Syracuse Basketball: Buddy Boeheim character, work ethic unparalleled

Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim said in a Zoom call with media members on Wednesday evening that he’s proud of the way that junior shooting guard Buddy Boeheim is playing of late, both as Buddy’s coach and his father.

But Jim Boeheim seems intent on letting Buddy Boeheim’s performances on the court speak for themselves. Toward the end of the 2020-21 regular season, in the ACC Tournament and now entering the second weekend of March Madness, the younger Boeheim has been on an absolute tear.

He’s competing at an All-American level, and Buddy Boeheim is a big reason why the Orange has advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 2021 Big Dance, with the ‘Cuse set to face No. 2 seed Houston on Saturday night.

All of that is well and good, but Buddy Boeheim says that he’s enjoying the moment of shining in March Madness, and his singular focus is on the regional semi-finals. And although Boeheim himself is playing as well as anyone in this season’s NCAA Tournament, Boeheim says it’s his teammates, by and large, who have led the Orange to the Sweet 16.

Simply put, this is Boeheim’s personality. He’s charismatic, charming, almost always smiling, a tireless worker, humble and, perhaps most importantly, a consummate teammate. It’s not about him. It’s about the entire Syracuse basketball roster. Pretty awesome stuff, if you ask me.

Syracuse basketball junior guard Buddy Boeheim is all-class, all the time.

Boeheim came to the Hill as an under-rated high-school prospect who would have to deal with enormous pressure suiting up for his dad, a Hall of Fame coach who has guided a national powerhouse for more than four decades.

Over the past three years, Boeheim’s development from primarily a 3-point specialist into a complete college basketball player has proven exciting and fun to watch.

In his freshman term, Boeheim was a solid role player for a team that made the NCAA Tournament but lost in the round of 64 to Baylor. As a sophomore, Boeheim averaged about 15 points a game and led the Atlantic Coast Conference in 3-point shooting percentage, as well as 3-point field-goals made per contest.

In 2020-21, his junior stint, Boeheim struggled with his shooting throughout the season, and part of that is certainly due to testing positive for Covid-19 late last year. He not only missed numerous practices and several games, but Boeheim also said that it took a toll on his body.

However, Boeheim is certainly in fine form these days, and his output in March Madness has generated some NBA buzz for him as well. In his own virtual call with reporters on Wednesday evening, Boeheim said that such talk is only fueling him to work harder and see where he can go as a professional basketball player.

For now, though, Boeheim is cherishing this experience competing for Syracuse basketball as the Orange makes one of its patented odysseys through the Big Dance as a double-digit seed.

But Boeheim doesn’t want to spend a lot of time discussing his own achievements in this NCAA Tournament. It’s the contributions of everyone on the ‘Cuse roster that has enabled the team to reach the Sweet 16, he said.

That’s classic Buddy Boeheim for you, and it illustrates his admirable character.