Syracuse Basketball: What Did We Learn from the LeMoyne Game?

Box Score

Syracuse basketball played it’s first exhibition game of the season against LeMoyne last night in the Carrier dome. Syracuse won the game 97-58 thanks to some solid three point shooting and a balanced attack on offense. Five players scored in double figures for Syracuse to lead them to the blowout win.

Although it was only an exhibition game against a Division II opponent, there is still a lot we can take away from this game as we prepare for the new season.

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The first and probably most important thing to take note of is the return of Dajuan Coleman. Coleman got off to a rough start in the first half, scoring only two points and looking rather rusty. At one point he threw a cross-court pass about 15 feet over the heads of any player on the court.

He picked up his play in the second half as he got more comfortable and looked very good at times. He finished with 15 points and seven rebounds in just 29 minutes. If he can be anywhere close to that efficient all season, this team will be miles better than anyone expected.

Again, it was only an exhibition game against a team in an entirely different division of college basketball, but it was promising to see him play as well as he did. His knees held up fine and there was never a time where he was laboring on the court. He also looked very good in the middle of the zone. He clogged up the lane nicely and was a huge presence down low.

Michael Gbinije played a great game as well. He connected on 5-10 three pointers and finished with 21 points and 4 assists. He looked completely in control all game and was very smooth both on and off the ball. Although I would have liked to see him drive to the hoop more, he made his shots and was left relatively open on most of his looks. It only made sense that he would take the open threes.

Syracuse Basketball vs. LeMoyne: Malachi Richardson hits a three pointer in the first half. Photo credit: David Stone, Fansided

The other bright spot on the offensive end was Malachi Richardson. I was at the game and let me tell you, this kid is a stud. He was an absolute playmaker on both ends of the court. He nailed three three-pointers in a span of two minutes in the first half and also made a number of excellent passes. At one point in the second half he threw a gorgeous alley oop to Michael Gbinije who just couldn’t quite flush it down, but the pass was a thing of beauty. His vision is definitely better than I expected.

Richardson was also fantastic defensively, grabbing seven rebounds and a couple steals. He was incredibly quick and showed off a very impressive vertical on some of his rebounds, skying over LeMoyne players with ease. I knew he was athletic, but I had no idea he was that athletic. If he keeps up this intensity all season, he could be another one and done for Syracuse basketball. Only time will tell, and I certainly hope he sticks around, but he has a ton of potential and a diverse skill set.

The other two freshman, Franklin Howard and Tyler Lydon, played solid as well. Lydon was flying all over the court on both ends. He had six points, six rebounds, three assists, and three blocks. Five of those rebounds were offensive as he continually out-hustled LeMoyne on the boards.

Howard looked good himself, chipping in ten points, three assists, and three steals. He showed some excellent quickness on the ball on offense, and also showed off his range as he also nailed a three. On defense he routinely picked off passes from Lemoyne and was tenacious at the top of the zone. His ability to read the passing lanes was great for a freshman.

Syracuse basketball vs. LeMoyne: Kaleb Joseph goes up for a layup in the first half. Photo credit: David Stone, Fansided

Kaleb Joseph showed some flashes of his potential as well. Although he had a number of bonehead plays, he made up for it with some nice drives into the paint and even hit two three-pointers himself. If he can shoot relatively consistently from the outside that would make this team even scarier.

He still has some work to do on his decision-making. There were several times he charged into double and triple teams and put up a wild shot or made a bad pass. Hopefully Boeheim can reign him in and get him to be a little more under control because if he can do that, Kaleb can be quite good this year.

Tyler Roberson played a typical Roberson game. He grabbed eight points and 10 rebounds in just 24 minutes. His work in the weight room was very clear as he continually out-jumped and out-muscled LeMoyne for rebounds. He’s certainly not the skinny beanpole he was last year. He didn’t get much of a chance to showcase his offense, but he looked solid down low and will be a force on the glass all year.

Syracuse basketball vs. LeMoyne: Trevor Cooney shoots a three pointer over the LeMoyne defense. Photo credit: David Stone, Fansided

Trevor Cooney had a very quiet game. He didn’t make a three pointer and ended up with eight points, five rebounds, and five assists. Although his shot wasn’t there, this looked like a more mature Cooney. He finally doesn’t have to jack up a three every time he touches the ball, and his progression as an overall player is clearly apparent. He made a number of outstanding passes and was his usual tenacious self on defense. If he can play within himself all season, his shots will start to fall and he will have a very productive year.

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The only one left to talk about is Chinonso Obokoh. Chino played 11 minutes in the game and didn’t contribute much. He had a couple of steals and a block on defense and that was about it.

He did look a lot bulkier and played some solid defense down low, but we will need a bigger sample size to make any kind of analysis on if he’s improved from last year.

Overall, it was a very solid effort from Syracuse. Although the defense was a bit shaky at times, the offense continually bailed them out with threes and put backs. Syracuse ended up with 12 three pointers in the game, two more than they made in any game last year. They also grabbed 21 offensive rebounds against a clearly outmatched LeMoyne squad.

Boeheim said it was going to be a more perimeter oriented team this year and he wasn’t kidding. But hey, as long as they’re making them, that’s what matters. A jump shooting team just won the NBA championship, so it’s certainly possible to be successful doing it with the right group of guys.

I know it’s only a preseason game, but I loved what I saw. The offense looks so much more dynamic. It’s no longer just dumping it to Christmas in the post and praying he gets the shot off before being triple teamed. Now, they have options who can score from anywhere on the court. I think this team can really take the ACC by storm, and I’d be very surprised if they aren’t one of the better teams in the conference by season’s end.

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