Syracuse Basketball: Jim Boeheim sheds light on rotation of ‘Cuse big men

After his team convincingly defeated long-time rival Pittsburgh by 16 points on Tuesday night at the Carrier Dome, Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim shared some insights on the Orange’s forwards and centers during his post-game press conference.

I’d like to point out that following this win for the ‘Cuse (8-8, 2-3), a sizable amount of Orange fans voiced frustration on social media regarding the lack of playing time for freshman forward Benny Williams, who according to ESPN statistics earned four minutes of court action.

To that end, redshirt sophomore center/power forward John Bol Ajak also played about four minutes, and that was a head-scratcher for many ‘Cuse fans.

Another reserve, sophomore center Frank Anselem, was on the floor for seven minutes, and he was solid. Anselem tallied three rebounds and one steal.

So what’s to make of the Syracuse basketball frontcourt situation?

Regarding Ajak, Boeheim said that he has played the best of the reserve forwards of late during Orange practices. The head coach noted that Ajak has high energy, and he sets screens and moves without the ball well.

Boeheim added that Williams is struggling. The whole debate over Williams’ playing time in the 2021-22 campaign has proven a point of contention among a lot of ‘Cuse fans.

Some Syracuse basketball fans have speculated, without any hard evidence, I might add, that they think Williams will end up transferring because he isn’t playing enough.

Williams has shot that transfer rumor nonsense down more than once in various media reports, and he continues to reiterate that he’s working hard and will fight through his freshman growing pains.

For me, I love Benny Williams. He’s a really nice kid and has a bright future in Central New York. He came to the Hill as a five-star, top-25 prospect in the 2021 recruiting cycle, so maybe the expectations for his first season in an Orange uniform were a bit too lofty.

He’s also competing for run with Ajak, a redshirt sophomore, along with senior forward Cole Swider and graduate student forward Jimmy Boeheim. Let’s all give Benny some time to develop.

Jim Boeheim, in that post-game presser, noted that the team’s forwards are all new, and he was concerned it could take some time for these players to find their grove in the ‘Cuse system.

Swider transferred in from Villanova. Jimmy Boeheim did the same from Cornell. Williams is a freshman. Ajak has barely played at all in his Orange tenure to date.

Jim Boeheim says that his elder son, Jimmy, has exceeded his expectations with his performances so far in 2021-22. I agree that Jimmy Boeheim is doing a lot of positive things for Syracuse basketball.

Against the Panthers, I thought that Swider was more assertive in looking to make plays beyond just hoisting up 3-point attempts. Anselem gave the team a few good minutes as the back-up center, although will we ever see graduate student center Bourama Sidibe receive extended minutes?

And we all know junior starting center Jesse Edwards is a key cog for Syracuse basketball in 2021-22, so long as he avoids foul trouble, which he hasn’t been able to do lately.

Jim Boeheim says his group of forwards and centers, despite some growing pains, is improving. That’s an encouraging sign for the Orange moving forward.