Syracuse Basketball: Dishing out player grades, good and bad, for 2021-22
By Neil Adler
Frank Anselem, sophomore center
When Edwards got hurt, Anselem’s turn to receive more minutes arrived. And while Frank certainly has work to do, he showed some nice flashes of solid play.
For all of 2021-22, Anselem appeared in 32 games and averaged 14.2 minutes, 2.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per battle, while shooting 62.5 percent from the field and 60.0 percent from the charity stripe.
He had his ups and downs in the zone and isn’t particularly polished on offense, but again, he had some encouraging moments here and there.
When he earned a decent amount of run in various contests, Frank did show a couple of times what he can do on the glass, as he hauled in double-digit numbers of rebounds on three instances, including 15 boards in a trouncing of Florida State in the ACC Tournament.
If Frank can continue to refine his offensive game and get more confident anchoring the zone, assuming he returns, Anselem and Edwards would prove a strong one-two punch at center.
Grade: C+
Symir Torrence, junior guard
A Syracuse-area native, Torrence transferred to the ‘Cuse from Marquette. I have to say, I’m a huge fan of Symir, and I really hope his minutes go up in 2022-23.
This term, he averaged 13.1 minutes, 2.6 points, 2.9 assists and 1.6 rebounds per game, while connecting on 41.6 percent from the field, 50.0 percent from the free-throw line and 37.5 percent from deep.
Now, naturally, Symir has to improve his shooting percentages. But his athleticism is terrific, he has good defensive instincts in my humble opinion, and his quickness and ability to get into the lane on offense are huge assets.
With Buddy Boeheim’s Syracuse basketball career over, I assume that Symir will slide into the starting rotation, hopefully manning the point while Girard plays shooting guard.
When Torrence landed extended minutes in the Orange’s two ACC Tournament games, he tallied a combined 20 assists against just three turnovers. That shows what Symir can do as a facilitator.
Grade: B-