Henny & Coke
2nd String
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2011
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So, it's my favorite time of the year, sports wise - the beginning of college basketball & my beloved Orange.
Now, coming off a magical ending to the 2015-16 season, where Syracuse pulled off multiple second half comebacks to beat such teams as Gonzaga & then #1 seeded Virginia, I should know better than to let that cloud my judgement in predicting the fortunes of this year's team. Especially after losing heart & soul guys like do-it-all Michael Gbinije, 5-year vet Trevor Cooney, and then, unexpectedly, super Frosh Malachi Richardson. Could the team possibly withstand such losses?
The answer is "yes" - not only can Syracuse replace the outgoing players, but they've even seemed to have managed to put together that rare Jim Boeheim team where the old ball coach is comfortable extending his normally limited rotation to at least 8-9 players who could earn legit minutes! That's how deep & talented the 2016-17 Orange squad appears to be at this point. And dare I say it...but the team seems to have all the necessary components to not only chase back-to-back Final Four trips...but dare I say it...a National Championship?
First requirement: You need that "special" player or group of players. The player(s) who takes over in the season's biggest moments. The player(s) that have the "it" factor.
Certain guys like Carmelo Anthony (2003), Anthony Davis (2012), Kemba Walker (2011), Shabazz Napier (2014),etc.are "special" enough to do it (basically) alone.
Yet, other teams have won titles without one "special" player, but with a small group of players (2-3) considered "just below special"...guys like Emeka Okafor/Ben Gordon (2004), Sean May/Ray Felton/Rashad McCants (2005), Al Hortford/Joakim Noah/Corey Brewer (2006 & 2007), Brandon Rush/Mario Chamlers/Darrell Arthur (2008), Tyler Hansbrough/Ty Lawson/Wayne Ellington (2009), Jahlil Okafor/Justice Winslow/Tyus Jones (2015), etc.
This second group is where I see Syracuse this year. I believe they have 2-3 guys who may qualify for that "just below special" designation...guys like Soph Tyler Lydon, 5th year Senior transfer Andrew White III, and possibly even superstar Frosh Tyus Battle, or a 4 year SU player who finally puts it all together this year to have a monster year in Tyler Roberson.
Some combination of these 4 players will step up this year to lead Syracuse deep into the NCAA Tournament. I do not remember a time when Syracuse had so many potential "breakout superstars" on their roster!
Additionally, the second & third aspects that national championship contending teams tend to have is a good mix of solid returning veterans who excel in their defined roles & some high-upside younger players.
Syracuse checks the solid returning vet box as DaJuan Coleman, the 5th year absolute beast down low, is back for his final year. A fan favorite for so many reasons - spurned Kentucky as a top recruit to come to SU, his ever present positive attitude is contagious to teammates & fans alike, and the grueling training regimen he underwent to come back from his various knee injuries - and good karma simply has to come back to DaJuan Coleman in spades.
Another solid vet that was a 5th year transfer into the program this year is PG John Gillon. In fact, John may be outperforming this label so far, with his consistently high assist & scoring numbers, while keeping the turnovers to a minimum. May some have underestimated the lightening quick 6-foot PG out of Colorado State?
Turning to the high-upside younger players, the place to start has to be the play of Soph Frank Howard at PG so far this year. Having played sparingly last year, as he was only one year removed from a serious knee injury suffered in High School (an injury that depressed his recruiting stock btw), he still flashed glimpses of his brilliant court vision & passing ability...although he was given a short leash when his shot did not immediately fall. This year the 6-5 PG seems to have taken full command of the team: dishing out assists, running the break, getting big men (like Tyler Roberson) involved, and even regaining confidence in his shot. If this level of play continues throughout the year, Frank (and John Gillon) will be setting personal highs in many categories & leading the Orange to a multitude of wins.
We finally get to discussing the young "big men" - Paschal Chukwu & Taurean Thompson. Chukwu was/still is a bit of a mystery, as he transferred here from Providence, subsequently sitting out a year. The prevailing wisdom was that he would use this time to buik up his thin 7-2 frame, learn the zone defense, and work on his offensive game. Yet, iit has been difficult to really evaluate where Paschal currently is in these efforts, possibly due to his limited playing time. At the very least, the hope is that his intimidating 7-2 presence in the middle of the vaunted SU zone will lead to many blocked shots & a host of altered ones. It may still take time/development to fully tap into this player's immense potential.
And finally, we come to another player who was very much an enigma coming into this season. (Due to fact that he was a "late bloomer" to the recruiting community, and he does not participate on social media. Thus, he had the distinction of being the last ESPN 100 recruit to officially commit to a school, This all lead to him being perhaps the most underrated prospect in his class.) Yet, when Taurean Thompson arrived at Syracuse this summer, the 6-10 Forward turned heads with his maturity & skill level for a Frosh big man. And, the immediate floor time he is accumulating so far is proof - pulling down 7 Rebs in 1st game, and scoring 10 points vs Holy Cross! This guy is the perfect mix of "ready to contribute" along with "high ceiling for additional development."
3-4 players who have ability to elevate their game come crunch time...
1-2 returning vets bringing experience & stability to the Center & PG positions...
2-3 younger, high upside guys with some already flashing their immense potential...
It all adds up to at least a return trip to the Final Four to me...with a National Championship (thus sending Jimmy B out on the greatest of high notes) being a distinct possibility.
Whatever happens, this year's gonna be fun, that's for sure!
WARNING: I tend to trend optimistic (especially since my other teams are the Bills and the Sabres!)...so I'm not exactly expecting everyone to agree with me...just putting my thoughts out there while season is still young!
