Syracuse Basketball: Jimmy Boeheim, in SU debut, flat-out phenomenal

Syracuse basketball graduate student forward Jimmy Boeheim played his first official college game in more than 600 days on Tuesday night inside the Carrier Dome.

Not only was this his first collegiate contest in a long time, but it also proved his debut encounter suiting up for the Orange. The 6-foot-8 Boeheim, a transfer from Cornell, certainly didn’t disappoint.

In fact, Boeheim was simply spectacular in helping lead the ‘Cuse to a 97-63 conquest of Patriot League member Lafayette in front of close to 20,000 fans on the Hill.

Per statistics provided by Syracuse.com, Boeheim played 25 minutes. He scored 18 points on 8-of-9 from the field, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Boeheim chipped in five boards and one steal, although he did have three turnovers.

Syracuse basketball forward Jimmy Boeheim was most impressive in his first ‘Cuse game.

A season ago, amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Ivy League canceled its 2020-21 stanza. Boeheim graduated from Cornell and elected to transfer to the Orange, so that he could compete alongside his younger brother, senior shooting guard Buddy Boeheim, while playing for their father, legendary head coach Jim Boeheim.

It’s true that Buddy Boeheim has received, and deservingly so, a ton of pre-season national accolades. But let’s not sleep on Jimmy Boeheim. This dude can ball.

Against Lafayette, the elder Boeheim brother got off to a hot start, picking up multiple baskets from inside the perimeter. While he’s left-handed by nature, Boeheim was able to score on several occasions with his right hand, which didn’t surprise Jim Boeheim.

In the early part of this 2021-22 season opener for the ‘Cuse, Leopards defenders were understandably playing the Orange’s numerous perimeter shooters quite close, which left Jimmy Boeheim open in some gaps to drive the lane.

Jim Boeheim, in his post-game press conference, said that Jimmy knows where his spots are, he’s a difficult player to guard because he uses both hands well, and that he’s happy his son performed at such a high level in his Syracuse basketball debut.

Buddy Boeheim, who like Jimmy collected 18 points versus Lafayette, said in his post-game interview that his brother will help the ‘Cuse in a lot of ways this year, and the two clearly enjoyed playing together in Orange uniforms.

In his post-game presser, Jimmy Boeheim said his teammates got him the ball early on, and he had a lot of fun being out there in a ‘Cuse uniform playing in front of his hometown fans in the city where he grew up.

“It was surreal at first, for sure,” he said.