SWC75
Bored Historian
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Forwards
Then:
Robert Braswell, a 6-7 206 redshirt sophomore from Jacksonville, Fla. / Blythewood (S.C.)
He was not a highly recruited player. 24-7 ranked him only a 2-star and the #170 player in his class. (They also listed him as 6-9.) Scout and Rivals had him as a 2 star. His was a military family and Robert spent much of his developmental years abroad, especially in Germany. He only came back a couple of years before he was recruited. Also, he had a late 5 inch growth spurt that enabled him to become that ideal combination: a big man who retained some guard skills. But the scouting services just didn’t know much about him until late in the game.
But he had a remarkable freshman year, although he got few opportunities to show his skills. He played only 67 minutes but accumulated 26 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 6 steals but only one block in that time. Per 40 minutes, that’s 15.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 3.6 steals and 0.6 blocks. He was 7 for 10 from inside the arc, 1 for 2 from outside and 9 for 12 from the foul line. More impressively, he committed only 2 fouls in those 67 minutes. Freshmen are normally foul machines and getting only two of them is an indication that this kid knew what was going on out there and what he was doing. The caveat, of course is that that is a limited sample against reserves in games that had been decided. But it left everyone wanting to see more.
Last year, we got less. He played only 48 minutes in seven games and then shut his season down due to “shin splints”. The early shut down enabled him to preserve that year of eligibility so he has three of them left. In those 48 minutes he scored 12 points, pulled down 8 rebounds, had 3 steals but no assists or blocks. per 40 minutes that’s 10.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.5 steals. He was 0 for 3 inside the arc but 4 for 6 from outside. He never got to the line. reduced mobility may have been the problem but he could still drain it from three.
Then there was speculation that he would join our three reserve guards in entering the transfer portal. He finally responded in March: “It’s been talked about but it’s not something I’m really considering. I was weighing my options, but not really anymore. I’m most likely coming back.’’ He is back and the departure of Elijah Hughes was no doubt encouraging in his quest for playing time but the arrival of Alan Griffin and the recruitment of Woody Newton this year and 5 star Benny Williams next year were not. Someday we’ll get to see what Robert Braswell could do given a substantial role but he probably won’t be wearing a Syracuse uniform when we do.
Now:
No, he won’t. he got off to an awful shooting start, missing 15 of his first 18. But in the January 6th game against Pittsburgh, he suddenly found the range for four threes in a row, turning the tide of the game, which we eventually lost. But he got his confidence back and played well the rest of the year, helping to shore up the defense and making some big shots. We now know that Marek is leaving and that Quincy Guerrier will test the waters of the pros. That might have created a big opening for Robert but he didn’t know how those things would work out when he made the decision to enter the transfer portal. The arrival of 5 star Benny Williams may have had an impact, too. He could withdraw from the portal but I suspect he’ll find somebody who will promise him an expanded role.
I’m worried about our defense from the forward position. Both Braswell and Woody Newton were strong there. We may find that our forwards next year are Cole Swider, the freshman Benny Williams and Jimmy Boeheim, none of whom are defensive stalwarts. It will help to get a legitimate center but with another year of the Buddy and Joe show in the backcourt, we may have a huge problem getting stops.
Then:
Marek Dolezaj, a 6-10 201 senior from Bratislava, Slovakia / Karlovka
Casey Stengel was once asked the key to his success and responded, “I never play a game without my man”. The questioner didn’t know what he meant until he realized that Stengel never filled out a line-up without the name “Yogi Berra” in it, even when he wasn’t catching. I think Marek Dolezaj will be Jim Boeheim’s ‘man’ this year. He’s our most versatile player. He’s 6-10. He’s always been too skinny but has, according to the roster anyway, added 16 pounds to go to 201, (still skinny but less so). He can shoot the ball but is often reluctant to do so. I’ve seen him dribble-drive to the basket to score. He can rebound and block shots. He’s a great hustler and is the guy most likely to come up with a loose ball. He plays the passing lanes well. He can run the court and could even bring the ball up if needed, (he can go coast-to-coast). But his greatest ability is his passing ability and court vision. He doesn’t get a ton of conventional assists but he gets a lot of ‘hockey assists’ – the pass that leads to the pass that leads to the basket. The big thing is that he keeps the ball moving. The offense just functions better with him in there.
