With the Roster Shaping up

[Niastri]

PLAYER	POS.	HT.	WT.	CLASS	STATUS
JJ Starling	G	6-4	206	Sr.
Donnie Freeman	PF	6-9	205	So.
Kiyan Anthony	G	6-5	185	Fr.
Luke Fennell	G	6-6	190	Fr.
Sadiq White	PF	6-9	200	Fr.
Aaron Womack	SF	6-6	170	Fr.
William Kyle III	C	6-9	230	Sr.	UCLA
Nate Kingz	G/SF	6-5	190	R-Sr.	Oregon St
Naithan George	PG	6-3	185	Jr.	Ga Tech

Right now, it looks like a starting lineup of:

Kyle, Freeman, Kingz, Starling, George.

Bench of Anthony, Fennell, White and Womack.

Other than the lack of a second center, I like this team a lot. If we get a center better than Kyle, I’d think we were nearly a lock for the NCAA Tournament. If we get a lower level warm body, we still have some good players.

I’ve posted a bit in each transfers recruiting thread, but just giving overview thoughts of the lineup as it stands.

Kyle: Extremely athletic and long limbed, I really like him in combination with George. George throws the lob pass with skill that makes it look too easy. Kyle dunks in the same stratosphere as Jeremi Grant and Hakeem Warrick. Kyle runs the floor well, expect him to get some really nice dunks in transition, every game. Kyle is a very plus defender, his agility and long arms allow him to be very switchable in defense without fouling much. I posted a crazy enthusiastic post from an NBA draft board in his thread, seems legit. Not quite the defensive rebounder we would like at center, but boxes out well, and really fights on the offensive glass. Dunks everything from every angle. His UCLA highlights indicate he’ll be catch ball-dunk ball on offense, but his previous year he was his teams go to guy, and demonstrated a decent post game.

Freeman: We all saw him play this year, but he was probably injured and really raw. Lots of improvement quickly as he acclimated to college. Superb defensive rebounder, would have been 3rd in the county in defensive rebounding % if he had qualified. Just the perfect guy to have if you’re going to go with three guards and don’t want to give up on rebounding. Freeman shot .333 from three last year, and .566 on twos, so with Kyle, we’ll have two very good bigs that can finish well around the basket. I think Freeman can shoot significantly better from three than he has shown so far, for what it’s worth.

Kingz: Tremendous offensive player, he does everything on offense, and does it efficiently. Elite shooter, .446 from three on 4.2 attempts per game, .571 on twos. This kid can score, averaging 11.8 on only 7.8 shots. He is probably too selective, we want him shooting more. He also passes well, 1.8 assists to .8 turnovers ratio. Kingz doesn’t rebound much, but at least he’s better than Bell. Still, he’s an average or slightly better defender.

Starling: We all have strong feelings about Starling, even if they’re mixed feelings. He’s really good at some things, really bad at others, but overall he’s a very good offensive player, and scored a lot of points last year for us. If he’s not forced to handle the ball every possession, I think he gets a lot more efficient. We had nobody this past year that was an ACC level point guard. We definitely have one in George next season. One thing I would point out is that Starling, as a sophomore, shot .360 from three in conference play, which was the last time he was able to regularly catch and shoot. Having even another decent combo guard next to him made him much more efficient.

George: George led the ACC in assists per game last season. He has four Points/Assists double doubles and a Points/Rebounds double double. Outside shot he’s going to get our first Syracuse triple double next season. Most of the time he’s on the court, he’ll be the third best defensive reminder, from the point guard position. George is the master of the lob pass. In his highlights, there were a few where it looked lucky it got through, and in the replay you see just how good of a pass it is. He throws it away sometimes, but overall, his turnovers are proactive in trying to create offense, not because he dribbled the ball off his knee or just can’t compete at this level. He’s a legit ball handler. Georgia Tech was a bad offensive team last year. Without George pushing the pace and seeing his teammates up, they would have been terrible. George definitely lost efficiency on his shooting because he was forced to shoot more than he wanted. Nobody else could do anything unless he set them up for a dunk. George assisted on 24.6% off all Georgia Tech’s baskets last year, and scored another 16.7%. His efficiency suffered as a result. George is decent at finishing, he could get better. He’ll appreciate having players who can shoot, drive, and catch the ball and finish next year.

