Syracuse Basketball: Top 50 Players in School History (40-36)
By Josh Peelman
#36: Michael Gbinije
Guard: 2013-2016
Michael Gbinije is one of the few players on this list that didn’t start his career in Orange. After one year at Duke, Gbinije transferred to SU where his college career would take off. A Top 100 player coming out of high school, Syracuse expected he would be good, and he was.
Due to the lack of decent point guards on the roster, Gbinije served much of Orange career at the point rather than at shooting guard or small forward where he technically belonged. As a result, Gbinije learned how to play point so well that by senior year he was the starting point guard for Syracuse Basketball. He became not only just a great scorer, especially at penetrating the lane, but but also a decent jump shooter and passer.
Gbinije’s numbers rose the longer he stayed at Syracuse. His sophomore year, his first in Orange he scored 3.4 points and had 1.2 assists per game, according to Basketball-Reference.com. By the end of his senior season he scored 17.5 points, and dished out 4.3 assists per game. In addition, during his three-year stint in Orange, he accumulated 1,144 points, which put him 51st All-Time on SU’s scoring list, according to Orangehoops.org.
| Season | College | G | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | FG% | 3P% | FT% | PTS | TRB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | SYRACUSE | 34 | 60 | 41 | 25 | 7 | 116 | .380 | .349 | .646 | 3.4 | 1.8 | 1.2 |
| 2014-15 | SYRACUSE | 30 | 150 | 107 | 56 | 10 | 381 | .460 | .392 | .571 | 12.7 | 5.0 | 3.6 |
| 2015-16 | SYRACUSE | 37 | 151 | 159 | 70 | 13 | 647 | .461 | .392 | .663 | 17.5 | 4.1 | 4.3 |
| Career | 120 | 377 | 310 | 154 | 31 | 1177 | .454 | .388 | .639 | 9.8 | 3.1 | 2.6 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table– Generated 4/23/2017.
Although Gbinije was talented, the thing I loved most about watching him play was the smile he always had on. You could really tell he enjoyed the game and you could see it through the way he played.
Next: Syracuse Basketball: Top 50 Players in School History (45-41)
The good news to all this is his dreams came true when he became the 49th pick by the Detroit Pistons in the second round of the 2016 NBA Draft, according to ESPN.com. He has yet to play a minute for them, but here’s hoping someday soon he gets a chance to shine, much the way he did while In Central New York. Gbinije is a perfect example of someone who doesn’t need a full career somewhere to leave a legacy behind.