Syracuse Basketball: Alan Griffin is as awesome as advertised

Alan Griffin proved pretty darn stellar in his Syracuse basketball debut.

Coming into the 2020-21 season, Syracuse basketball coaches and national pundits alike raved about Alan Griffin, a junior small forward who transferred to the ‘Cuse from Big Ten Conference member Illinois.

On many occasions, we’ve noted how national commentators and journalists have ranked Griffin among the best transfers in the country, as far as pre-season prognostications go.

In his debut for the ‘Cuse on Friday afternoon, a one-point victory over Bryant inside the Carrier Dome, the 6-foot-5 Griffin definitely did not disappoint.

Besides throwing down a ridiculous dunk off a long alley-oop pass from sophomore point guard Joe Girard III, Griffin registered 17 points, an impressive 13 rebounds and three assists in 38 minutes of court time. His shooting numbers didn’t prove great, but Griffin will undeniably improve those percentages.

I have to admit that I was a little surprised that head coach Jim Boeheim had sophomore Quincy Guerrier in the starting line-up rather than Griffin, although it’s clear that both forwards will see a lot of run in 2020-21.

Guerrier, by the way, also owned a dozen boards versus the Bulldogs, as the Orange outrebounded Bryant, 47-44, in an 85-84 triumph. The rebounding totals from Guerrier and Griffin are encouraging, as the ‘Cuse needs to improve in that department over a stanza ago to succeed in 2020-21.

In his post-game press conference after the Syracuse basketball conquest of the Bulldogs, Boeheim praised these two forwards for their activity on the glass.

Syracuse basketball got a monster first game from junior small forward Alan Griffin.

Part of the reason why Griffin played so many minutes against Bryant is that senior Bourama Sidibe, the team’s starting center, injured his leg in the first half. That led Boeheim to slide senior power forward Marek Dolezaj to center, with Guerrier and Griffin then at the forward positions.

After Friday’s game, Dolezaj said that Griffin had a huge dunk and knocked down some shots. The Orange needs a player on the roster to help replace the void left by former star Elijah Hughes, who is now a pro, and Griffin is that guy, Dolezaj added.

Boeheim had said on a recent Zoom call that Griffin is a highly skilled guy with a “tremendous motor” who is extremely efficient at scoring and rebounding. Griffin proved that assessment correct in his inaugural stint for Syracuse basketball.