The thought of him in the middle of the defense, dealing to all the shooters we’ll have on the perimeter, dishing to guys slashing to the basket or feeding Sidibe or Guerrier in the low post is delicious. He has two chinks in his armor, both of which can be addressed. For one thing, he has a tendency to pick up silly fouls and get into foul trouble which seems odd as he has the reputation of a smart player who sees what’s going on out there. He’ll commit a foul at mid-court or grab somebody going be him or another defender. He needs to cut that out. Also, he needs to get more confident in his own shot. Jim Boeheim wanted him to spend the summer before his junior year working on his shot but a hand injury prevented that. This year the problem has been finding an open gym during the pandemic. Jimmy wants him to hit three pointers but I think what he really needs is a 10-12 footer from the top of the key. Not only could he score from there but defenders would have to come out to cover him, which would open up the passing lanes and allow Marek to drive to the basket. It would make him one of the most complete players in the league and the country.
Assistant Coach Adrian Autry: “He’s an overthinker. If he makes his first shot, he’s confident. If he misses his first shot or two, he’s gonna shut it down. Normally, when you miss a shot or two, you get to the basket, you get to the foul line, you kind of need to see the ball go in to shoot again. But with him, he’s very reluctant — if he misses one or two early he might not put up the next one for awhile.”
Now:
Marek was Marek. He was a fine passer and learned a sort of whirling dervish drive to the hoop but remained reluctant to shoot that 10-12 footer that was always open. He tried his best to fill the center spot but wasn’t much of a shot blocker, a rebounder or a post-up scorer. He continued to earn everybody’s admiration with his courageous play even with a broken tooth in one game and a broken finger for the last several. But we rarely got to see him play his natural position of forward or to fully use his skills as a shooter, which would have opened the way for him to get far more assists as the defense came to him to try and stop him. Now he’s off to Europe, fondly remembered. But it may force JB to develop a real center and that would be a good thing.
Then:
Alan Griffin, 6-5 190 junior from Ossining, N.Y. / Ossining/Archbishop Stepinac / U of Illinois
This Alan Griffin, (no relation to Allen Griffin, JB’s assistant coach and former point guard), comes from Illinois, where he played guard but put up some very interesting numbers for a guard. He didn’t start for the Illini, despite being a very productive player. Here Is a post I made a few weeks ago on Griffin:
“His averages per 40 minutes:
19.8p 10.0r 1.4a 1.0s 0.5b 32.7+ 7.3mfg 0.4mft 1.7to 2.5pf 11.9- = 20.8np 12.1oe 8.7fg
He's a very efficient scorer an under-rated rebounder and doesn't hurt his team with mistakes. He averaged only 18.1mpg. The guy ahead of him was Avo Dosunmu who averaged this:
19.8p 5.2r 4.0a 1.0s 0.2b 30.2+ 8.3mfg 1.0mft 3.2to 2.0pf 14.5- = 15.7np 10.5oe 5.2fg He averaged 33.5mpg
Griffin looks like better player statistically and both were sophomores. That suggests, as I think I've read in a much earlier post, that Dosunmu was the better defender.
Griffin looks like quite a talent but I don't know that he will improve our defense, which is what we need more than anything. But I'm intrigued by his rebounding numbers. Kid is jumping jack. A 6-5 guard averaging 10.0 rebounds per 40 minutes of play is remarkable.
