Syracuse Basketball: A heart-felt thank-you to seniors and grad students

Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim has said on more than one occasion that his sons and senior forward Cole Swider will not return for the 2022-23 campaign.

If that holds true, Swider, senior shooting guard Buddy Boeheim, graduate student forward Jimmy Boeheim and graduate student center Bourama Sidibe will suit up inside the Carrier Dome for the final time this Saturday afternoon when the Orange hosts Miami.

Now, we’ll have to wait and see what ultimately happens this off-season for the team’s seniors and grad students, save for Sidibe, whom I believe will have exhausted his collegiate eligibility. We should note here that Swider could come back, according to a report from Syracuse.com’s Donna Ditota.

In any event, the ‘Cuse (15-15, 9-10) has this contest with the Hurricanes to wrap up the 2021-22 regular season, and then Syracuse basketball will travel to Brooklyn, N.Y., for the 2022 ACC Tournament.

Let’s give some love to the Syracuse basketball seniors and grad students.

I acknowledge that 2021-22 has been a disappointment. I recognize that the Orange, in the present term, could register its first losing stanza under head coach Jim Boeheim.

But I’m putting that to the side for a moment. The Boeheim brothers, Swider and Sidibe deserve a big-time thank-you from ‘Cuse Nation, my humble opinion.

These four players, and the rest of the 2021-22 roster, have fought their tails off over the last few months, regardless of the squad’s wins and losses.

Buddy Boeheim carried the Orange on a journey to the Sweet 16 about a year ago. He’s a top-15 scorer in Syracuse basketball program history, and he’s yet again among the leading scorers in the Atlantic Coast Conference within the 2021-22 campaign. Buddy Buckets is also such a likable young man.

His older brother, Jimmy, came to the Hill as a transfer from Cornell. He’s had his share of struggles throughout 2021-22, but Jimmy Boeheim has also produced some monster games, including 27 points at Notre Dame. In my humble opinion, by and large, Jimmy has had a solid season.

Swider, like Jimmy Boeheim, is a transfer into the ‘Cuse program. He arrived from Villanova, and sure, he’s also been inconsistent at times. However, in the Orange’s overtime loss at North Carolina earlier this week, Swider dropped 36 points on the Tar Heels and was positively fabulous.

I’ve listened in on a bunch of Swider’s post-game interviews throughout 2021-22, and he just appears to be a humble, nice and hard-working young man.

Finally, we turn to Sidibe. Bourama, sadly, has seen his tenure in Central New York devastated by injuries, but it delights me to see him playing these days.

With junior center Jesse Edwards having gotten injured a few weeks back, Sidibe has seen his minutes increase in some games of late, and he had a strong showing last weekend when Syracuse basketball was crushed at home by Duke.

I’m bummed about the 2021-22 season for the Orange. That being said, I’m thrilled that Jim Boeheim has gotten to coach his sons. Cole and Bourama are classy individuals. I wish all four of these guys nothing but success in their future endeavors.