Syracuse Basketball: Player Grades vs. Lehigh

Nov 13, 2015; Syracuse, NY, USA; Lehigh Mountain Hawks center Tim Kempton (32) controls the ball against the defense of Syracuse Orange center DaJuan Coleman (32) and guard Malachi Richardson (23) during the first half at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse defeated Lehigh 57-47. Photo Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Dajuan Coleman- 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 turnover, 4 fouls, 13 minutes

This was not the start we were looking for out of Dajuan Coleman. To say he looked rusty is an understatement. He was almost constantly out of position on the defensive end of the court. He gave up numerous back door passes to open layups. He continually bit on pump fakes, and was slow to move his feet.

He also picked up four quick fouls in his 13 minutes of action and just never looked comfortable. He looked to be laboring up and down the court at times and it was not a good sign.

On offense, he was pretty much non-existant. For a guy as big as him, he should be posting up on every play and demanding the ball. Even if he’s not going to go up with it, his size would require Lehigh to bring help inside, thus opening things up from the outside. Unfortunately, he just didn’t look comfortable on that end, and aside from a dunk off a beautiful feed from Gbinije, he did nothing offensively.

I give Dajuan Coleman a D overall. It would have been an F, but I’m not sure it’s fair to be too harsh on a guy who has barely set foot on a college court the past two years. I will say that he still has a long way to go if he is going to be a big contributor on this team. Currently, I think he’s more of a liability than Obokoh, and that’s a scary thought. Let’s hope he’s just shaking the rust off and can bounce back in the games to come.