Syracuse Basketball: 5 Reasons SU Men Win a Championship

Senior Leadership

Michael Gbinije didn’t have a great game against Virginia. He scored just 11 points, went 4-13 from the field, 0-4 from 3-point range, and 3-6 from the free throw line. He did however manage six assists and four rebounds. He also was blanketed and mauled the entire game by several Virginia defenders. I don’t want to say the officials missed some calls but… well, yes they did. They missed a lot, especially in the first half.

Every time Gbinije drove to the hoop he was getting bumped, shoved, and hit on the arms as he shot with no calls. It was frustrating as a fan to watch, but Gbinije kept his cool and stayed calm and collected. He made nice passes, he grabbed some key rebounds, and he picked up a couple steals. He played like a senior. Even having an off day, he was a key for the Orange.

Trevor Cooney also had a tough day, and for similar reasons. He went just 4-11 from the field and only took one single 3-pointer. The smothering defense of Virginia certainly contributed. Often times this season, Cooney would just chuck up wild shots when he wasn’t playing well offensively, but not against Virginia.

He too played calm, cool, and under control. He didn’t have a single turnover all game, and he recorded an impressive four steals, two of them during SU’s crucial run in the last 10 minutes of the game. He showed tons of leadership and poise and finally seeemed to understand that even if he wasn’t “on” offensively, he could still contribute. I saw a lot of growth from Cooney this tournament. He’s not just trying to be the hero. He’s deferring when he needs to and trusting his teammates. It’s a huge reason we are in the Final Four.

These two seniors may not have been the high scorers every game this tournament, but they have absolutely been the catalysts to Syracuse success. They’ve calmed their teammates down when things weren’t going well (Gonzaga, Virginia), they’ve amped up the team when they needed the energy, and they’ve lead with a smothering perimeter defense that has been the driving force behind SU’s overall success.

It’s going to be crucial that they continue to lead by example, especially against UNC. They will be going up against another senior in the backcourt who is playing lights well in the tournament in Marcus Paige. Paige might not be the All-American that he was predicted to be in the preseason, but he’s still been an excellent point guard and a big part of UNC’s success.

It will be up to Gbinije and Cooney to contain Paige and keep us on the path to victory. But it’s not just the seniors that we’ll need to play well…

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