Syracuse Basketball: Jim Boeheim says transfers likely, so who could go?

Syracuse basketball has a full 2020-21 roster and may see guys leave after this season, Jim Boeheim says.

Following the 2019-20 stanza, Syracuse basketball saw three of its guards transfer out of the program, and head coach Jim Boeheim says that a similar circumstance could occur after the 2020-21 campaign.

A couple of things to consider here on this topic. First and foremost, the current roster is filled with the NCAA-maximum of 13 scholarship players.

Benny Williams, a five-star small forward according to Rivals.com, has inked his national letter of intent to play for the Orange and will likely amount to the team’s sole recruit in its 2021 class.

Every member of the squad’s present line-up is afforded an extra season of eligibility by the NCAA due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, and the ‘Cuse has two seniors in center Bourama Sidibe and power forward Marek Dolezaj.

Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim is anticipating transfers out of his program.

Boeheim said on a recent Zoom call that Dolezaj and Sidibe could stay an additional term, but he’s not sure if they will. Dolezaj, for one, will likely have professional opportunities overseas awaiting him after the upcoming campaign.

Additionally, NCAA officials are working on a measure that will enable traditional transfers in all sports, including college basketball, to transfer once and retain immediate eligibility.

We all know that Boeheim tends to play a relatively short rotation, although he did note on the recent virtual call that maybe eight or nine guys could get regular minutes in 2020-21.

Still, Boeheim says that with the immediate-eligibility exception, in particular, there’s a greater likelihood that more players will transfer, and that holds true not just for Syracuse basketball, but for a boatload of other Division I groups.

Guys are going to leave if they’re not in a position to play a lot, and that’s understandable, Boeheim says.

So of the 13 on scholarship in 2020-21, who is most likely to depart the Hill after this season wraps up?

Dolezaj and Sidibe aren’t going anywhere, other than graduating. The same goes for sophomore point guard Joe Girard III and junior shooting guard Buddy Boeheim. I’d also put in this camp freshman combo guard Kadary Richmond, junior small forward Alan Griffin and sophomore forward Quincy Guerrier.

That leaves six players, all forwards and centers. They are redshirt sophomore forward Robert Braswell, freshman power forward Woody Newton, freshman small forward Chaz Owens, sophomore center Jesse Edwards, redshirt freshman center John Bol Ajak and freshman center Frank Anselem.

I feel like if Braswell doesn’t see the court much in 2020-21, he could transfer. Boeheim, though, has said that Braswell is playing well in practices so far.

Newton has tremendous potential, and it’s probably too early to tell about him, or Owens, since they’re both freshmen and part of a large group of forwards on the present roster.

That leaves us with the three reserve centers, Edwards, Ajak and Anselem. If Edwards is Sidibe’s primary back-up in 2020-21, I could see Ajak transferring. Because the ridiculously athletic Anselem is a freshman with huge upside, I assume he comes back next year even if he doesn’t make the primary rotation in 2020-21.