If this turns out to be our starting lineup, I think we’ll be pretty good. Some great athletes, great length at center and power forward. Enough rebounding to effectively use the three guard lineup. We’ll have average to good defense, anchored by Kyle in the middle. The transfers are all even or plus defenders, and I think Freeman gets better with experience. But we’ll be really good on offense, with guys who can hit a three at four positions, and a point guard who can get them the ball when they are open. We’ll have three players who are plus at dribble penetration, and three guards who can pass well enough to get it to the big men who are very good finishing around the basket.

I’m really enthusiastic about the roster at this point. If we get a starter who can push Kyle to being first big off the bench, we look great.

Bigs: Freeman, Kyle, White, Transfer C, Transfer /C

Smalls: Starling, Kingz, George, Anthony, Fennell, Womack, Transfer G/.

Looks like a comfortable Tournament team, especially if the Transfer C is at the top of the depth chart.

Our offense and defense are going to be much better this year than last.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Need another big and shooter on wing in the top 7 rotation.

We could land the top of each and I still won’t be making any tournament predictions (except the Iggy thread, obviously) until I watch the first few games.

 

[bballbeadle]

What a terrific summation and makes me feel excited for next year. Thank you. How do you think Kiyan and Carmelo will be with Kiyan being a bench player?

 

[kingtidge]

On paper, things are definitely looking up and glad to see the program standing behind their promise to spend and get better talent on the hardwood. Let's see how they finish in the portal. Definitely need another decent big and another quality guard would be good.

The elephant-in-the-room coaching questions remain however:

Can Red coach this team iteration better and more effectively?

Will there be a distinctive offense and defense and will we see requisite effort from the players, particularly on defense?

Will the rotations make any sense?

Here's hoping he can do it all better but I'm not counting the chickens until we see some evidence.

 

[powdersmack]

Just when I thought I was out...

 

[Nicknack]

Great post, Niastri.

Great to finally see some excitement and optimism on this board. It's been way too long! Now, we just need to get that Center (and maybe another player). Nice to say that I look forward to next season!!

 

[Forza Azzurri]

PLAYER	POS.	HT.	WT.	CLASS	STATUS
JJ Starling	G	6-4	206	Sr.
Donnie Freeman	PF	6-9	205	So.
Kiyan Anthony	G	6-5	185	Fr.
Luke Fennell	G	6-6	190	Fr.
Sadiq White	PF	6-9	200	Fr.
Aaron Womack	SF	6-6	170	Fr.
William Kyle III	C	6-9	230	Sr.	UCLA
Nate Kingz	G/SF	6-5	190	R-Sr.	Oregon St
Naithan George	PG	6-3	185	Jr.	Ga Tech

Right now, it looks like a starting lineup of:

Kyle, Freeman, Kingz, Starling, George.

Bench of Anthony, Fennell, White and Womack.

Other than the lack of a second center, I like this team a lot. If we get a center better than Kyle, I’d think we were nearly a lock for the NCAA Tournament. If we get a lower level warm body, we still have some good players.

I’ve posted a bit in each transfers recruiting thread, but just giving overview thoughts of the lineup as it stands.

Kyle: Extremely athletic and long limbed, I really like him in combination with George. George throws the lob pass with skill that makes it look too easy. Kyle dunks in the same stratosphere as Jeremi Grant and Hakeem Warrick. Kyle runs the floor well, expect him to get some really nice dunks in transition, every game. Kyle is a very plus defender, his agility and long arms allow him to be very switchable in defense without fouling much. I posted a crazy enthusiastic post from an NBA draft board in his thread, seems legit. Not quite the defensive rebounder we would like at center, but boxes out well, and really fights on the offensive glass. Dunks everything from every angle. His UCLA highlights indicate he’ll be catch ball-dunk ball on offense, but his previous year he was his teams go to guy, and demonstrated a decent post game.

