Syracuse Basketball Player Profiles: The Starting Five

Feb 7, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Syracuse Orange guard Michael Gbinije (0) handles the ball as Pittsburgh Panthers guard Chris Jones (12) defends during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Pittsburgh won 83-77. Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Gbinije

"“I think Mike has grown as much or more than any player I’ve ever coached… I thought last year he really started to show what he could do, and I think he still didn’t get to where he is now because I don’t think he really believed, like, I’m one of the best players in this league. And he needs to have that attitude, and I think he has it now. He’s improved his shooting skills, his ball handling skills, which is obviously why he could be in that position.” -Jim Boeheim"

You’re all probably familiar by now with how I feel about Gbinije. If not, I think the kid is an absolute stud. He showed us last year just how versatile he can be. He led the team in three-point percentage. He was third in scoring, second in assists, third in rebounds, and third in steals. He was the swiss army knife for a Cuse team that desperately needed it.

Gbinije spent some of his summer as a member of the Nigerian National Team. He played in the African Basketball tournament (AfroBasket 2015) and helped lead Nigeria to it’s first ever tournament title and a berth in the Olympics next summer. His role was first man off the bench, three-point specialist, and defensive stopper. Again, he was like the swiss army knife of the team.

The scary part is that as a college senior, he was holding his own against NBA and Euro-League veterans. His defense was top notch, his quickness routinely caught other teams off guard, and his explosive athleticism was a thing of beauty. Just look at this ridiculous, nasty, one-handed dunk he threw down.

This year, I expect Gbinije to take an even bigger role in the offense. He’ll be playing a lot of point guard, but will also rotate between the two and three as well. He will be a matchup nightmare for other teams. Against guards, he can use his size to elevate over defenders for easy looks from deep. At small forward, he can use his quickness and first step to beat just about anyone off the dribble. Now if only he could make his free throws!

I think Gbinije will end up averaging about 18 points a game this year. I think he will be one of the biggest surprises in the entire ACC and will earn All-ACC honors. I think this season will elevate his draft stock substantially and I fully expect him to be on an NBA team next year at this time.

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