Syracuse Basketball: Buddy Boeheim more pre-season All-American status

Collegiate hoops insider Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports recently named Syracuse basketball forward Benny Williams as one of his 25 impact freshmen for the 2021-22 term, and Rothstein has followed that up with some love for senior shooting guard Buddy Boeheim.

The 6-foot-6 Boeheim is coming off a strong junior campaign in which he averaged nearly 18 points a game, caught fire in the post-season, helped lead the Orange to a Sweet 16 appearance in the 2021 Big Dance and earned some NBA Draft buzz.

As we inch closer to the start of the 2021-22 stanza, multiple national pundits are viewing Boeheim as one of the top players across the country, at least as far as pre-season prognostications go.

In recent columns, we detailed that Boeheim is a top-25 player according to Jonathon Warriner of MakingtheMadness.com, he is on the pre-season All-American second squad from Athlon Sports, and Boeheim is placed as the No. 9 returning player nationally by Andy Katz, a long-time analyst and journalist.

Syracuse basketball senior guard Buddy Boeheim is piling up pre-season accolades.

Rothstein recently unveiled his three pre-season All-American groups, and Boeheim made the cut on Rothstein’s second squad. Joining Boeheim on the second team are Oral Roberts’ Max Abmas, Duke’s Paolo Banchero, Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis and Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren.

The pre-season All-American first unit, per Rothstein, is Villanova’s Collin Gillespie, UCLA’s Johnny Juzang, Gonzaga’s Drew Timme, Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson and Illinois’ Kofi Cockburn.

Dickinson and Cockburn, two of the best big men in college basketball these days, both held scholarship offers from the ‘Cuse before committing to Michigan and Illinois, respectively.

This coming December, Syracuse basketball will suit up with former Big East Conference rival Villanova in the 2021 Jimmy V Classic at the famed Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The Wildcats will likely find themselves ranked in the top-five overall of pre-season polls ahead of 2021-22, so this match-up between Boeheim and Gillespie should prove fun. Plus, Orange senior forward Cole Swider transferred from the Wildcats to the ‘Cuse during the off-season.

Rothstein’s third team, by the way, is Illinois’ Andre Curbelo, Julian Champagnie of St. John’s, UCLA’s Jaime Jaquez, Ohio State’s E.J. Liddell and Purdue’s Trevion Williams.

Boeheim is situated within some pretty excellent company according to Rothstein’s pre-season All-American choices. The 2021-22 campaign should make for a special senior year for Boeheim on the Hill.