Now:
Griffin vied with Guerrier as our most statistically productive player all season:
Quincy Guerrier 32.9m 16.6p 10.2r 1.0a 1.0s 1.4b = +30.2 6.5mfg 1.4mft 1.3to 3.4pf = -12.6 =
17.6NP 8.7OE 8.9FG TNP: 406
Alan Griffin 29.25m 18.2p 8.0r 2.4a 1.6s 2.2b = +32.4 8.5mfg 0.3mft 2.8to 2.6pf = -14.2 =
18.2NP 9.4OE 8.8FG TNP: 372
No one else was even close. But both players faded badly late in the season, when we needed contributions from everyone. Guerrier, who was nursing a leg injury and seemed to wind up on the floor and with a bloody wound in every game, played 188 minutes in the last six games, shot 23 for 52, (44.2%: he’d been 50% before that) scored 57 points, (12.1 per 40 minutes), grabbed 39 rebounds (8.3) and had 3 assists, 7 blocks and 4 steals.
Meanwhile Griffin, who was apparently uninjured, fell off a cliff. In his last four games he played only 51 minutes and a disgruntled Jim Boeheim yanked him for seemingly every mistake, shot 1 for 13 from the field: 0 for 5 inside the arc and 1 for 9 outside of it. He scored 8 points, had 3 rebounds, 4 assists 3 blocks and no steals. His defense was on about the same level. He spent most of those games watching Robert Braswell play defense and hit big shots. The feeling has been that he’s already decided to leave and lost interest, although he’d have to sit out a year after getting a waiver to play here this year, (unless they change that rule, too). That may be why he hasn’t announced yet. If he somehow stays, which Alan Griffin will we get? The guy who led us in net points per 40 minutes this year or the on-court spectator of those last four games?
Then:
Quincy Guerrier, a 6-7 220 sophomore from Montreal, Quebec / Thetford Academy (Quebec)
The first thing everybody noticed about Quincy is that he passes the ‘look’ test. (Our guys don’t usually do too well at the ‘look’ test.) He was clearly the strongest player on the team but athletic and he possessed basketball skills, although one of them was by reputation only. He was supposed to be quite a shooter. JB said he played outside most of the time in Canada. But in his first year here, he missed 21 of 24 three-point shots, (that’s 12.5%). He tried driving to the basket but early on he looked more like a bull in a china shop, drawing many offensive fouls. He looked like a flop. But he learned how to play at this level as the season progressed and was driving around people to score by the end of the season. He was also able to use his strength to get rebounds and score inside. He only had 21 fouls in the last 9 games and had games of 16 points and 10 rebounds against NC State and 14 points and 12 rebounds vs. Louisville. In the finale against UNC he had 7 points and 9 rebounds in 18 minutes. When you see a player develop before your eyes – especially as a freshman- it suggests a high ceiling and a strong work ethic.
And he was playing with an undisclosed injury in his ‘core’: torn groin muscles that were operated on in June. “When the muscle was cold was when I was really feeling it. When I started to play and my body was hot, it wasn’t that bad. It was after playing games that it was really bothering me. I was crying in bed because it was really bothering me.” The Athletic: “Quincy Guerrier (is) closer to full health. Players say he has grimaced at times in practice as he continues to recover from surgery in June for a groin injury. He has participated in five-on-five and drills, although he’s not running or jumping at 100 percent, Dolezaj says. The presumptive sixth man is eager to prove the player he can be after playing all of last season through pain.” His problem is that he’s got to fight Alan Griffin for playing time.
A return to form in his jump shot would help. I can see that a groin injury might effect a jumper just a bit. Any forward needs to be able to hit from the corner but, just as I want to see Dolezaj hit from the top of the key, I want to see Quincy learn a pull-up jump that could supplement his powerful drive to the basket.
Now:
Early in the year, Quincy looked like he was easily our best player and a possible All-American. He had 23 points 13 rebounds against Niagara, 18p 16r against Northeastern and 27p 11r vs. Buffalo. But it got tougher to dominate inside against conference competition and, after recording six double-doubles in our first 11 games, he had only one after that. He was able to hit some three pointers, (23 of 74, 31.1%), but the pull-up jumper never appeared in his repertoire. Still, he was the strongest player on a not very muscular team and it would be nice to have him back for another year of development. But he is going to ‘test the waters’ in the NBA draft. He doesn’t have NBA skills at this point but all he has to do is find someone who will tell him that he’ll get drafted and he’ll be gone.
