Syracuse Basketball: How Boeheim’s Army can refuel for 2021

Boeheim’s Army, the Syracuse basketball alumni team in The Basketball Tournament, lost in the quarterfinals. Here’s how they can bounce back next year.

Boeheim’s Army will have to wait another year to lace it up again in The Basketball Tournament. The alumni squad made up of mostly Syracuse basketball players and one former Colgate hooper were shut down by Sideline Cancer in the quarterfinals.

The game was a sore sight for fans of offensive production, with Boeheim’s Army totaling the lowest amount of points scored in the entire tournament this year. The 65-48 loss was also the second-largest margin of defeat across the 24-team bracket.

With no surprise, Eric Devendorf did come to play, scoring 14 points in the loss. Andrew White III added 11 points and six rebounds while Donte Greene tried his best to hold up the low post on a height-challenged team, scoring eight and grabbing nine boards.

Sideline Cancer was led by Maurice Creek’s 22 points and 8 rebounds. Eric Thompson provided the difference down low, scoring just four points but hauling in 18 rebounds and blocking three shots.

As a whole, Boeheim’s Army was -17 in the rebound margin, the most obvious discrepancy of the game. It was easy to tell that they missed both Tyler Lydon and Chris McCullough throughout the two games, with Sideline Cancer able to expose it.

Outlook for 2021

Although Syracuse basketball fans are disappointed in the outcome, Boeheim’s Army will be back for more next year. The Covid-19 pandemic surely affected how good this year’s roster could have been, so it’ll be interesting to see how different next year’s squad will look.

If Boeheim’s Army truly wants to compete for a TBT championship, they’ll need to have a stronger presence down low. Donte Greene did an extremely good job, but it was clear that he needed help. Guys like Hakim Warrick, Arinze Onuaku, or Rakeem Christmas would all provide a second rebounder that can fend off opponents and create second-chance opportunities.

A younger boost would also be welcomed. The Malachi Richardson experiment worked just fine, so if Boeheim’s Army could add someone like Tyus Battle, Frank Howard, or Trevor Cooney, it would give them fresh legs and perhaps the ability to efficiently press in late-game scenarios.

Regardless of how this team looks on paper, the biggest key to a deeper run in TBT 2021 is more cohesiveness. It was easy to tell that there were times that these former Syracuse basketball stars from different years and decades weren’t gelling as good as possible. Sure, it could have been the strict rules of the bubble and not being able to practice as much as they would have liked to before the tournament, but for next year, more preparation should be high on the checklist.