Should BJ redshirt?

[2-3zone]

After watching him this week I think a redshirt might be the best thing for him with Fair, Grant and most likely Roberson when he is cleared ahead of him on the depth chart and his body not ready to play big time college basketball why waste a year on the bench when he could redshirt and get his body ready for next year

 

[anomander]

I totally agree. It's definitely not due to lack of talent, but I just don't see where he will get the minutes this season. He is rather young for being a Freshman so why not take a full year to further develop and then come back and be a beast for the next 4 years?

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I think he'll get some run actually.

 

[HoustonCuse]

His father already said there is no way will he voluntarily redshirt. I do fear it could be a frustrating year for him playing time wise though. If Cooney and CJ continue to shoot well there seemingly won't be a high demand for his talents this season.

 

[Orangezoo]

no way- he is a talent and a sweet stroke with good footwork . he will get some run

 

[DNABB5]

future all-ACC players do not redshirt

 

[Libero2]

I can't believe this is even a discussion at this point. #1 BJ can play multiple positions, quite possibly a third if we end up in a terrible pinch he might be a capable ball handler able to help us move up the floor around a press. #2 he (and the other freshman) have only been on campus for what 2-3 weeks? The season is still months out. It's quite possible these guys can develop significantly by the time November rolls around. #3 Bobby (BJs dad) has intimated they are pretty vehemently opposed to a redshirt year unless there is an injury or its perfectly clear he will never play, and even then I kind of got the impression BJ might still rather not redshirt even if he plays 2 mins a game.

The only probable redshirt candidate at this point is probably obokoh because he is trying to get back from an injury and didn't really project to be anything other than a 5, in which we have 3 solid (yet unspectacular) players ahead of him.

 

[senorpalmer]

Forward minutes are going to be very competitive, there's a lot of talent there already. BJ is not going to beat out Fair or Grant for minutes obviously, and Roberson IMO is also going to end up ahead on the depth chart. This doesn't take into account that early on JB appears like he wants to stick with the starting lineup that puts Rak at the 4 (even if he doesn't spend much time at the 4). It just doesn't leave much room for BJ this season. He may have a shot at some backcourt minutes, though that is quite crowded (but less stocked with talent at this time). I'm guessing he doesn't redshirt, but barring injury/suspension (no minor consideration in recent years), his best case scenario for PT is comparable to MCW's freshman year.

 

[pfister1]

BJ will not redshirt. I don't believe he is a 5 year player, so there would be no point in his redshirting.

Not to mention that his Dad has said repeatedly that he will not redshirt and has been told by the coaches that they expect him to be a contributor this season at the 2G, where there is no log jam. Or, at least no log jam of proven players.

I truly believe that BJ is this sesaon's Jerami Grant. He may start off slowly in terms of getting minutes, but as he gets minutes his production is going to force the coaches to continue to give him minutes.

Chino may well redshirt. I don't think we've ever used multiple developmental redshirts.

 

[dasher]

Of course he should red shirt. Classic example of a guy three years from now that we all wish had red shirted his freshman year when he didn't play at all.

 

[pfister1]

Of course he should red shirt. Classic example of a guy three years from now that we all wish had red shirted his freshman year when he didn't play at all.

You haven't really seen him play have you?

 

[RF2044]

Of course he should red shirt. Classic example of a guy three years from now that we all wish had red shirted his freshman year when he didn't play at all.

I agree with that. Love his potential, but he's going to be the 10th man in what is primarily a 9 player rotation, so it will largely be a waste of a year in terms of his PT.

But I expect Chinoso Obokoh to redshirt; can't see us redshirting two players.

 

[RandygoCuse]

His father already said there is no way will he voluntarily redshirt. I do fear it could be a frustrating year for him playing time wise though. If Cooney and CJ continue to shoot well there seemingly won't be a high demand for his talents this season.

I have never seen BJ play. I don't know if he is good enough to play now. I can't say if redshirting will benefit him. However, I feel comfortable saying that the decision whether to redshirt him will be made by Boeheim and not BJs dad.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

No way. Kid will be the 1st guy off the bench if we get zoned and no one is hitting shots. Too much of a shooter to leave on the bench. (Caveat- I have no idea what Roberson brings to the team in terms of offense or shooting.) You can put him at the 2 on defense for now. I think he is a 3, down the road. JB loves do it all 3's. Kid will be a contributor this year. Will likely help us win at least one game. Of the guys who played, I think that Buss could use a year to just slow down, but he was a bit better yesterday.(I know he has a defacto redshirt year already.) Chinoso will obviously be a redshirt.

 

[General20]

In my opinion Johnson is the biggest wild card as far as playing time goes. All three of our bigs will get a chance to produce at the 5. Grant, Fair, Roberson should all play at the forward spots. Ennis, Gbinije, Cooney will all play at the guards. Patterson, and Obokoh will probably be at the bottom of the depth chart. Johnson could end up anywhere.