Then:
Robert Braswell, a 6-7 206 redshirt sophomore from Jacksonville, Fla. / Blythewood (S.C.)
He was not a highly recruited player. 24-7 ranked him only a 2-star and the #170 player in his class. (They also listed him as 6-9.) Scout and Rivals had him as a 2 star. His was a military family and Robert spent much of his developmental years abroad, especially in Germany. He only came back a couple of years before he was recruited. Also, he had a late 5 inch growth spurt that enabled him to become that ideal combination: a big man who retained some guard skills. But the scouting services just didn’t know much about him until late in the game.
But he had a remarkable freshman year, although he got few opportunities to show his skills. He played only 67 minutes but accumulated 26 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 6 steals but only one block in that time. Per 40 minutes, that’s 15.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 3.6 steals and 0.6 blocks. He was 7 for 10 from inside the arc, 1 for 2 from outside and 9 for 12 from the foul line. More impressively, he committed only 2 fouls in those 67 minutes. Freshmen are normally foul machines and getting only two of them is an indication that this kid knew what was going on out there and what he was doing. The caveat, of course is that that is a limited sample against reserves in games that had been decided. But it left everyone wanting to see more.
Last year, we got less. He played only 48 minutes in seven games and then shut his season down due to “shin splints”. The early shut down enabled him to preserve that year of eligibility so he has three of them left. In those 48 minutes he scored 12 points, pulled down 8 rebounds, had 3 steals but no assists or blocks. per 40 minutes that’s 10.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.5 steals. He was 0 for 3 inside the arc but 4 for 6 from outside. He never got to the line. reduced mobility may have been the problem but he could still drain it from three.
Then there was speculation that he would join our three reserve guards in entering the transfer portal. He finally responded in March: “It’s been talked about but it’s not something I’m really considering. I was weighing my options, but not really anymore. I’m most likely coming back.’’ He is back and the departure of Elijah Hughes was no doubt encouraging in his quest for playing time but the arrival of Alan Griffin and the recruitment of Woody Newton this year and 5 star Benny Williams next year were not. Someday we’ll get to see what Robert Braswell could do given a substantial role but he probably won’t be wearing a Syracuse uniform when we do.
Now:
No, he won’t. he got off to an awful shooting start, missing 15 of his first 18. But in the January 6th game against Pittsburgh, he suddenly found the range for four threes in a row, turning the tide of the game, which we eventually lost. But he got his confidence back and played well the rest of the year, helping to shore up the defense and making some big shots. We now know that Marek is leaving and that Quincy Guerrier will test the waters of the pros. That might have created a big opening for Robert but he didn’t know how those things would work out when he made the decision to enter the transfer portal. The arrival of 5 star Benny Williams may have had an impact, too. He could withdraw from the portal but I suspect he’ll find somebody who will promise him an expanded role.
I’m worried about our defense from the forward position. Both Braswell and Woody Newton were strong there. We may find that our forwards next year are Cole Swider, the freshman Benny Williams and Jimmy Boeheim, none of whom are defensive stalwarts. It will help to get a legitimate center but with another year of the Buddy and Joe show in the backcourt, we may have a huge problem getting stops.
Then:
Marek Dolezaj, a 6-10 201 senior from Bratislava, Slovakia / Karlovka
Casey Stengel was once asked the key to his success and responded, “I never play a game without my man”. The questioner didn’t know what he meant until he realized that Stengel never filled out a line-up without the name “Yogi Berra” in it, even when he wasn’t catching. I think Marek Dolezaj will be Jim Boeheim’s ‘man’ this year. He’s our most versatile player. He’s 6-10. He’s always been too skinny but has, according to the roster anyway, added 16 pounds to go to 201, (still skinny but less so). He can shoot the ball but is often reluctant to do so. I’ve seen him dribble-drive to the basket to score. He can rebound and block shots. He’s a great hustler and is the guy most likely to come up with a loose ball. He plays the passing lanes well. He can run the court and could even bring the ball up if needed, (he can go coast-to-coast). But his greatest ability is his passing ability and court vision. He doesn’t get a ton of conventional assists but he gets a lot of ‘hockey assists’ – the pass that leads to the pass that leads to the basket. The big thing is that he keeps the ball moving. The offense just functions better with him in there.