Freeman: We all saw him play this year, but he was probably injured and really raw. Lots of improvement quickly as he acclimated to college. Superb defensive rebounder, would have been 3rd in the county in defensive rebounding % if he had qualified. Just the perfect guy to have if you’re going to go with three guards and don’t want to give up on rebounding. Freeman shot .333 from three last year, and .566 on twos, so with Kyle, we’ll have two very good bigs that can finish well around the basket. I think Freeman can shoot significantly better from three than he has shown so far, for what it’s worth.

Kingz: Tremendous offensive player, he does everything on offense, and does it efficiently. Elite shooter, .446 from three on 4.2 attempts per game, .571 on twos. This kid can score, averaging 11.8 on only 7.8 shots. He is probably too selective, we want him shooting more. He also passes well, 1.8 assists to .8 turnovers ratio. Kingz doesn’t rebound much, but at least he’s better than Bell. Still, he’s an average or slightly better defender.

Starling: We all have strong feelings about Starling, even if they’re mixed feelings. He’s really good at some things, really bad at others, but overall he’s a very good offensive player, and scored a lot of points last year for us. If he’s not forced to handle the ball every possession, I think he gets a lot more efficient. We had nobody this past year that was an ACC level point guard. We definitely have one in George next season. One thing I would point out is that Starling, as a sophomore, shot .360 from three in conference play, which was the last time he was able to regularly catch and shoot. Having even another decent combo guard next to him made him much more efficient.

George: George led the ACC in assists per game last season. He has four Points/Assists double doubles and a Points/Rebounds double double. Outside shot he’s going to get our first Syracuse triple double next season. Most of the time he’s on the court, he’ll be the third best defensive reminder, from the point guard position. George is the master of the lob pass. In his highlights, there were a few where it looked lucky it got through, and in the replay you see just how good of a pass it is. He throws it away sometimes, but overall, his turnovers are proactive in trying to create offense, not because he dribbled the ball off his knee or just can’t compete at this level. He’s a legit ball handler. Georgia Tech was a bad offensive team last year. Without George pushing the pace and seeing his teammates up, they would have been terrible. George definitely lost efficiency on his shooting because he was forced to shoot more than he wanted. Nobody else could do anything unless he set them up for a dunk. George assisted on 24.6% off all Georgia Tech’s baskets last year, and scored another 16.7%. His efficiency suffered as a result. George is decent at finishing, he could get better. He’ll appreciate having players who can shoot, drive, and catch the ball and finish next year.

If this turns out to be our starting lineup, I think we’ll be pretty good. Some great athletes, great length at center and power forward. Enough rebounding to effectively use the three guard lineup. We’ll have average to good defense, anchored by Kyle in the middle. The transfers are all even or plus defenders, and I think Freeman gets better with experience. But we’ll be really good on offense, with guys who can hit a three at four positions, and a point guard who can get them the ball when they are open. We’ll have three players who are plus at dribble penetration, and three guards who can pass well enough to get it to the big men who are very good finishing around the basket.

I’m really enthusiastic about the roster at this point. If we get a starter who can push Kyle to being first big off the bench, we look great.

Bigs: Freeman, Kyle, White, Transfer C, Transfer /C

Smalls: Starling, Kingz, George, Anthony, Fennell, Womack, Transfer G/.

Looks like a comfortable Tournament team, especially if the Transfer C is at the top of the depth chart.

Our offense and defense are going to be much better this year than last.

Tons of length at the top of zone.










Too soon?

 

[OrlandoCuse]

While this has the makings of a solid roster, our bench is currently entirely comprised of freshmen. I’d love to add at least two more players with experience to add depth. I’m just cautious with freshmen because it seems like it’s been a while since we’ve had a frosh come in and make an impact. Has there really been an impact freshmen since Lydon or Malachi?

 

[djcon57]

While this has the makings of a solid roster, our bench is currently entirely comprised of freshmen. I’d love to add at least two more players with experience to add depth. I’m just cautious with freshmen because it seems like it’s been a while since we’ve had a frosh come in and make an impact. Has there really been an impact freshmen since Lydon or Malachi?

Kadary, helped us get to sweet 16

 

[OttoinGrotto]

While this has the makings of a solid roster, our bench is currently entirely comprised of freshmen. I’d love to add at least two more players with experience to add depth. I’m just cautious with freshmen because it seems like it’s been a while since we’ve had a frosh come in and make an impact. Has there really been an impact freshmen since Lydon or Malachi?

