Syracuse Basketball is Completely Off the Radar

Syracuse basketball comes into this season unranked, unheralded, and unknown. The expectations for this team are basically non-existent to many fans, coaches, and the media. It means there will be very little pressure on this team which will be a huge help to them in close games or games against ranked opponents. It may also light a fire under them that they have gotten so little respect.

The question remains, do they deserve any respect?

In my opinion, they certainly do. Let’s consider what they lost from last year’s team and then we’ll talk about what they’ve gained this year.

To be honest, the losses were pretty huge. The team lost All-American Rakeem Christmas, who led them in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots, and field goal percentage. They also lost McCullough, who averaged nine points and seven rebounds before getting injured. Ron Patterson and BJ Johnson both transferred. Those four combined to play over 1,500 minutes last year.

Mar 2, 2015; Syracuse, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange forward Rakeem Christmas (25) is pressured by the defense of Virginia Cavaliers forward Darion Atkins (5) and forward Anthony Gill (13) during the first half of a game at the Carrier Dome. Photo by: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Christmas had one of the most dominant seasons for any center to ever play for Syracuse basketball. McCullough showed flashes of brilliance before being injured. Both ended up being drafted into the NBA in the first 40 picks. Clearly, they lost some amazing talent from last year.

Even Johnson and Patterson had their moments. In SU’s first game of the season, Johnson scored 19 points and had nine rebounds and four assists. Later in the year against Notre Dame, he scored 19 again to help SU to a huge upset. Patterson was an absolutely horrible shooter at 17.3% from three-point range and an abysmal 31% overall. However, he was a tenacious defender and the team’s best defensive perimeter player.

Those are some substantial losses. Let’s not discount that.

The gains though, are very nice as well. Syracuse pulled in a top-10 recruiting class with Malachi Richardson, Tyler Lydon, and Franklin Howard. Richardson was the New Jersey player of the year. Lydon is the rare stretch-four who can shoot, drive, rebound, block shots, and is super athletic. Howard is another solid shooter who also handles the ball well.

All three will have an opportunity to log minutes on this team, and I think they are all ready for it. I asked Coach Hopkins who he thought has been the biggest surprise at practice so far, and his answer was the entire freshman class. Boeheim backed this up at Syracuse media day earlier this week.

"“They’re very advanced as freshmen. I’m comfortable starting them or playing them a lot of minutes. … When you have nine guys, they’re all going to play. They’re all going to get opportunities in games. When you have 12 (players), guys don’t get an opportunity to play.” -Jim Boeheim on the Freshman Class"

The team is also getting Dajuan Coleman back after basically two years worth of knee injuries. Coleman is the critical piece to this year’s puzzle. They win or lose by him. Coleman has finally finished his rehab and has been given the ok to play, and has looked very solid in practice so far.

Obviously, you don’t play in two years, you’re going to be a little rusty. He’s rusty, but he’s up and down the court. We haven’t rested him. We haven’t changed anything. We haven’t made it easy. He’s been at practice every day full speed.” -Boeheim on Coleman

Boeheim has been optimistic on Coleman as well. Although rusty, he’s shown tremendous improvement over the past couple years. He’s leaner, faster, and more agile than he was as a bulky freshman. He’s also finally learning that he doesn’t have to put the ball on the floor every time he touches it in the post. He’s also increased his defensive tenacity, which is critical for SU. The only way the zone is effective is if you have a big man in the middle who can clog up the lane and not get into foul trouble. We’ll have to see how good Coleman can be at staying out of foul trouble, but he’s definitely much more aware and active in the zone this year in practice than he ever has been.

There are two other factors that no one talks about, but make a huge impact on the season. The first actually relates to Coleman as well as Chinonso Obokoh. And that would be the 7’2 monster known as Pachal Chukwu. Although he might not be eligible this year, do you have any idea how huge an impact it is having a guy that big and long to go up against in practices? As a certain Syracuse “celebrity” would say, that’s HUGE.

Syracuse basketball has the potential of playing against 21 players that are 6’11 or taller. 19 of those 21 are at least 7 feet. The team’s on Syracuse’s schedule are not lacking for size, that’s for sure. Keep in mind, these 21 also don’t include the teams we might face in the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Having the gigantic size of Chukwu is a huge benefit to the other centers on the roster. Although not eligible to play in games this year, Chukwu can practice with the team on a daily basis. He’s also, as most young big men are, a much better defender than an offensive player. That makes him the perfect compliment to this current team. He’s able to use his size and length against Coleman and Obokoh, which will help prepare them for this season.

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The other crucial factor to this season is the growth of the rest of the players from last season to this one. For instance, Micheal Gbinije played for Team Nigeria in AfroBasket 2015, and helped lead them to the title and a berth in the 2016 Olympics. Not only that, but he was one of the better players in the whole tournament. He averaged almost eight points a game and was one of the best defenders on the floor. He routinely came off the bench and extended the lead with his tireless effort on both ends of the court.

Kaleb Joseph played for Team East Coast USA in France, where he was one of the leaders. He scored 23 points in a victory over the French All-Star team, and showed off his vastly improved shooting touch, as well as an oustanding ability to get to the rim and score in traffic. Even Boehim has been impressed with Kaleb, stating: “He’s a much better player than he was last year. He’s really improved his shooting, which is the biggest surprise at this stage.”

Both Tyler Roberson and Chinonso Obokoh have added about 15 solid pounds of muscle to their frames, and it shows. They both look like they won’t be getting out-muscled by anyone on the glass or in the post this year.

Trevor Cooney spent the off-season working tirelessly in Delaware and Syracuse to improve his shooting, footwork, and stamina. He also took some time to heal his ailing back, which was at least somewhat accountable for his lackluster finish to last season. Most people forget the incredible load that was put on him last year as the team’s only volume three-point shooter.

A lot can be said about the growth of any team, but I truly feel that almost everyone on this team has made abig step forward in progression. I expect both Cooney and Gbinije to be up for All-ACC honors. Don’t be surprised if Roberson or Coleman sniff that list as well. I think Kaleb Joseph will be in the conversation for most improved player. I could even see Richardson or Lydon up for rookie of the year if things fall into place.

The bottom line is, this team lost a lot, but gained even more. They filled their most glaring weakness last year (three-point shooting) with a plethora of options from outside. They’ve at least plugged the gap that Christmas left in the middle, and even if Coleman isn’t half as dominant as Rak was, that’s still not half bad.

Syracuse basketball is going to surprise a lot of people this year. I’d be surprised if they didn’t win at least 20-22 games. I think they can do even better. A lot rides on Coleman and his knees, but if he can stay healthy I think they’ll be dancing in March and maybe even into April.

Next: What Kind of Impact will the Freshman Have?

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