The thought of him in the middle of the defense, dealing to all the shooters we’ll have on the perimeter, dishing to guys slashing to the basket or feeding Sidibe or Guerrier in the low post is delicious. He has two chinks in his armor, both of which can be addressed. For one thing, he has a tendency to pick up silly fouls and get into foul trouble which seems odd as he has the reputation of a smart player who sees what’s going on out there. He’ll commit a foul at mid-court or grab somebody going be him or another defender. He needs to cut that out. Also, he needs to get more confident in his own shot. Jim Boeheim wanted him to spend the summer before his junior year working on his shot but a hand injury prevented that. This year the problem has been finding an open gym during the pandemic. Jimmy wants him to hit three pointers but I think what he really needs is a 10-12 footer from the top of the key. Not only could he score from there but defenders would have to come out to cover him, which would open up the passing lanes and allow Marek to drive to the basket. It would make him one of the most complete players in the league and the country.
Assistant Coach Adrian Autry: “He’s an overthinker. If he makes his first shot, he’s confident. If he misses his first shot or two, he’s gonna shut it down. Normally, when you miss a shot or two, you get to the basket, you get to the foul line, you kind of need to see the ball go in to shoot again. But with him, he’s very reluctant — if he misses one or two early he might not put up the next one for awhile.”
Now:
Marek was Marek. He was a fine passer and learned a sort of whirling dervish drive to the hoop but remained reluctant to shoot that 10-12 footer that was always open. He tried his best to fill the center spot but wasn’t much of a shot blocker, a rebounder or a post-up scorer. He continued to earn everybody’s admiration with his courageous play even with a broken tooth in one game and a broken finger for the last several. But we rarely got to see him play his natural position of forward or to fully use his skills as a shooter, which would have opened the way for him to get far more assists as the defense came to him to try and stop him. Now he’s off to Europe, fondly remembered. But it may force JB to develop a real center and that would be a good thing.
Then:
Alan Griffin, 6-5 190 junior from Ossining, N.Y. / Ossining/Archbishop Stepinac / U of Illinois
This Alan Griffin, (no relation to Allen Griffin, JB’s assistant coach and former point guard), comes from Illinois, where he played guard but put up some very interesting numbers for a guard. He didn’t start for the Illini, despite being a very productive player. Here Is a post I made a few weeks ago on Griffin:
“His averages per 40 minutes:
19.8p 10.0r 1.4a 1.0s 0.5b 32.7+ 7.3mfg 0.4mft 1.7to 2.5pf 11.9- = 20.8np 12.1oe 8.7fg
He's a very efficient scorer an under-rated rebounder and doesn't hurt his team with mistakes. He averaged only 18.1mpg. The guy ahead of him was Avo Dosunmu who averaged this:
19.8p 5.2r 4.0a 1.0s 0.2b 30.2+ 8.3mfg 1.0mft 3.2to 2.0pf 14.5- = 15.7np 10.5oe 5.2fg He averaged 33.5mpg
Griffin looks like better player statistically and both were sophomores. That suggests, as I think I've read in a much earlier post, that Dosunmu was the better defender.
Griffin looks like quite a talent but I don't know that he will improve our defense, which is what we need more than anything. But I'm intrigued by his rebounding numbers. Kid is jumping jack. A 6-5 guard averaging 10.0 rebounds per 40 minutes of play is remarkable.
