With the Syracuse basketball 2021-22 season officially over, it’s time to put forth my player grades for the primary rotation players within the Orange line-up during the recently concluded stanza.
Since I’m generally a positive person, and some may argue that I have ‘Cuse-colored glasses on, by and large, I certainly understand if my grades appear inflated.
And that’s all good. I’d love to hear back from my fellow Orange fans on how they, too, would grade the ‘Cuse players in 2021-22. One thing I’ll say here is that my grades obviously focus on what Orange guys did on the court, but I’m also keeping in mind what sorts of expectations I had for them prior to 2021-22 commencing.
Additionally, I get that Syracuse basketball finished at 16-17 this season, the first campaign in which the Orange has produced a losing record in the 46-year tenure of Jim Boeheim serving as the ‘Cuse head coach.
But that doesn’t automatically mean I’m going to give every Orange player an awful grade because of the squad’s overall record. If other fans feel differently, I totally respect that.
In fact, I encourage any of my fellow ‘Cuse fans who read this article to hit me up on social media and provide some feedback. These grades are purely subjective, and I have no doubt that some Orange hoops fanatics would give most of the team’s players really poor grades for what transpired in 2021-22, and I of course respect their takes. Without any further delay, let’s get to it.
Here are Syracuse basketball player grades for main rotational guys in 2021-22, with stats provided via ESPN.
Buddy Boeheim, senior shooting guard
Buddy averaged 19.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game, while connecting on 40.6 percent from the field, 88.4 percent from the free-throw line, and 34.1 percent from beyond the arc.
He often would be double-teamed by opponents, and he didn’t always get good, clean looks. Buddy would certainly make his share of tough shots, but I also think sometimes he would take bad shots. Part of that stems from other guys on the roster not creating shots for themselves as much as we all would have liked.
Buddy isn’t a great defensive player by any means, but I think he was no worse in 2021-22 than any other guy on the roster. He led the ‘Cuse in scoring, and he also paced the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring during the regular stanza, while being selected to the All-ACC first unit. Not too shabby for a young man who ended his tenure on the Hill within the top 15 on the Orange’s all-time scoring list.
Grade: B
Cole Swider, senior forward
A transfer from Villanova, Swider averaged 13.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest, while shooting 44.0 percent from the field, 86.6 percent from the charity stripe, and 41.1 percent from downtown.
He’s not the most athletic of players, and Cole struggled sometimes on defense, but after a slow start offensively, he really heated up toward the end of the season, putting up several monster games.
Jim Boeheim would often speak about his desire for Cole to more consistently create his own shots, and I do hope that Swider returns for a fifth season that is allowed by the NCAA due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Grade: B-
Joe Girard III, junior point guard
Aside from the Boeheim brothers, Girard was perhaps the most polarizing player among Orange fans. I honestly don’t understand the constant trashing of Joe by some ‘Cuse fans on social media.
Like other players on the Syracuse basketball roster, Girard had his ups and downs in 2021-22. He ended the season averaging 13.8 points, 4.2 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 2.8 turnovers per encounter, while hitting on 39.2 percent from the field, 88.2 percent from the free-throw line, and 40.3 percent from 3-point land.
For me, it’s pretty simple. Girard is better at the two-guard spot than playing point guard. He’s a knock-down shooter, but like many other Orange fans, I grew frustrated with some of the bad turnovers that he would make near the end of games. Looking ahead, if he would suit up at shooting guard next season, with junior guard Symir Torrence manning the point, I think that would prove an effective backcourt.
Grade: B-
Jimmy Boeheim, graduate student forward
Jimmy came to the Hill from Cornell, and he didn’t play a year ago because the Ivy League canceled that season due to the pandemic. I wasn’t sure how the elder Boeheim brother would fare in moving from the Ivy League to the ACC.
Candidly, on the offensive end, Boeheim exceeded what I thought that he would do in 2021-22. His dad, Jim Boeheim, said at least once that he felt Jimmy exceeded the head coach’s expectations.
For the entire campaign, Jimmy averaged 13.7 points and 6.2 boards per affair, while connecting on a strong 46.6 percent from the field, a so-so 64.4 percent from the free-throw line, and 37.9 percent from beyond the arc.
Like the entirety of the Syracuse basketball roster in 2021-22, Boeheim had his share of woes in the zone defense. However, he was certainly a good scorer, both in the paint and on the perimeter.
My biggest issue with Jimmy was his consistency. He went for 28 points and nearly helped carry a depleted Orange line-up to an upset win over Duke in the 2022 ACC Tournament, and Boeheim also chipped in a stellar 27 points in a close loss at Notre Dame.
Conversely, there were games throughout the 2021-22 stanza when Jimmy Boeheim didn’t do much at all. That being said, I felt he had a solid, solid term.
Grade: B-
Jesse Edwards, junior center
What a tremendous break-through junior season from Edwards. He didn’t get a whole lot of run as a sophomore, but in 2021-22, he became a key piece of the Orange rotation.
For my money, prior to getting injured, Edwards was the most important player within the squad’s line-up. He appeared in 24 games, averaging 28.0 minutes, 12.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks a game, while making 69.5 percent of his field-goal attempts and 59.8 percent from the free-throw line.
In February, Edwards’ season came to a halt due to injury. Given the numerous losses that the ‘Cuse sustained with Jesse unavailable, it became clear to me how important he was for Syracuse basketball on both ends of the floor.
Edwards absolutely was a contender for the ACC’s most improved player award, and he was among the league leaders in blocked shots before he got hurt.
His biggest issue was staying on the floor, as Edwards all too frequently would foul out, with some of those fouls that he would commit completely unnecessary. If he cleans that up and improves his free-throw shooting, Edwards could be a force to be reckoned with in his senior stanza.
Grade: B+
Bourama Sidibe, graduate student center
Sidibe’s career in Central New York, sadly, was hampered by injuries, including in 2021-22. He appeared in just 13 games, averaging 11.8 minutes, 3.0 points and 2.8 boards per encounter, while hitting on 65.2 percent from the field and 64.3 percent from the free-throw line.
One bright spot for Bourama was when he registered 11 points, four rebounds and three assists in a blow-out home loss to Duke in late February.
I’ll always wonder “what-if” regarding Sidibe’s time on the Hill, because he unfortunately was often injured.
Grade: C
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-
Benny Williams, freshman forward
Well, the first campaign for Benny in a ‘Cuse uniform wasn’t what we all had expected or hoped for, but he showed what he’s capable of near the end of 2021-22, going for 14 points and six boards versus top-10 Duke from the Carrier Dome in late February.
That output, easily his best performance of the season, included a fabulous reverse layup that deservingly made it onto the ESPN SportsCenter top-10 list.
For all of 2021-22, Benny averaged 10.8 minutes, 1.9 points and 1.4 rebounds per contest, while shooting 33.9 percent from the field, 61.9 percent from the free-throw line, and 9.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Williams’ playing time, or lack thereof, was probably the most discussed and debated topic among Syracuse basketball fans who I interacted with on social media this stanza.
Considering his lofty recruiting rankings coming out of high school, I understand why some of my fellow Orange fans wanted him to play more.
But as I noted throughout this campaign, Benny isn’t the first highly coveted high-school prospect to not get a ton of run as a freshman for Jim Boeheim. I’m optimistic that Williams will make great strides and generate a stellar sophomore stint in 2022-23.
Grade: C