Freeman, Judah, Bell even to some extent are very recent examples.

 

[OrlandoCuse]

Freeman, Judah, Bell even to some extent are very recent examples.

Yeah, but none have resulted in making the NCAAT or a run in the tournament. We used to bring in freshmen that made an impact and had significant roles contributing to the success of the team. It’s been a while since we’ve had a truly impactful freshman that led to the team’s success.

 

[OrlandoCuse]

Kadary, helped us get to sweet 16

Which is probably why we collectively lost our minds when he transferred

 

[althea]

While this has the makings of a solid roster, our bench is currently entirely comprised of freshmen. I’d love to add at least two more players with experience to add depth. I’m just cautious with freshmen because it seems like it’s been a while since we’ve had a frosh come in and make an impact. Has there really been an impact freshmen since Lydon or Malachi?

Mintz? Richmond? Freeman?

 

[Red Holzman]

Hope that one of the new players is capable of effectively filling the needed Alpha role.
Team needs an enforcer maintaining accountability for standards and work ethic.
That important component for success has been missing IMO -and should make Red's job easier.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Yeah, but none have resulted in making the NCAAT or a run in the tournament. We used to bring in freshmen that made an impact and had significant roles contributing to the success of the team. It’s been a while since we’ve had a truly impactful freshman that led to the team’s success.

Had Jesse stayed I think we'd look at Mintz differently.

 

[syrBossHogg]

With the rumblings about getting another center I wonder if Red is going back to having a platoon at the center position like JB did some seasons.

 

[orangefog]

With the rumblings about getting another center I wonder if Red is going back to having a platoon at the center position like JB did some seasons.

I hope we are looking at Stephen as C#3 and are also looking for a starting C along with a true shooting SF. That would be a serious squad.

 

[MikeSU02]

Yeah, but none have resulted in making the NCAAT or a run in the tournament. We used to bring in freshmen that made an impact and had significant roles contributing to the success of the team. It’s been a while since we’ve had a truly impactful freshman that led to the team’s success.

I get your point, but Donnie Freeman had Jacquan Carlos as his starting PG this year for a long time. And was next to an injured Eddie at the beginning of the year (again, Eddie couldn't walk without a limp).

On the whole, though, I do agree with you. It's tough to rely on frosh.

But we aren't finished rounding out the roster and I think it's a better bet to bank on them coming off the bench vs starting and carrying a big responsibility.

Honestly, my biggest worry is JJ and his 16 FGA/game. I like where we are at the moment against the goal of making the NCAAT.

 

[Scooch]

Need another big and shooter on wing in the top 7 rotation.

We could land the top of each and I still won’t be making any tournament predictions (except the Iggy thread, obviously) until I watch the first few games.

Agree. We’ve made some very good additions. But the roster isn’t finished yet. There are still a couple of big holes.

 

[dbrave]

I think there’s room for two other kids, a forward and a center. I’d rather they were two underclassmen to develop them and have some kind of continuity in the future

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I think there’s room for two other kids, a forward and a center. I’d rather they were two underclassmen to develop them and have some kind of continuity in the future

I have a hunch it's three.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Yeah, but none have resulted in making the NCAAT or a run in the tournament. We used to bring in freshmen that made an impact and had significant roles contributing to the success of the team. It’s been a while since we’ve had a truly impactful freshman that led to the team’s success.

Not many freshman move the needle when top 5 teams can grab the best upperclassmen in the portal. Rutgers went nowhere with the 2nd and 3rd best players in the class. Flagg was the only exception this year.

 

[dbrave]

Not many freshman move the needle when top 5 teams can grab the best upperclassmen in the portal. Rutgers went nowhere with the 2nd and 3rd best players in the class. Flagg was the only exception this year.

I would be drooling to have knueppel and maluach

 

[Red2003]

When can we get these guys all in CNY together? I like the Fran brown way. Take their car keys away and stick them in the dorms together this summer.

 

[dasher]

When can we get these guys all in CNY together? I like the Fran brown way. Take their car keys away and stick them in the dorms together this summer.

wouldn't this be a good year to go on a foreign trip?