Now:
Griffin vied with Guerrier as our most statistically productive player all season:
Quincy Guerrier 32.9m 16.6p 10.2r 1.0a 1.0s 1.4b = +30.2 6.5mfg 1.4mft 1.3to 3.4pf = -12.6 =
17.6NP 8.7OE 8.9FG TNP: 406
Alan Griffin 29.25m 18.2p 8.0r 2.4a 1.6s 2.2b = +32.4 8.5mfg 0.3mft 2.8to 2.6pf = -14.2 =
18.2NP 9.4OE 8.8FG TNP: 372
No one else was even close. But both players faded badly late in the season, when we needed contributions from everyone. Guerrier, who was nursing a leg injury and seemed to wind up on the floor and with a bloody wound in every game, played 188 minutes in the last six games, shot 23 for 52, (44.2%: he’d been 50% before that) scored 57 points, (12.1 per 40 minutes), grabbed 39 rebounds (8.3) and had 3 assists, 7 blocks and 4 steals.
Meanwhile Griffin, who was apparently uninjured, fell off a cliff. In his last four games he played only 51 minutes and a disgruntled Jim Boeheim yanked him for seemingly every mistake, shot 1 for 13 from the field: 0 for 5 inside the arc and 1 for 9 outside of it. He scored 8 points, had 3 rebounds, 4 assists 3 blocks and no steals. His defense was on about the same level. He spent most of those games watching Robert Braswell play defense and hit big shots. The feeling has been that he’s already decided to leave and lost interest, although he’d have to sit out a year after getting a waiver to play here this year, (unless they change that rule, too). That may be why he hasn’t announced yet. If he somehow stays, which Alan Griffin will we get? The guy who led us in net points per 40 minutes this year or the on-court spectator of those last four games?
Then:
Quincy Guerrier, a 6-7 220 sophomore from Montreal, Quebec / Thetford Academy (Quebec)
The first thing everybody noticed about Quincy is that he passes the ‘look’ test. (Our guys don’t usually do too well at the ‘look’ test.) He was clearly the strongest player on the team but athletic and he possessed basketball skills, although one of them was by reputation only. He was supposed to be quite a shooter. JB said he played outside most of the time in Canada. But in his first year here, he missed 21 of 24 three-point shots, (that’s 12.5%). He tried driving to the basket but early on he looked more like a bull in a china shop, drawing many offensive fouls. He looked like a flop. But he learned how to play at this level as the season progressed and was driving around people to score by the end of the season. He was also able to use his strength to get rebounds and score inside. He only had 21 fouls in the last 9 games and had games of 16 points and 10 rebounds against NC State and 14 points and 12 rebounds vs. Louisville. In the finale against UNC he had 7 points and 9 rebounds in 18 minutes. When you see a player develop before your eyes – especially as a freshman- it suggests a high ceiling and a strong work ethic.
And he was playing with an undisclosed injury in his ‘core’: torn groin muscles that were operated on in June. “When the muscle was cold was when I was really feeling it. When I started to play and my body was hot, it wasn’t that bad. It was after playing games that it was really bothering me. I was crying in bed because it was really bothering me.” The Athletic: “Quincy Guerrier (is) closer to full health. Players say he has grimaced at times in practice as he continues to recover from surgery in June for a groin injury. He has participated in five-on-five and drills, although he’s not running or jumping at 100 percent, Dolezaj says. The presumptive sixth man is eager to prove the player he can be after playing all of last season through pain.” His problem is that he’s got to fight Alan Griffin for playing time.
A return to form in his jump shot would help. I can see that a groin injury might effect a jumper just a bit. Any forward needs to be able to hit from the corner but, just as I want to see Dolezaj hit from the top of the key, I want to see Quincy learn a pull-up jump that could supplement his powerful drive to the basket.
Now:
Early in the year, Quincy looked like he was easily our best player and a possible All-American. He had 23 points 13 rebounds against Niagara, 18p 16r against Northeastern and 27p 11r vs. Buffalo. But it got tougher to dominate inside against conference competition and, after recording six double-doubles in our first 11 games, he had only one after that. He was able to hit some three pointers, (23 of 74, 31.1%), but the pull-up jumper never appeared in his repertoire. Still, he was the strongest player on a not very muscular team and it would be nice to have him back for another year of development. But he is going to ‘test the waters’ in the NBA draft. He doesn’t have NBA skills at this point but all he has to do is find someone who will tell him that he’ll get drafted and he’ll be gone.
