Red opens up about new Syracuse players:

[RF2044]

I think it’s unlikely we’ll have a losing record.

I think the team wide talent increase is too significant for that.

1-10 on the team is all viable P4 players. Last season, even before everything going wrong, we really could only say that about 6 guys, and two of them were already injured, and none were a point guard.

Last year, we had nothing but wishes and hopes we could be good, and that was Westry and McLeod were healthy, Bell was effective and everything else…

If we had severe injuries to three starters before the season starts, we are still likely ahead of last year going into the season!

Barring health issues, I think we’re somewhere between bubble on the low end, and 2 seed in the high end. But I’m an insane optimist who thinks Freeman could be a first team All American.

I also think Red might be able to get more out of Kyle in his last college season than we saw at UCLA.

I appreciate the optimism.

There was a lot of optimism heading into last year, too. People were wildly excited about Westry [who played a handful of minutes. People were excited about the transfers. People were excited about Freeman.

It just didn't work out. No way of knowing whether the sum will be greater than the total of the individual parts until practice begins, verified when we see the product on the field.

But I do think we'll see a healthy dose of optimism [warranted or otherwise] in preseason. Up to the staff to actualize the potential. And that is the biggest unknown of all.

 

[sufan59]

I think it’s unlikely we’ll have a losing record.

I think the team wide talent increase is too significant for that.

1-10 on the team is all viable P4 players. Last season, even before everything going wrong, we really could only say that about 6 guys, and two of them were already injured, and none were a point guard.

Last year, we had nothing but wishes and hopes we could be good, and that was Westry and McLeod were healthy, Bell was effective and everything else…

If we had severe injuries to three starters before the season starts, we are still likely ahead of last year going into the season!

Barring health issues, I think we’re somewhere between bubble on the low end, and 2 seed in the high end. But I’m an insane optimist who thinks Freeman could be a first team All American.

I also think Red might be able to get more out of Kyle in his last college season than we saw at UCLA.

It’s June, it’s the time of year fans should be optimistic, I was last season. But I agree that this does feel like the season we finally turn it around. I also think we have the potential to be a team that is very entertaining offensively that will have a lot of casual college basketball fans tuning in. In addition to having Kiyan which should draw a casual fan crowd.

 

[Niastri]

I appreciate the optimism.

There was a lot of optimism heading into last year, too. People were wildly excited about Westry [who played a handful of minutes. People were excited about the transfers. People were excited about Freeman.

It just didn't work out. No way of knowing whether the sum will be greater than the total of the individual parts until practice begins, verified when we see the product on the field.

But I do think we'll see a healthy dose of optimism [warranted or otherwise] in preseason. Up to the staff to actualize the potential. And that is the biggest unknown of all.

I personally wasn’t excited about any of the non Lampkin transfers. All of my excitement about the team was based on guys that turned out to be injured.

 

[tptcuse]

I like his thoughts on the roster construction, but would really like to hear about the plan to improve defense. Maybe he'll be specifically asked about that when the season gets closer.

It also seems like an additional assistant coach could help develop this roster more quickly, which will be needed with the amount of new players coming in.

 

[50YRsofCuse]

Going with 22 wins, wrong side of the bubble. On-the-job training continues for Red, there will be too many lapses during games for the talent to overcome. Clock management, rotations, in game adjustments, it's asking alot.

his first wouldve easily gotten into the tourney with edwards...but agreed about year 2 ...that was shambolic

Do you remember that someone in the Edwards family was gaming Syracuse; going back two maybe more times with better NIL offers for Syracuse to Match?

Do you remember Jesse got injured that year while playing for West Virginia? I do not remember how many games he missed but he missed a few.

Your comment is theoretically sound but it has to take in account in the physical and mental health of the player. Based on the above questions, both health concerns have to be considered. If everything was perfect then your statement would be correct.

 

[CardiacCuse]

Do you remember that someone in the Edwards family was gaming Syracuse; going back two maybe more times with better NIL offers for Syracuse to Match?

Do you remember Jesse got injured that year while playing for West Virginia? I do not remember how many games he missed but he missed a few.

Your comment is theoretically sound but it has to take in account in the physical and mental health of the player. Based on the above questions, both health concerns have to be considered. If everything was perfect then your statement would be correct.

injuires are one thing...but that roster was a tournament caliber roster with edwards 100% (jesse did play 23 games that year fwiw)

if I had to remind you: benny and justin taylor played PF that year...instead of maliq brown (people fell in love with brown but he really wasnt a good defensive center)...imagine sliding maliq to pf and jesse at center...and actually being able to have a good defense...instead of a horror show

and if thats not enough to convince you = jesse also made his NBA debut this year...

that 20-12 team easily gets a few more wins with an NBA-caliber center starting imo...

