Syracuse Basketball just lost three of its best contributors last year. How will the Orange respond? Inside the Loud House looks at who will most likely step up to fill that void and ranks the players on next season’s roster.
The Syracuse Basketball squad has a lot of new faces on next year’s roster. A few may still be added before the fall. The lone returning players are Matthew Moyer (who redshirted last year), Paschal Chukwu (who left after 5 games or so due to an eye injury), Tyus Battle, Taurean Thompson, and Frank Howard. Of those five, only three have gotten significant playing time: Howard, Thompson, and Battle.
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Does this mean Syracuse Basketball is in for another down year? Possibly, but the Orange may still add players like Jordan Tucker, a Top 100 small forward according to ESPN, and a couple grad transfers, making this team even better than it looks right now on paper.
Like last year, Syracuse Basketball may come in as sort of a question mark. The Orange may very well be a stacked team, but with very little experience playing together. It really depends what happens this summer before we’ll really have any idea what to expect this upcoming season.
Regardless of the possible changes this roster may go through in the coming months, Inside The Loud House ranked the players (as of right now) that will be on next year’s roster. In addition, we talk about the impact these players could have on the Orange’s chances to make it back to the NCAA tournament next season.
The hardest thing about ranking players for the next season is ranking those you haven’t seen yet. Howard Washington, a freshman guard, falls into that category. He doesn’t have a whole lot of video to showcase his talent. That means we’ll probably just have to wait until Orange Madness to truly find out what we’ll be getting from him.
In the meantime, take a look at the video above. In the video, you can see he has a decent jumper and gets into the lane for baskets with relative ease. I haven’t seen enough evidence of how well he can play at the point guard position yet, but he seems to be in the mold of Tyler Ennis.
He doesn’t seem like a selfish player looking to stuff his stats. Rather, he looks like a pass-first point guard who looks for his shot later, when its really needed. That unselfishness can go a long way in running an efficient offense.
If Frank Howard struggles early once again, and Washington can find a way to run the offense smoothly next year, then I think he could easily turn into the starter at point guard and move higher up this player rankings list. Right now though, it’s hard to tell what he can bring to the Orange. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Unlike Washington, Bourama Sidibe has a lot of videos highlighting his high school playing career. He is a super talented 6’10 forward, according to Maxpreps.com, who can block shots, dunk, rebound, and finish layups through contact in the post.
He may not be a top 100 recruit, but his potential is high. Some people may be angry at me for saying this, but he reminds me of Deshonte Riley. Riley was decent looking coming out of high school, but he struggled adjusting to the college game in a major conference. While Sidibe looks great, I do have my doubts that the scenario might repeat itself. I hope i’m wrong.
I think the fact that Sidibe will most likely match up against 7’2 Paschal Chukwu in practice next year (and this offseason) will help tremendously in helping him develop his overall game on offense and defense.
Until he proves his worth, much like Washington, its hard to rank him higher than this in our pre-summer player rankings for next year.
Matt Moyer looks super impressive to me. Coming out of high school, he displayed a silky jumper and an ability to drive the lane for layups. He looks to have a high ceiling, and if he puts it together he could be a star player alongside Syracuse’s other NBA hopefuls: Tyus Battle and Taurean Thompson. If he struggles, he might have a hard time getting off the bench. Remind you of Dajuan Coleman anyone?
Moyer had all last year and this offseason to train for his first full college season. He should be pretty familiar with what his job is in the 2-3 zone, and what his role is in the offense this upcoming year. I understand he’ll technically be a freshman, but i’ll have sophomore expectations of him. That may seem sort of harsh that I expect that sophomore boost in production and skill from him, but I think he’s more than capable of living up to that expectation.
Moyer is skilled enough to be huge for Syracuse Basketball next year, it really just matters if he can put it altogether. Here’s hoping he finds a way.
Oshae Brissett may not be in the ESPN or Scout’s Top 100, but he is more than able to be a huge star for however long he stays with Syracuse Basketball. Heck, our very own contributor, Zachary Weisleder, said just a few days ago why he could be game changer for the Orange. He has been highly touted and was just recently named the top Canadian High School Basketball player for last year. He even was invited to play in BioSteel, the Canadian’s version of the McDonald’s All-American Game.
Brissett has a pretty good all-around game. He is tall enough to alter shots, hit mid-range jumpers, drive the lane, and play good defense one-on-one because of his length. Like Moyer, he has the potential to be the player who gives Syracuse their version of a big three. He is still young, and has a lot to learn, but if he can learn fast and do as Boeheim asks, the spot is his in the rotation without a doubt.
Poor Chukwu. Last year, he missed most of the season because John Gillon hit him in the eye with a hard pass. This upcoming season, i’m sure he’s anxious to play and make up for lost time. Paschal Chukwu can be a huge difference maker in the center of the 2-3 zone Boeheim employs.
