Syracuse Basketball Player Profiles: The Starting Five

Feb 24, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; Syracuse Orangemen guard Trevor Cooney (10) takes a shot against Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Steve Vasturia (32) at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center. Photo Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Trevor Cooney

Cooney is coming off his worst shooting year, after finishing at just 30.9% from three-point range and only 35.9% overall. Though plagued by back problems the last third of the season, Cooney still took way too many bad shots. He averaged over 7 three-pointers a game. When you’re only making less than 31%, that’s a lot of possessions lost.

Trevor spent the offseason back in his hometown in Delaware, working endlessly on his game. He tried to focus on his shooting stroke, mobility, mid-range game, and first step. He spent countless hours in his old high school gym practicing shooting drills, cone drills, and catch and release drills.

Cooney has been a tireless worker ever since he arrived at SU. His routine rarely falters and he is normally the first one in the gym for practice and the last one to leave. He puts in an extra 20-30 minutes of shooting just about every single day. It’s rare to see someone as driven as Cooney is, but it’s his passion and what he loves to do.

"“Trevor’s ability to impact the game exceeds his ability to shoot. I think one of the things he’s always done well is defend and he continues to do that. But we’ve seen in the past that he can put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. He can use the dribble and use his pull-up jump shot…Regardless of what he does from the perimeter, he’s always going to be defended as if he’s doing something from the perimeter. I think it opens up other opportunities for him to impact the basketball game.” -Gerry McNamara"

This year will be incredibly important for Trevor. He’s now the big man on campus, and after a disappointing junior year, he’s ready to rebound and show why Gerry McNamara has called him one of the best shooters he’s ever seen. Aside from just a shooter, McNamara points out that Trevor is an excellent ball handler and can also attack the rim at times. We also know he’s a good mid-range shooter, as he hit many 15-18 footers last year.

I predict that Cooney will have a much better shooting year, somewhere around 40% from three-point range. He’ll continue to be an excellent defender and will end up averaging about 15 points a game. He might never be considered as clutch as McNamara, but he will prove this year that being labeled as one of Syracuse’s best ever shooters is completely accurate.

Next: Ga-ben-gee? Ga-bi-ni-gee? How about just Silent G