Syracuse Basketball: Andrew White, final piece of Boeheim’s Army puzzle

Former Syracuse basketball star Andrew White is the final piece to the Boeheim’s Army puzzle. Here are all the details and what’s next.

***UPDATE**** Thanks to all the Syracuse basketball fans and Orange Nation around the world the addition is now official, former Syracuse basketball star Andrew White III has been added as the final piece to the Boeheim’s Army puzzle.

General manager of Boeheim’s Army Kevin Belbey provided an exclusive statement to Inside the Loud House on what this means to him and this team to see this support:

"“It means everything! Without the demand by the fans for Boeheim’s Army, we wouldn’t even qualify for TBT. Our team belongs to the fans, and they are an equal part of this giant nostalgia trip we go on each summer.”"

To make the addition official, Boeheim’s Army needed over 3,000 supporters to add another player after the June deadline (to avoid paying a fine/fee).

Make that an even 10 players to round out the Boeheim’s Army roster ahead of The Basketball Tournament:

• Brandon Triche
• John Gillon
• Eric Devendorf
• Jordan Crawford
• Chris McCullough
• Arinze Onuaku
• Hakim Warrick
• Darryl ‘Mookie’ Watkins
• Michael Gbinije

AW3 has long been a target for Boeheim’s Army.

General manager Kevin Belbey explained his full process of putting the roster together with some behind the scenes details, click here if you’d like to read it.

One of the things Kevin thinks about before reaching out to a potential player is his current professional status. He wants to be respectful and usually, players won’t consider Boeheim’s Army until they’re a year removed from the NBA.

Which is right on course with Andrew White’s timeline, he last played for the Atlanta Hawks during the 2017-18 season.

After enough recruiting from Belbey, Boeheim’s Army players, and yes even Jim and Juli Boeheim, AW3 finally joined the squad:

"“I even heard from Coach Boeheim, who I hadn’t heard from in a while, and I got a text from Miss Juli,” White said via Donna Ditota of Syracuse.com. “At the end of the day, I talked to so many of the guys and it meant so much to so many players and I just wanted to go and help my school. Everyone has been so good to me in the year I was there and the two years since.”"

https://twitter.com/BoeheimsArmy/status/1152299750290595840

This adds a veteran presence who can shoot the long ball with ease. During his lone season on the hill, AW3 broke the single-season three-point record that SU legend Gerry McNamara set in the early to mid-2000s.

The other important reason for adding a 10th player to Boeheim’s Army is depth.

If injuries occur, Syracuse is going to need someone to step up to the plate. For example, Brandon Triche is battling a bone bruise and GM Kevin Belbey says it’s “unlikely” that he’ll play next weekend, per Donna Ditota of Syracuse.com.

While first-time Boeheim’s Army player Chris McCullough is still involved with his professional team in the Philippines. Depending on how his team does in the playoffs, he could be available for Boeheim’s Army next week.

Part of Kevin Belbey’s pitch to a guy like Carmelo Anthony was the exposure that is available through The Basketball Tournament. The same is true for a guy like Andrew White III.

AW3 just spent the last couple of weeks in the NBA Summer League with the New York Knicks. Perhaps a promising showing with Boeheim’s Army could result in White getting back to the NBA this fall.