In his limited action last year, it was clear that Chukwu was great at getting offensive rebounds for extra possessions, and blocking shots. Standing at 7’2, according to ESPN.com, he is imposing to any player who meets him in the lane. He may not be the greatest offensive threat on the team by any means, but that will come in time. He can develop that over the next two seasons.
If he can be the defensive stopper we think he can be, and continue to grab lots of rebounds, Syracuse Basketball may be better next year than we think. Does that mean I think he’s going to be a star, no, but he does have prior experience at Providence before he transferred that gives him a leg up over others on this list behind him. A lot of other players may move past him on this list this season, but as of right now, previous college experience is what puts him fourth in these rankings.
Frank Howard is a mystery. In games that matter he struggles, but when its inferior opponents he shines. This trend needs to end this upcoming season.
A capable scorer who can hit a jumpshot now and then, he just needs to stop making silly mistakes. Howard is a tremendous passer when he looks to do so. However, he sometimes gets too excited and throws the possession away with a stupid mistake. Whether that’s a foul, a turnover, or a bad shot, he needs to find a way to stop costing the team possessions.
Howard has more experience than anyone else on this roster. As a junior, he is the oldest remaining player who’s played quality minutes. That’s pretty sad, but that’s where we stand as of right now. That’s not to say Syracuse won’t add some grad-transfers, they probably will, but until then, he is it in terms of veteran leadership.
Normally with as much experience playing as Howard has had, you’d think he’d be first in these rankings, but he’s not. The reason for this is that he has let other players like John Gillon, Tyus Battle, and Taurean Thompson in the past take his spot and minutes. Next year, he won’t have to worry about his spot in the rotation from the looks of it. That doesn’t mean he’s a starter either though. If Howard Washington, a freshman, comes in and outplays him early on in the season, I can easily see Boeheim giving him the starting point guard spot instead.
Howard is more than capable of keeping the starting point guard spot on this team, but he has to earn it. Once again, like Chukwu, his experience in college alone puts him at third in this list. If he improves, it will mean great things for Syracuse Basketball. If he struggles, then the Orange may be in for a long year.
Taurean Thompson was an excellent surprise last year. He was a Top 100 recruit coming out of high school, according to ESPN.com, but we still had our doubts. Just because you have talent doesn’t mean it always translates well to the college game.
The more the season went on, the better Thompson got. He is an excellent scorer and finisher in the post, and can sometimes block a shot or two. In the latter stages of last year he became one of the focal points of the offense, just like he will be next season. He is capable of scoring 20 points or more a night, no question, but the one thing holding him back is his defense.
Thompson got earfuls from Jim Boeheim last year as he time and time again missed guys going along the baseline of the zone, behind him, for layups and alley-oops. He always rotated back too late leading to easy points for opponents. Oftentimes, other teams would continue going back to Thompson’s matchup and expose it. That’s never a good thing.
Thompson can be a star, there’s no doubt in my mind. He is raw, but he knows how to score around the basket which pro scouts love. If he can fix his mistakes on defense and continue to impress with what seems like automatic mid-range jumpshots again next year, then he will hear his name heard in next year’s NBA Draft.
I wouldn’t go as far as to say he can be the top player on this list at any point next season, but I think he definitely is worthy of the two or three spot, no matter how well or how poorly he plays next year.
This kid excites me because he just looks like a star. Every time I watch film from this year of Tyus Battle I come away impressed. He reminds me a lot of Dwayne Wade in his prime and Dion Waiters now. Both are pro players capable of getting to the lane whenever they want. In addition, like those two, Battle can hit fadeaway jumpers and make it look like its nothing.
His pro potential on the offensive end is clear. Maybe that’s why it bothered me that he wasn’t showing up in mock NBA drafts a month or so ago.
On defense, Battle has good length and stays with his man well. The 2-3 zone definitely hides some of his defensive deficiencies, but its clear he can steal the ball well and rebound well from the wing. He is still developing skills passing the ball, but that will come with time.
Battle, like Tyler Lydon before him, had a great freshman year, and will have a lot of expectations on him to be the star of the team in his sophomore year. Unlike Lydon, who differed to others to take up the scoring load a lot, I think Battle can live up to the hype and expectations.
His skill and talent make him dangerous to any team who faces the Orange next season. If the Orange find a third or fourth consistent scorer outside of Taurean Thompson and himself, then Battle will face less double teams, and therefore probably excel next year. If not, it may be a rough year for Battle.
Next: Syracuse Basketball: Player Grades for the 2016-2017 Season
Any player can have a tough season if they are constantly being focused on, even if they are a star. However, I think Battle will surprise us, and someone will undoubtedly fill the void that was created when the graduates went off their own ways. If they do find a way, the Orange and Battle will most likely have a great year even with all the new faces in town.