OTOH of the first 23 games that year that were losses, almost all were extreme blowout losses...so there is that

 

[Nicknack]

injuires are one thing...but that roster was a tournament caliber roster with edwards 100% (jesse did play 23 games that year fwiw)

if I had to remind you: benny and justin taylor played PF that year...instead of maliq brown (people fell in love with brown but he really wasnt a good defensive center)...imagine sliding maliq to pf and jesse at center...and actually being able to have a good defense...instead of a horror show

and if thats not enough to convince you = jesse also made his NBA debut this year...

that 20-12 team easily gets a few more wins with an NBA-caliber center starting imo...

OTOH of the first 23 games that year that were losses, almost all were extreme blowout losses...so there is that

Agree completely.

Also, Jesse would have helped Judah be a much better PG as well. Mintz could have stacked assists with a center like Jesse down low. Probably would have also helped him be less selfish with the ball.

That team really could have been pretty decent.

 

[jsshap]

I like his thoughts on the roster construction, but would really like to hear about the plan to improve defense. Maybe he'll be specifically asked about that when the season gets closer.

It also seems like an additional assistant coach could help develop this roster more quickly, which will be needed with the amount of new players coming in.

I'm not defending Autry but isn't the plan just what he said. Bigger more athletic guys that are quick on the hop and quicker to the ball. Yes there is "teaching defense" but thats white noise without stud athletes throughout rotation

 

[Orange315]

I just want to see Freeman and White on the floor together as part of the normal rotation. This should be one of our better forward combos in a long time.

 

[hoopsupstate]

I just want to see Freeman and White on the floor together as part of the normal rotation. This should be one of our better forward combos in a long time.

If that’s the case, one of them is playing center. Neither can play the three. White is not physically strong enough to last at the five. He’s going to struggle playing against strong power forwards.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Probably won't be popular, but I think White is a year away. He might be the 9th man on this team. I kind of think Kiyan and Fennell are ahead of him in the rotation. Betsey will take a lot of White's perspective minutes.

Kyle
Freeman
Kingz
JJ
George

Betsey
Kiyan
Fennell
White
Souare
Womack
Diawara
Zephir

 

[grepal]

I am always optimistic. I hope Red can get this group to play great D. For the record. I still miss Q.

 

[RedtheGOB]

I just want to see Freeman and White on the floor together as part of the normal rotation. This should be one of our better forward combos in a long time.

Underrated and overlooked post early on a Tuesday. The rebounding potential is huge this year. One thing that I noticed in last year's ACC play was just how the rebounding was hit or miss on so many normally tough ACC teams, it seems to be something that alot of teams are not interested in focusing on.

Eddie was the 2nd best rebounder in the ACC, Cuse overall was 4th in rebounding margin and that's with our mess in the backcourt with undersized guards and Bell who was allergic to rebounding. If Freeman stayed healthy and played the same # of mins as a true top of the league player he would've been at the top of the league in rebounding.

People want to worry about the offense but extending possessions with boards especially offensive will make the difference especially with more shooters on the floor.

Kline is a Knicks guy and if anyone wasn't paying attention this year and the playoffs they lived and died on solid point guard play and alot of second chance points from rebounding.

 

[Orangezoo]

Probably won't be popular, but I think White is a year away. He might be the 9th man on this team. I kind of think Kiyan and Fennell are ahead of him in the rotation. Betsey will take a lot of White's perspective minutes.

Kyle
Freeman
Kingz
JJ
George

Betsey
Kiyan
Fennell
White
Souare
Womack
Diawara
Zephir

His game is centered around defense and elite athleticism along with finishing on the offensive glass and around the rim which in many ways is redundant with both new Centers and where their strengths are with both having more experience.

If he is on the floor for an extended period with Kyle or Souare we definitely would be very limited offensively with fewer capable shooters/scorers on the floor. It will be interesting to see it play out and who steps up , like if someone like Betsey does.

Betsey has his flaws but based on experience at Cincy and what he brings skillset wise he probably is well suited to surprise in what he can bring to the table.

 

[Hopkins16]

We’ve got talent but do we have a coach?

We are about to find out. It’s do or die for Red. No excuses for not making major improvements in all aspects this upcoming season.

 

[cuseincincy]

Well there are 3 centers now on the roster with the developmental add. The roster excuses for Red are non existent now. Time to get them organized, ready and start looking like the program standard they preach or we move in a different direction from Red.

Naheem McCloud
Mounir HIma
Peter Carey
William Patterson

Maliq Brown ended up starting most games at center. It's about quality, not quantity. Now, I would say Kyle should be superior to McCloud, Soare more athletic than Hima and they should both hopefully be healthier than McCloud and Hima. And it won't take much for Diawara to exceed Carey and Patterson's contributions. Just being 240 lbs likely does it. Red's roster excuses rarely pop up pre-season. Though PG last year should have.

 

[kingtidge]

Going with 22 wins, wrong side of the bubble. On-the-job training continues for Red, there will be too many lapses during games for the talent to overcome. Clock management, rotations, in game adjustments, it's asking alot.

Then it will be time to stop asking and move on.

Glad to hear that Autry believes he's got his guys. However, hard to believe that we really got all the players they sought. Really? At Center?? I think the staff did a good job in the portal but it didn't seem that every spot was filled as hoped.

