just happen. Even if only for short periods.

Anyway, I agree you can't bank on frosh playing good defense but Mintz might be a guy who is good defensively from day one. I hope so because we need him to be good on both sides of the court right away.

Edwards should be really good defensively. Just needs to learn to stay out of foul trouble better. The upgrades defensively at other positions should help here; guys got to the basket way too easily against some of our slow footed players last year and Jesse was left trying to defend his man and the guy with the ball too many times.

I expect Hima will be an upgrade over Anselem defensively at center. Frank was not a shot blocker. That is important for our defense.

I think at forward, we have a similar situation to guard, where Benny is going to be an upgrade over the guys we had at forward last year. Not sure he will be great but he is faster and more athletic and he has been around long enough that he should be pretty solid.

I think the other forward is probably going to be a mix of Symir, Taylor and Bunch. Maybe some Brown or Carey (would love it if Carey is ready to help at PF).

I think Symir will be good against lesser teams but his lack of height will hurt us against good teams. Someone needs to step up here and it is very possible we will have someone who is a major liability on defense playing the other forward spot.

I will say this: whoever turns out to be the best defender of all the other forward candidates will likely be the one playing the most minutes. Very concerned over this position, and who the backup forward is going to be.

I am actually expecting a pretty big leap from Benny this year defensively (not so much offensively). You saw signs last year of the crazy athleticism. I think he’ll play more free this year which will lead to him being more aggressive. He’s a smart kid and we see this often kids making a massive jump defensively after their 2nd summer. I’m way less optimistic on his offense, but I think he’ll be good on the offensive glass. I believe his defense will get him over 30mpg this year

 

[Niastri]

I am actually expecting a pretty big leap from Benny this year defensively (not so much offensively). You saw signs last year of the crazy athleticism. I think he’ll play more free this year which will lead to him being more aggressive. He’s a smart kid and we see this often kids making a massive jump defensively after their 2nd summer. I’m way less optimistic on his offense, but I think he’ll be good on the offensive glass. I believe his defense will get him over 30mpg this year

I agree we will see a lot more minutes and production out of Williams this year... The other forward and backup positions are going to be a competition between Bunch, Taylor and Brown (in order of my expectation of who plays the most minutes).

 

[Sbucketball]

Nice post.

One quibble, though. We are spoiled to the point where we think a 6'3" 195lbs guy is "small" even at PG. Torrence has plenty of size if he can do everything else we need him to do.

I'm more worried about Mintz being so slender. He might be wearing down by mid season of he plays typical Syracuse starter minutes. I'm really hoping for more of an even split between our lead guards, say Girard 31 Mintz 27 and Torrence 22, plus whatever extra minutes we get for overtime.

The biggest concern is if we can score without all of Mintz, Girard and Edwards on the court. As frequently stated here, so much depends on the forwards. Torrence might be unplayable if we lack forwards who can hit a three. Unless GMAC suddenly proves his "shot doctor" prowess and Torrence comes back a deadeye.

Sometimes we (including me) forget that Symir was a consensus Top 100 recruit with some sites having him in the Top 75. He was billed as a guy with NBA potential. It would not be shocking if he steps up in a big way this year. He struggled at finishing last year, but I never thought he was a bad finisher - just struggled so far in college for whatever reason. He's been putting up a lot of shots this summer. There's a chance we see a totally new and improved Sy.

If Sy can shoot and otherwise score, that makes a massive difference -- having 3 scoring guards. But I agree that if he can't score this year, and can't hit 3s, that might make it tough to play Sy with our forwards, perhaps especially Benny.

 

[MikeSU02]

Sometimes we (including me) forget that Symir was a consensus Top 100 recruit with some sites having him in the Top 75. He was billed as a guy with NBA potential. It would not be shocking if he steps up in a big way this year. He struggled at finishing last year, but I never thought he was a bad finisher - just struggled so far in college for whatever reason. He's been putting up a lot of shots this summer. There's a chance we see a totally new and improved Sy.

If Sy can shoot and otherwise score, that makes a massive difference -- having 3 scoring guards. But I agree that if he can't score this year, and can't hit 3s, that might make it tough to play Sy with our forwards, perhaps especially Benny.

Gave you like, but going to disagree.

I would be absolutely stunned if Sy made a huge leap this year. Stunned.

In no way do I think he's going to be able to shoot. I think he is strong, quick, can get to the rim... I think he can level up a bit on D with his strength and athleticism, but I think he is pretty limited. To your point, the finishing has to get better.

I like Sy. I do. If he was the fourth guard in a four guard rotation, I'd say we probably have him right where we need him in terms of a strong Syracuse squad.

 

[sutomcat]

Nice post.

One quibble, though. We are spoiled to the point where we think a 6'3" 195lbs guy is "small" even at PG. Torrence has plenty of size if he can do everything else we need him to do.

