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Syracuse Basketball: Where is Howard Washington? (mailbag)

By Paul A. Esden Jr.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 06: Howard Washington #10 of the Syracuse Orange drives to the basket against the defense of Tyler Kidd #0 of the Eastern Washington Eagles during the second half at the Carrier Dome on November 06, 2018 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 06: Howard Washington #10 of the Syracuse Orange drives to the basket against the defense of Tyler Kidd #0 of the Eastern Washington Eagles during the second half at the Carrier Dome on November 06, 2018 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images) /
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Walt Matthews: Do you see Joe Girard III taking over at point if Jalen Carey is a bust? Will Howard Washington get a chance? Who of the two is more suited to start?

Paul ‘Boy Green’ Esden:

"Thanks for this question Walt, it’s a perfect reason to give a shameless plug to my column from a few days ago (why it’s time for JG3 to be the new point guard which you can read here wink). To some that column I mentioned above seems over-reactionary to just one game, but it goes beyond that. Jalen Carey struggles with senseless turnovers and no one touches the ball more than the point guard, that’s a recipe for disaster. Carey is talented and I don’t think he should be thrown into the pit of misery and be forgotten about. Hopefully, he can get out of this rut he’s in and the good news is he won’t face that stingy Cavaliers defense every week. If Jalen turns the ball over, Jim Boeheim isn’t going to stick with him. Will he turn to a freshman in Joe Girard III? In a one-game sample size, he’s gone with JG3 at the point. That to me is very telling. Howard Washington we answered a bit earlier, but I think he’s talented enough to get some run, I just think he’s suffocating under all the guys ahead of him. Back to Joe Girard for a moment, he has handles, he can shoot from deep and create his own shot. We have to see how he sets up his teammates because if he can do that consistently, he will be the point guard for the Orange."

Neil Adler:

"Walt, this is an awesome question, as the point-guard position is understandably a cause of concern for head coach Jim Boeheim, his assistants, and all Syracuse fans out there. It’s true that sophomore Jalen Carey has proven a bit turnover-prone in his young career, although in the ugly loss to Virginia, Carey and Girard had similar stat lines. If Boeheim thinks that Carey is his best option at this juncture, then I believe he’s got to give Carey some time to display his talents. Carey is extremely fast, and he’s got a knack for getting to the rim. He simply needs more game experience. Girard will get his minutes, as will fellow freshman Brycen Goodine. Frankly, I feel that in some ways, junior Howard Washington may ultimately prove the best option, because he’s a pass-first floor leader, and the Orange has plenty of additional scoring threats, like sophomore guard Buddy Boeheim and redshirt junior forward Elijah Hughes."

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