Syracuse Basketball: Regardless of who starts, 3-guard rotation works well

Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim squashes talk about benching Joe Girard III.

Without question, combo guard Kadary Richmond has put forth a special freshman campaign to date, although Syracuse basketball is only seven games into its planned 27-contest regular stanza in 2020-21.

Richmond played a ton of minutes late in the second half and in overtime against Buffalo, as the ‘Cuse gutted out a 107-96 victory over the Bulls.

Richmond, a top-100 prospect coming out of high school, had a tremendous outing, Orange head coach Jim Boeheim said in a Zoom call with media members.

Per ESPN statistics, Richmond logged 32 minutes, scored 13 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished out five assists, had one steal, blocked three shots and committed only two turnovers. A strong performance.

Junior shooting guard Buddy Boeheim, who struggled earlier in the week versus Northeastern, got his mid-range game going against Buffalo, finishing with 22 points. And sophomore point guard Joe Girard III didn’t fare so well, collecting two points in 16 minutes.

So Jim Boeheim went with his son, Buddy, and Richmond down the stretch, and that was the right call on the head coach’s part. “Joe was not there tonight,” Jim Boeheim said of Girard, but he will get back on track, the head coach added.

Syracuse basketball needs to continue with a three-guard line-up.

Naturally, some members of the media and ‘Cuse fans are bringing up the topic of inserting Richmond into the starting rotation over Girard. Boeheim isn’t having that kind of talk, and I totally agree with him.

Ultimately, I could care less whether Girard, Buddy Boeheim or Richmond gets the starting nod, and who comes off the bench. Jim Boeheim will play the two guys who give his team the best chance to win, and that was his son and Richmond versus Buffalo.

However, last Wednesday afternoon in another tight conquest, this time against Northeastern, Girard registered 21 points and was one of two key players who saved the day for the Orange.

These guards will all have wonderful performances and off-nights. It happens, and the luxury of boasting three strong guards on the roster is that Jim Boeheim has options.

Syracuse basketball will use all three guards, Boeheim says. His son and Girard are veterans. Richmond is a newbie with excellent defensive instincts who can get into the lane well and finish around the basket.

All in all, they complement each other well, and it’s a nice trio within the line-up. But to trash Girard and suggest he shouldn’t get any run is ridiculous. He “won” the game versus Northeastern, Buddy Boeheim said on the Zoom call after the Buffalo encounter.