One of the main talking points among Syracuse basketball fans, year after year, centers on the rotation of head coach Jim Boeheim. Some fans believe that Boeheim’s rotation, often six, seven or eight guys, is too short.
For me, Boeheim has been doing his job for nearly half a century. He’s in the Hall of Fame. I trust that he knows what he’s doing, and he’s playing to win, not to make everyone happy by dividing up playing time equally.
In any event, the 2021-22 stanza is just getting going, and it appears that Boeheim has settled on an eight-man primary rotation, at least for the time being.
As the competition strengthens, it’s certainly possible that Boeheim will shorten his rotation even further, but for now, it’s the starting five, along with one key reserve at guard, at forward and at center.
Syracuse basketball doesn’t have overly significant depth this term.
I’ll grant you that the Orange’s 2-0 beginning to 2021-22 is a tiny sample size, and the ‘Cuse has some daunting foes coming up. However, I’m encouraged that through two games, the team’s trio of reserves has landed a decent amount of court time.
Let’s examine the three primary bench players, who are junior guard Symir Torrence, freshman forward Benny Williams and sophomore center Frank Anselem.
Torrence and Williams are each averaging nearly 20 minutes of run per game, while Anselem is tallying an average of 16.5 minutes of action through the first two non-conference clashes, according to the ESPN Web site.
I get that Lafayette and Drexel, the Orange’s initial opponents, aren’t Duke and North Carolina, although Drexel is a really good team that made the Big Dance this past spring (whereas Duke did not).
Drexel held a one-point lead over Syracuse basketball at halftime this past Sunday night on the Hill, before the Orange broke things open in the second half.
Torrence, Williams and Anselem all played at least 15 minutes versus Drexel, which is excellent experience for them.
I hate to say it, but should one of the starting guards, forwards or the center get into foul trouble (or unfortunately get injured), then these three reserves could be thrust into major minutes in future games.
Plus, it’s not clear exactly when graduate student center Bourama Sidibe will be able to play, and how effective he will be. Therefore, Torrence, Williams and Anselem are critical to the team’s success now and in the future.
Following the conquest of Drexel, Boeheim said in his post-game press conference that Anselem is performing at a solid level.
Torrence, a transfer from Marquette, continues to work hard to get comfortable in his role as the primary back-up guard and a key overall contributor.
Williams, meanwhile, is a freshman adjusting to the college game, which takes time. He will keep on developing and getting better, Boeheim said.