Syracuse Basketball: Jimmy Boeheim ‘exceeding’ his coach’s expectations

Syracuse basketball graduate student forward Jimmy Boeheim put forth a monster effort in the Orange’s 10-point loss at Notre Dame earlier this week, and he deservingly earned praise from ‘Cuse head coach Jim Boeheim in his post-game press conference after the setback to the Fighting Irish.

"“He’s playing great. He’s exceeding all of my expectations. I didn’t think he had any way he would do that. He’s playing great basketball. He’s played great all year,” Jim Boeheim said of his son Jimmy, according to a transcript provided by SyracuseOnSI publisher Mike McAllister."

When the Orange (15-13, 9-8) fell by a count of 79-69 to Notre Dame on Wednesday evening, Jimmy Boeheim was tremendous. He logged 40 minutes and notched a team-high 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field as a whole, as well as 6-of-8 from the charity stripe.

The 6-foot-8 Boeheim also hauled in seven rebounds. He and his younger brother, senior shooting guard Buddy Boeheim, combined for a stellar 47 points and basically kept the ‘Cuse in the game against a really good Notre Dame group.

Syracuse basketball forward Jimmy Boeheim is having a strong season to date.

The elder Boeheim brother came to the Hill for the 2021-22 stanza as a transfer from Cornell. As was the case with Buddy Boeheim when his ‘Cuse career commenced, some Orange fans have suggested that Jimmy Boeheim made the ‘Cuse roster primarily because of who his dad is.

While I always respect the opinions of my fellow Syracuse basketball fans, if there are any fans out there who still believe Jimmy Boeheim isn’t deserving of his role with the Orange, I honestly don’t know what to tell you.

His 27 points versus the Fighting Irish were the most he’s scored in an encounter while a member of the ‘Cuse. Just prior to that, in home wins against Georgia Tech and Boston College, Boeheim tallied 20 points/10 rebounds and 13 points/10 rebounds, respectively.

In 2021-22, per ESPN statistics, Boeheim is averaging 35.1 minutes, 13.9 points, 6.2 boards and 1.5 assists, while committing just 1.3 turnovers per contest.

He’s had some struggles at the free-throw line, shooting 61.3 percent there, but Boeheim is hitting on 47.5 percent from the field as a whole and 38.0 percent from beyond the arc.

Throughout the current term, as defenders have swarmed Buddy Boeheim, senior forward Cole Swider and junior point guard Joe Girard III around 3-point land, Jimmy Boeheim has shown excellent proficiency in driving to the basket and scoring in the paint.

Boeheim has compiled five games of 20 points or more and eight games of 18 points or more. He’s second on the Orange roster in scoring and third in rebounding.

Additionally, when I penned this column, in the Atlantic Coast Conference Boeheim is in the top 20 in scoring, the top 20 in rebounding and the top 10 in field-goal shooting percentage.

But, yeah, he’s only a part of the ‘Cuse program because of his father. That sort of sentiment is total non-sense, in my humble opinion. I’m happy for Jimmy Boeheim and what he’s been able to do for Syracuse basketball this season, and I hope he shines yet again this Saturday night when the Orange hosts No. 7 Duke (24-4, 14-3).