Syracuse Basketball: Too much depth, ironically, seemed to sting Orange

Syracuse basketball is apparently in the midst of a sizable roster make-over, and how that affects the next season and beyond comes into focus.

Before the 2019-20 campaign began in earnest for Syracuse basketball, a lot of conversation centered around the Orange’s significant depth. The ‘Cuse possessed the full allotment of 13 scholarship players, and that got me and many other Syracuse fanatics excited.

Well, that completely stocked line-up is now reportedly paving way to a bunch of defections, and what the Orange’s catalog will look like in the fall remains unclear.

Heading into 2019-20, the ‘Cuse boasted five guards. For much of the recently concluded term, starters Joe Girard III, a freshman, and Buddy Boeheim, a sophomore, received the bulk of the minutes.

Since that duo is expected to have another two stanzas together, freshman guard and former top-100 recruit Brycen Goodine is leaving for Big East Conference member Providence. Best of luck, Brycen!

What’s more, it appears that two additional guards, sophomore Jalen Carey and junior Howard Washington, are on their way out as well. The status of whether redshirt junior forward Elijah Hughes will turn pro is up in the air, and there’s talk that sophomore forward Robert Braswell could also leave the Hill.

In the blink of an eye, it’s feasible that Syracuse will shift from having as many as a half-dozen guards in 2020-21 to just three, including new recruit Kadary Richmond.

Let’s face it, though. Six guards are untenable. At least one or two guys would ultimately bolt.

Goodine said in several articles that he has enjoyed his short tenure in Central New York, but he simply wants the opportunity to get more run.

"Michael McCleary of The Daily Orange wrote in a piece about Washington that head coach Jim Boeheim acknowledged an over-recruitment at the guard spot going into 2019-20, “because the coaching staff was unaware of Washington’s plans.”"

So the depth that the ‘Cuse encompassed a few months ago is withering. Since Goodine’s decision to transfer broke on Friday, I’ve read a slew of comments from Syracuse faithful about Boeheim, saying his preference to utilize a short rotation led to these developments.

Maybe that’s true. And, yes, Boeheim often does limit his rotation to between six and eight players. In all fairness, however, he’s gone deeper than that, too.

Does Boeheim need to change his strategy here? Perhaps. He’s also never had a losing year in 44 seasons at the helm of the Orange, so I’m not one to question Boeheim’s coaching tactics.

My take is that Girard and Buddy Boeheim are offensive catalysts who must enhance their defensive skills. Those other guards didn’t bring the same level of firepower on offense, even if their defensive abilities proved equal to the starters, or even better from my perspective.

What’s done is done. Hopefully, the ‘Cuse will land another guard prior to the next campaign arriving. You can’t blame Goodine, Carey, and Washington for electing to move on.

In an odd twist of fate, Syracuse’s abundance of guards has quickly converted to an area of concern where a lack of depth presently exists. That’s collegiate hoops for you.