To me Johnson's biggest competition is Gbinije for two guard minutes. We are pretty loaded at forward this year, and Johnson needs to put one some weight before he can handle some of the ACC biggest guys down low, so he is not going to play there when it matters.

However, it might not be the worst thing for Syracuse if Johnson beats out Gbinije for two guard minutes. That way Johnsons and Cooney can split minutes at the two and Gbinije can focus on being our back up point guard, which is going to be an important position for us this year.

It is most likely that Boeheim will only go with three guards when it is all said and done, and in that case Gbinije must be included because he is the closest thing to a point guard we have. But in this year's situation I could see Boeheim possibly extending his guard rotatoin to four if Johnson proves too good to leave on the bench (which i my opinion in very possible, I was impressed with him).

 

[cliftonparksufan]

I agree with that. Love his potential, but he's going to be the 10th man in what is primarily a 9 player rotation, so it will largely be a waste of a year in terms of his PT.

But I expect Chinoso Obokoh to redshirt; can't see us redshirting two players.

I've seen enough of BJ in these four games to see that he has certain skills to be someone who should see some meaningful minutes this season. Probably not a lot minutes but definitely someone who could come off the bench to be a real spark.

 

[realorange]

Most of you are talking about BJ as a 3. I believe the coaching staff is looking for him to play 2 more than 3 at this stage of the game. With two more months of practice, I think it's a real possibility he will be ready to get 2-5 minutes per game at the 2. Length, ball handling and 3pt. shooter.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I can't believe this is even a discussion at this point. #1 BJ can play multiple positions, quite possibly a third if we end up in a terrible pinch he might be a capable ball handler able to help us move up the floor around a press. #2 he (and the other freshman) have only been on campus for what 2-3 weeks? The season is still months out. It's quite possible these guys can develop significantly by the time November rolls around. #3 Bobby (BJs dad) has intimated they are pretty vehemently opposed to a redshirt year unless there is an injury or its perfectly clear he will never play, and even then I kind of got the impression BJ might still rather not redshirt even if he plays 2 mins a game.

The only probable redshirt candidate at this point is probably obokoh because he is trying to get back from an injury and didn't really project to be anything other than a 5, in which we have 3 solid (yet unspectacular) players ahead of him.

The only way he would consider a red shirt is if we had all 3 other guys at the 2G absolutely lighting it up, so there was no hope of playing time for him. So far, Buss and Silent G do not look like they are going to put up a ton of points, so I think B.J. is probably going to get 10 minutes a game as a designated shooter. That's fine for his freshman year. That's about all the minutes Mike CW got his first year.

 

[normaliswear]

If this was 1988 when guys stayed until they graduated almost no matter what I'd say he absolutely should red shirt. He'll be behind CJ, Grant, and probably Roberson and even MikeG sliding down to the 3 this season. That is not a knock on BJ, he's going to be awesome, this just may be the deepest set of wings we've had in a long time. Just imagine how great BJ will be 5 years from now. All American would be quite possible. The problem is I don't see him being around 5 years. Just too good a player. So lets assume he'll be here 4 years max for the sake of argument. That means with a redshirt year we get him for seasons 2, 3, and 4 and he's gone after that. No redshirt means we get him seasons 2, 3, 4, AND 1. Even if its just a few minutes per game its still better than the zero we get when he's playing for the Pelicans or Pistons in year 5. Plus you never know, one or two of those guys ahead of him get injured and all of a sudden BJ is a VERY important player THIS season.

 

[alphaorange]

His minutes will depend on how well he plays. Period. If he makes the team better when he is on the floor, he will play. He wouldn't be the first guy to come here and play his way into unexpected minutes.

 

[stuckinbig11]

After watching him this week I think a redshirt might be the best thing for him with Fair, Grant and most likely Roberson when he is cleared ahead of him on the depth chart and his body not ready to play big time college basketball why waste a year on the bench when he could redshirt and get his body ready for next year

not a chance he will redshirt, he is too good

 

[NineOneSeven]

Excluding chino, we have 11 guys currently. Obviously, 11 guys aren't going to be in the rotation.

 

[AlaskaSU]

He is probably our best 2 and he certainly has the most upside.

 

[MikeSU02]

If people remember our spacing on offense when we had James last year versus when we didn't (or even when he went cold), it made a huge impact on our offense, which wasn't great as it was. I think this is BJ's opportunity if he can hit threes and be solid up top in the zone.

I think Cooney will be a solid player for us, but if his shot isn't going down and we desperately need to space the floor, I think BJ will get his chance.

Also, I'm not too worried who starts, but who finishes. Right now I see that as having four guys locked in: Ennis, CJ, Grant and BMK. I think that fourth position is up for grabs in the 'finish the game' lineup. BJ could push to get in that spot.

 

[dasher]

You haven't really seen him play have you?

I watched the games in canada. And this isn't a knock on B.J.. Just a look at the numbers. At the forward position, C.J., Grant and Roberson will play. At the two, TC and silent G. Not many minutes left. Talk to me in 4 years when he is still playing for us if he red shirts.