Syracuse Basketball: Judah Mintz has right attitude; some fans are juvenile

I will always, always respect the opinions and takes of my fellow Syracuse basketball fans, but at the same time, some of the comments that I saw on social media about freshman point guard Judah Mintz following the Orange’s four-point loss at No. 17 Miami on Monday night went entirely too far, in my humble opinion.

The 6-foot-3 Mintz, who has been one of the best freshmen across the entire country to date in the 2022-23 season, really struggled versus the Hurricanes. There’s no other way to slice it.

Mintz, the highest-rated commit in the team’s six-member 2022 class, went 1-of-7 from the field and scored three points, to go along with five rebounds, six assists, two steals and five turnovers.

In the waning moments of the Orange’s 82-78 loss to Miami, Mintz made a couple of poor decisions. It happens. He had a bad game. It happens. He’s had a ton of really excellent games for the ‘Cuse in 2022-23. I love that he’s donning a Syracuse basketball uniform.

As head coach Jim Boeheim said following this tough setback, “Judah has played really well all year. He just had a bad game, and that is what happens with freshmen.”

Syracuse basketball freshman point guard  Judah Mintz will look to bounce back on Saturday at Georgia Tech.

Now, after the Miami result, I naturally interacted with a lot of fellow fans on social media and in chat rooms. Understandably, we all were frustrated that the Orange had an 11-point lead in the second half versus the Hurricanes and couldn’t seal the deal.

For me, though, to see some fans blame this loss entirely on Judah Mintz isn’t right. Sure, he had a really off night. But he wasn’t the only ‘Cuse player who struggled. Obviously, Mintz’s performance became a hot-button topic because he had a few poor decisions down the stretch.

However, let’s be fair here. The Hurricanes mounted their comeback over a period of numerous minutes in the second half. Miami pounded the offensive glass and got second-chance scoring opportunities.

The Hurricanes hit a few huge 3-point shots, and Miami had a huge edge at the charity stripe. Is all of that on Judah Mintz? I don’t believe so. Did his poor performance contribute to the Orange’s loss? Yes.

My main point here is that if fans want to express their feelings about this ‘Cuse setback, and Mintz’s performance, that’s fair game. But some fans crossed a line. It’s one thing to say a player had an off night, made some bad turnovers, should have been on the bench, etc.

I saw a whole lot worse from some fans. I’ve seen the same sort of really negative, mean-spirited stuff directed by some fans on social media at other Orange players in 2022-23, such as senior shooting guard Joe Girard III.

From my perspective, saying a ‘Cuse player was bad in a particular game is totally okay and fair. But calling a young man (Judah Mintz is a teenager) selfish, saying he is garbage, calling him trash, saying he’s playing hero ball and doesn’t care about his team?

Are you kidding me? That’s crossing a line. Of course, Mintz has the right attitude here. You only have to look at his tweet from early Tuesday morning.

A year ago, he was a senior star for the powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va. Through 19 games for Syracuse basketball (12-7, 5-3) in his freshman stint, Mintz is averaging nearly 15 points per encounter, which is second on the team.

He’s one of the highest-scoring freshmen IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY at this juncture in 2022-23. When I penned this column, within the Atlantic Coast Conference, Mintz was in the top 15 in scoring, No. 7 in assists, No. 1 in steals and tied for No. 10 in assist/turnover ratio.

Tough as nails, Judah Mintz is an assertive defender. He’s got to work on his 3-point shot, but his ability to get into the lane and finish around the rim is exquisite.

Over the weekend on the Hill, when the Orange made its own comeback from 12 points down in the second half to knock off Notre Dame by five points, Mintz dished out eight assists against just one turnover. He was 8-of-10 from the free-throw line.

So, yeah, Judah Mintz struggled versus Miami. We can all say he did. He would say he did. But let’s remember that this is a teenager playing on a huge stage who gives it his all every night out there. To crush him on social media is lazy, mean and frankly, childish.