Syracuse Basketball: Benny Williams hard at work, will get his time to shine

Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim said in an interview that freshman forward Benny Williams had his best day of practice this past Thursday, and I’m delighted to hear that.

The amount of playing time for the 6-foot-8 Williams has proven a contentious topic among Orange fans throughout the 2021-22 stanza, given that he came to the Hill as one of the highest-rated recruits in recent years but has played sparingly by and large this term.

According to an article from SyracuseOnSI publisher Mike McAllister, in a Q&A session that Boeheim conducted on CuseSportsTalk.com, the ‘Cuse head coach said in part about Williams, “Today, again, was the best day he’s had in practice. We talked about it afterwards and he knew it. He says, ‘yeah, I went and did what we’ve been trying to get him to do.’”

Syracuse basketball (9-11, 3-6) was set to host Wake Forest on Saturday night, and it will be interesting to see how much Williams plays, given his strong practice session.

Syracuse basketball freshman Benny Williams has said he’s trusting the process.

I’m sure that some Orange fans will be upset if Williams doesn’t receive a decent amount of run against the Demon Deacons, and I get that.

For me, I applaud Williams’ work ethic, and I’m confident that he will be a huge contributor to this team, even if it’s not until next season. Heck, he was putting in work immediately after a recent five-point loss to Florida State on the Hill, in a game where Williams logged zero minutes on the court.

"Boeheim, in his Q&A, noted that Williams is strong, athletic, quick and can jump well. “That’s why people want him to play and I understand that. But if you’re not using that then it doesn’t matter. But today (Thursday) was a good day. If he ever gets this thing in his head what he has to do then he’s going to be what everybody wants. Trust me, nobody wants him to be really good more than I do. I think he can get there. That’s what we’re shooting for.”"

Williams, on more than one occasion, has shot down transfer rumors. Frankly, those rumors to the best of my knowledge have come only from ‘Cuse fans who likely know nothing about Williams’ line of thinking.

In any event, Boeheim said that he thinks Williams will return for his sophomore year in Central New York. Obviously, with the transfer portal, nothing’s a guarantee.

I’ll always have a lot of admiration and respect for Benny Williams, and I truly believe that if he sticks this out, he’s going to put forth a stellar career in a Syracuse basketball uniform.