Syracuse basketball wouldn’t be where they’re without Elijah Hughes. Now it’s time for the rest of the ACC to start paying attention.
At 12-7 (5-3 Atlantic Coast), Syracuse basketball has primed itself for a chance to hear their name called when CBS reveals the 2020 NCAA Tournament Bracket on March 15.
Overall, it’s been a team effort for the Orange to get to this point, after a dismal 8-7 start to the season. However, four wins later, and we now have an Orange team making strides up the ACC standings, and starting to appear on the national radar ever so slightly.
One key cog in this run that can’t go unnoticed has been the play of Elijah Hughes.
The junior guard is averaging an ACC-best 19.7 points per game, to go along with over five rebounds per game and just above four assists per game.
Over the past four games, those numbers have been even more remarkable, as Hughes is averaging 20 points per game, 6.8 boards per game, and 3 assists per game, to go along with 1.5 steals, and just 9 turnovers.
To put this even more into context, Hughes is often the No. 1 focus of the opposing team and is forced to play most of, if not, every single minute of each game, due to the reoccurring injuries that have hit Syracuse this season.
The leader of this young Orange team definitely does this by example, as he’s already played 40 minutes (or 45 in the case of an overtime contest against Notre Dame) in 12 of the Orange’s 19 games. Hughes is playing efficiently as well, shooting 44% from the field, and a tad under 40% from three-point range, proving he is capable of playing as a high-volume scorer.
With all of this being said, Hughes somehow gets lost in the mix of ACC greatness. While Duke’s Cassius Stanley and Louisville’s Jordan Nwora have been fantastic players on teams that albeit have a better record than Syracuse, Hughes is no slouch.
His play on the court and leadership off the court has been a big reason that the Orange have been able to turn the season around, which often goes unnoticed. Elijah deserves serious consideration for ACC Player of the Year honors.
After Syracuse’s most recent win over Notre Dame, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim had some words to say about Hughes, and Notre Dame’s John Mooney – another player who is often overshadowed by the flashier players in the ACC:
"“I would like to say if John Mooney is not one of the Top 25 players in the country, then I don’t know anything about college basketball. Literally nothing. It is absolutely a joke that he’s not one of the Top 25. I was just going to say that, but I’ll mention Elijah Hughes is pretty good too. Think there have been two players in the last 20 or 30 years that have averaged 20 points, four rebounds and four assists per game. I think they are both in the NBA, first pick in the draft. (Markelle) Fultz and the other guy is an all-pro. What’s he’s doing has been remarkable for us. What Mooney has done has been absolutely remarkable.”"
Those are certainly some amazing remarks from Boeheim, that both Hughes and Mooney should take to heart. Mooney, the big man for Notre Dame, is amazing an astounding 16 points and 14 rebounds per game, for a Mike Brey coached team that is right in the thick of things in the ACC.
The article Boeheim is referring to, is from John Gassaway, on who he would rank as the top 25 players throughout the first two months of the 2019-20 college basketball season.
Both Hughes and Mooney were left off the list.
However, ACC players that were included, were Vernon Carey (Duke), Jordan Nwora (Louisville), and Tre Jones (Duke). While those three players have certainly been great in their own ways, it seems odd to leave out the conference’s leading scorer, and a guy who is averaging double-digit points and rebounds by a long shot.
Of course, Gassaway has the right to his own opinion. In a year where there are so many quality teams and players, it’s challenging to cut players down to just the top 25 for a list.