Syracuse Basketball: Jim Boeheim expects freshmen to have major impact

Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim expects the incoming freshmen class to have a major impact in year one. Here are the details.

Jim Boeheim is 74-years old and has been at the helm of the Syracuse basketball squad for over 43 years. During that time we’ve learned a few things about Jim including but not limited too: he usually operates with a tight rotation, often Jim can be stuck in his ways, and freshmen aren’t given anything.

With all of that being considered, it didn’t initially seem like all of the incoming freshmen for the Orange would be major contributors for the Orange in 2019.

That couldn’t be further from the truth according to Boeheim. He recently spoke about a variety of topics on MSG 150 with Bill Pidto and former SU legend John Wallace and said this via Chris Carlson of Syracuse.com:

"“We think we have five freshmen that can help us. … We think our freshmen are going to help us. We have a really good sophomore class and a couple really good juniors. I like the make up of our team. We kind of struggled a little bit up and down the last two years. I think this team has a chance to be really good. It’s just a question of our backcourt will be freshman and sophomores and we’ll see how they adjust to college basketball. Some freshmen step in right away and they’re able to do it. Other freshmen sometimes need a year. We’re hoping these guys are ready to step in.”"

The more you think about it, the more sense it makes. At an absolute minimum Syracuse is replacing three of their five starters from last year in Tyus Battle, Frank Howard, and Paschal Chukwu. That could also include Oshae Brissett if he decides to play professional basketball.

The only man still standing after all of that would be Elijah Hughes.

Which means several of those incoming freshmen could have major roles on the 2019-20 Syracuse basketball squad:

• Brycen Goodine
  • Perhaps the most underrated prospect for the Orange heading into 2019. A four-star prospect who can bring a level of nasty to the Cuse. He plans on getting to that 200-pound mark before the start of the season to add some bulk. Perhaps a reason he has slipped under the radar is the timing of his commitment (first member of the class of 2019 to commit), people have forgotten?.
• Joe Girard III
  • JG3 is the most hyped Syracuse prospect we’ve received in a very long time and for good reason. He scores a lot of points, wins state titles in football and basketball, he’s just an uber-competitor and that energy will be infectious next season.
• Quincy Guerrier
  • Quincy could be a starter next to Hughes next season for the Orange. Or Jim Boeheim could go the veteran route and start a Marek Dolezaj in the other forward spot. Either way, Quincy is going to get a ton of playing time next season.
• Jesse Edwards
  • Jesse Edwards is from the Netherlands and not a lot of Syracuse fans know what to expect from him. He’s an incredibly intriguing talent, but it’s the wait-and-see game. If Bourama Sidibe can come back healthy, he’s your starting center and the young guys can develop instead of being thrown out there.

• John Bol Ajak
  • There’s a lot of talk around Bol Ajak. Some analysts say he could be a unique weapon for the Orange with his ability to stroke it from deep. If he makes deep shots at his size that would space the floor for the rest of the offense.