Syracuse Basketball: Observations – good and bad – from SU exhibition win
By Neil Adler
How long will the rotation be?
The starters versus IUP were Girard, Mintz, Edwards, Williams and freshman Chris Bell (formerly known as Chris Bunch). All 12 scholarship players got run.
It’s a running joke – maybe “joke” is the wrong word here – among some Syracuse basketball fans that even when Boeheim has a deep roster, he only ends up playing six or seven guys.
Will Boeheim have a longer rotation in 2022-23? Who the heck knows. I’m not convinced that Bell will be a permanent fixture in the starting rotation.
Plus, other freshmen such as wing Justin Taylor, guard Quadir Copeland and forward Maliq Brown should compete for quality minutes.
And let’s not sleep on senior guard Symir Torrence, a Central New York native. He’s also a veteran leader on this team.
Taylor is strong, Copeland is versatile
Mintz will likely get the most minutes of all the freshmen, but man, I really am high on Taylor and Copeland, who both came to the Hill as four-star players and competed together last year for the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
Somewhat unfairly, I think that Taylor has this “reputation” as being primarily a shooter. He can shoot well from the perimeter, but I believe he’s an underrated athlete and defender. Taylor’s frame is also strong, and he already looks ready, physically speaking, to play major college basketball.
Copeland was a point guard coming out of the IMG Academy, and he possesses stellar court vision. But I’m getting the sense that Boeheim may use him at point guard, shooting guard or even out on the wing as a small forward. That kind of versatility will serve Copeland well in regularly garnering minutes.