It seems that a lot on here think Kyle is a real-deal starting center and that Souare will be an effective back-up.

I certainly hope that is the case, but that's what it is IMO - hope. Neither are proven P4 starters so we will have to wait and see.

Center position is the biggest question mark on the roster construction for me at the moment.

 

[Niastri]

His game is centered around defense and elite athleticism along with finishing on the offensive glass and around the rim which in many ways is redundant with both new Centers and where their strengths are with both having more experience.

If he is on the floor for an extended period with Kyle or Souare we definitely would be very limited offensively with fewer capable shooters/scorers on the floor. It will be interesting to see it play out and who steps up , like if someone like Betsey does.

Betsey has his flaws but based on experience at Cincy and what he brings skillset wise he probably is well suited to surprise in what he can bring to the table.

I’m thinking a lot about Betsey and what he might bring to the table. Highly recruited, really great physical characteristics, but hasn’t produced much as of yet. But, he played a season at Cincinnati, averaging 11 minutes a game in the Big 12, a much better conference than the ACC last season.

His highlights show glimpses of a really good player, but his stats, especially his advanced stats, weren’t very good. A lot of Betsey’s upside is stuck in projection.

He might be really primed for a sophomore leap. A lineup of Freeman, Betsey, Kingz/Starling and George, with whatever big man playing dunker, could evolve into a really dangerous offensive lineup.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[CardiacCuse]

I’m thinking a lot about Betsey and what he might bring to the table. Highly recruited, really great physical characteristics, but hasn’t produced much as of yet. But, he played a season at Cincinnati, averaging 11 minutes a game in the Big 12, a much better conference than the ACC last season.

His highlights show glimpses of a really good player, but his stats, especially his advanced stats, weren’t very good. A lot of Betsey’s upside is stuck in projection.

He might be really primed for a sophomore leap. A lineup of Freeman, Betsey, Kingz/Starling and George, with whatever big man playing dunker, could evolve into a really dangerous offensive lineup.

this could be a really deep team depending on how some of the players show up...whihc, in theory, will be great

but that could also be a double-edged sword...a deep roster is more difficult to manage

when the rotation is only 7 or so...the substitutions make themselves practically

when you have options its much easier to make the wrong move...and red hasnt shown that rotations and sub patterns is a strength, thus far

anoter worry is that red might shorten the rotation just to simplify things and end up benching a useful/valuabel contributor...furthermore, in the portal era...a coach is almost forced to play players to keep them around if they show any promise...its not easy

 

[cuseincincy]

I’m thinking a lot about Betsey and what he might bring to the table. Highly recruited, really great physical characteristics, but hasn’t produced much as of yet. But, he played a season at Cincinnati, averaging 11 minutes a game in the Big 12, a much better conference than the ACC last season.

His highlights show glimpses of a really good player, but his stats, especially his advanced stats, weren’t very good. A lot of Betsey’s upside is stuck in projection.

He might be really primed for a sophomore leap. A lineup of Freeman, Betsey, Kingz/Starling and George, with whatever big man playing dunker, could evolve into a really dangerous offensive lineup.

I would guess we will see Betsey, Freeman and White on the floor together a great deal. I also envision Freeman, White and 3 guards (incl Kingz/Anthony) a great deal. I like a good 5 man that can play defense and post up. But Houston only had 2 players on their roster 6'9" or taller. Neither played. SU has enough size at non-center positions and hopefully they are talented enough that Red can get the best players on the court together and if a true center is one of them so be it.

 

[cusefan88]

I think you'll see them try and run more full-court press. White, Souare, and Betsey are all lengthy athletic frontcourt players. Could provide an interest spark off the bench.

 

[Niastri]

I think you'll see them try and run more full-court press. White, Souare, and Betsey are all lengthy athletic frontcourt players. Could provide an interest spark off the bench.

Throw Fennell and Starling out there while we’re at it. Call it “The 4 Minutes of Hell” lineup.

Whenever George is on the bench, you might as well speed up the opponents and make them really uncomfortable.

 

[Grbac]

I’m really excited to see Kingz, JJ, and George. All three are capable scorers and are known to get hot at times. They can make plays and get others involved.
Freeman is someone who can take over a game. Not many can guard with his size, athleticism, and ability to score at all levels.
Kyle is such a sleeper. An uber athlete that is good at defense and can jump over the rim.
We have a really nice roster that is definitely tournament worthy on paper. Maybe im biased but I think preseason top 25 with all the talent. I haven’t even discussed the freshman class.

 

[McCuse]

Then it will be time to stop asking and move on.



It seems that a lot on here think Kyle is a real-deal starting center and that Souare will be an effective back-up.

I certainly hope that is the case, but that's what it is IMO - hope. Neither are proven P4 starters so we will have to wait and see.

Center position is the biggest question mark on the roster construction for me at the moment.

Kyle looks very athletic in recent video. He can jump out of the gym. I liked hearing when we first got him that he said he has a lot to prove and that he's going to be playing with a chip on his shoulder. The team should be able to run aggressively with him at the 5. Let's hope!