I'm more worried about Mintz being so slender. He might be wearing down by mid season of he plays typical Syracuse starter minutes. I'm really hoping for more of an even split between our lead guards, say Girard 31 Mintz 27 and Torrence 22, plus whatever extra minutes we get for overtime.

The biggest concern is if we can score without all of Mintz, Girard and Edwards on the court. As frequently stated here, so much depends on the forwards. Torrence might be unplayable if we lack forwards who can hit a three. Unless GMAC suddenly proves his "shot doctor" prowess and Torrence comes back a deadeye.

When I was talking about Symir being small, it was regarding him playing forward, which I assume is going to happen some this year.

It might not happen at all. I think there are going to be a bunch of people who will get PT at the other forward position, and one will be Sy.

As of right now, I am thinking Taylor is going to get most of the playing time at the other forward position. But there are a lot of players in the mix and I would not be surprised to see any of them emerge as the guy.

JB is probably going to play a bunch of guys for a while and pick 2 to split most of the PT at forward with Benny. Taylor and Bunch? They seem like the most likely candidates.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

When I was talking about Symir being small, it was regarding him playing forward, which I assume is going to happen some this year.

It might not happen at all. I think there are going to be a bunch of people who will get PT at the other forward position, and one will be Sy.

As of right now, I am thinking Taylor is going to get most of the playing time at the other forward position. But there are a lot of players in the mix and I would not be surprised to see any of them emerge as the guy.

JB is probably going to play a bunch of guys for a while and pick 2 to split most of the PT at forward with Benny. Taylor and Bunch? They seem like the most likely candidates.

The only path to competitiveness (ie not sweating selection Sunday) in my mind is for the defense to improve significantly.

The defense improves significantly by getting better defense at the top of the zone than Buddy provided in his minutes, and by getting better defense out of both forward spots. I think those are realistic things that can happen.

But if we play a three guard lineup of Joe, Mintz, and Sy, AND stick with the 2-3, the defense goes out the window, meaning we're not competitive, UNLESS the third guard is Copeland who has the size for a point forward and hopefully also has the ability to be a defensive terror at forward when matched with any 2 of the other guards.

 

[Orangezoo]

The only path to competitiveness (ie not sweating selection Sunday) in my mind is for the defense to improve significantly.

The defense improves significantly by getting better defense at the top of the zone than Buddy provided in his minutes, and by getting better defense out of both forward spots. I think those are realistic things that can happen.

But if we play a three guard lineup of Joe, Mintz, and Sy, AND stick with the 2-3, the defense goes out the window, meaning we're not competitive, UNLESS the third guard is Copeland who has the size for a point forward and hopefully also has the ability to be a defensive terror at forward when matched with any 2 of the other guards.

Yeah 3gs has to be with playing mtm...

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Yeah 3gs has to be with playing mtm...

Yup.

And let's say I have doubts about both whether we'll do that, and how it would go.

 

[MikeSU02]

The only path to competitiveness (ie not sweating selection Sunday) in my mind is for the defense to improve significantly.

The defense improves significantly by getting better defense at the top of the zone than Buddy provided in his minutes, and by getting better defense out of both forward spots. I think those are realistic things that can happen.

But if we play a three guard lineup of Joe, Mintz, and Sy, AND stick with the 2-3, the defense goes out the window, meaning we're not competitive, UNLESS the third guard is Copeland who has the size for a point forward and hopefully also has the ability to be a defensive terror at forward when matched with any 2 of the other guards.

My worry with any three guard lineup and playing zone besides the obvious with boards, close outs, ability to contest big wings, is how much pressure that's going to put on Jesse. Jesse has to get better at not fouling so much, but a big part of that was how bad everyone else was on D last year and how much pressure that applied on him.

Also, three guards playing at the same time is playing our whole guard rotation (unless Taylor is bumping to the 2 at times).

If Jesse or one of our guards (again, not counting Taylor at the moment) gets hurt, we are in a very very very bad spot.

 

[Orangezoo]

Yup.

And let's say I have doubts about both whether we'll do that, and how it would go.

I suspect the former is more doubtful thus eliminating the topic as a whole

 

[djcon57]

I am actually expecting a pretty big leap from Benny this year defensively (not so much offensively). You saw signs last year of the crazy athleticism. I think he’ll play more free this year which will lead to him being more aggressive. He’s a smart kid and we see this often kids making a massive jump defensively after their 2nd summer. I’m way less optimistic on his offense, but I think he’ll be good on the offensive glass. I believe his defense will get him over 30mpg this year

Yeah I think this has to be what we hope for. Lots of Benny's issues defensively were being hideously out of position and thinking too much. These can be fixed vs having guys that just cant get quicker or grow overnight.