Now, coming off a magical ending to the 2015-16 season, where Syracuse pulled off multiple second half comebacks to beat such teams as Gonzaga & then #1 seeded Virginia, I should know better than to let that cloud my judgement in predicting the fortunes of this year's team. Especially after losing heart & soul guys like do-it-all Michael Gbinije, 5-year vet Trevor Cooney, and then, unexpectedly, super Frosh Malachi Richardson. Could the team possibly withstand such losses?
The answer is "yes" - not only can Syracuse replace the outgoing players, but they've even seemed to have managed to put together that rare Jim Boeheim team where the old ball coach is comfortable extending his normally limited rotation to at least 8-9 players who could earn legit minutes! That's how deep & talented the 2016-17 Orange squad appears to be at this point. And dare I say it...but the team seems to have all the necessary components to not only chase back-to-back Final Four trips...but dare I say it...a National Championship?
First requirement: You need that "special" player or group of players. The player(s) who takes over in the season's biggest moments. The player(s) that have the "it" factor.
Certain guys like Carmelo Anthony (2003), Anthony Davis (2012), Kemba Walker (2011), Shabazz Napier (2014),etc.are "special" enough to do it (basically) alone.
Yet, other teams have won titles without one "special" player, but with a small group of players (2-3) considered "just below special"...guys like Emeka Okafor/Ben Gordon (2004), Sean May/Ray Felton/Rashad McCants (2005), Al Hortford/Joakim Noah/Corey Brewer (2006 & 2007), Brandon Rush/Mario Chamlers/Darrell Arthur (2008), Tyler Hansbrough/Ty Lawson/Wayne Ellington (2009), Jahlil Okafor/Justice Winslow/Tyus Jones (2015), etc.
This second group is where I see Syracuse this year. I believe they have 2-3 guys who may qualify for that "just below special" designation...guys like Soph Tyler Lydon, 5th year Senior transfer Andrew White III, and possibly even superstar Frosh Tyus Battle, or a 4 year SU player who finally puts it all together this year to have a monster year in Tyler Roberson.
Some combination of these 4 players will step up this year to lead Syracuse deep into the NCAA Tournament. I do not remember a time when Syracuse had so many potential "breakout superstars" on their roster!
Additionally, the second & third aspects that national championship contending teams tend to have is a good mix of solid returning veterans who excel in their defined roles & some high-upside younger players.
Syracuse checks the solid returning vet box as DaJuan Coleman, the 5th year absolute beast down low, is back for his final year. A fan favorite for so many reasons - spurned Kentucky as a top recruit to come to SU, his ever present positive attitude is contagious to teammates & fans alike, and the grueling training regimen he underwent to come back from his various knee injuries - and good karma simply has to come back to DaJuan Coleman in spades.
Another solid vet that was a 5th year transfer into the program this year is PG John Gillon. In fact, John may be outperforming this label so far, with his consistently high assist & scoring numbers, while keeping the turnovers to a minimum. May some have underestimated the lightening quick 6-foot PG out of Colorado State?
Turning to the high-upside younger players, the place to start has to be the play of Soph Frank Howard at PG so far this year. Having played sparingly last year, as he was only one year removed from a serious knee injury suffered in High School (an injury that depressed his recruiting stock btw), he still flashed glimpses of his brilliant court vision & passing ability...although he was given a short leash when his shot did not immediately fall. This year the 6-5 PG seems to have taken full command of the team: dishing out assists, running the break, getting big men (like Tyler Roberson) involved, and even regaining confidence in his shot. If this level of play continues throughout the year, Frank (and John Gillon) will be setting personal highs in many categories & leading the Orange to a multitude of wins.
We finally get to discussing the young "big men" - Paschal Chukwu & Taurean Thompson. Chukwu was/still is a bit of a mystery, as he transferred here from Providence, subsequently sitting out a year. The prevailing wisdom was that he would use this time to buik up his thin 7-2 frame, learn the zone defense, and work on his offensive game. Yet, iit has been difficult to really evaluate where Paschal currently is in these efforts, possibly due to his limited playing time. At the very least, the hope is that his intimidating 7-2 presence in the middle of the vaunted SU zone will lead to many blocked shots & a host of altered ones. It may still take time/development to fully tap into this player's immense potential.
And finally, we come to another player who was very much an enigma coming into this season. (Due to fact that he was a "late bloomer" to the recruiting community, and he does not participate on social media. Thus, he had the distinction of being the last ESPN 100 recruit to officially commit to a school, This all lead to him being perhaps the most underrated prospect in his class.) Yet, when Taurean Thompson arrived at Syracuse this summer, the 6-10 Forward turned heads with his maturity & skill level for a Frosh big man. And, the immediate floor time he is accumulating so far is proof - pulling down 7 Rebs in 1st game, and scoring 10 points vs Holy Cross! This guy is the perfect mix of "ready to contribute" along with "high ceiling for additional development."
3-4 players who have ability to elevate their game come crunch time...
1-2 returning vets bringing experience & stability to the Center & PG positions...
2-3 younger, high upside guys with some already flashing their immense potential...
It all adds up to at least a return trip to the Final Four to me...with a National Championship (thus sending Jimmy B out on the greatest of high notes) being a distinct possibility.
Whatever happens, this year's gonna be fun, that's for sure!
WARNING: I tend to trend optimistic (especially since my other teams are the Bills and the Sabres!)...so I'm not exactly expecting everyone to agree with me...just putting my thoughts out there while season is still young!
