Three of Syracuse’s incoming freshmen took part in the Jordan Brand Classic last weekend. Tyler Ennis, Tyler Roberson and Chinonso Obokoh showed off their skills and are looking ahead to their next chapter on the Hill. These will be a trio of faces that bring a large part of the youth movement to SU.
So it’s time for¬†The Fizz¬†to start looking at the possible starting lineup scenarios for next season. Syracuse will lose key starters in Michael Carter-Williams, who will head to the NBA, and senior Brandon Triche. The Orange also will be without sharp shooter James Southerland because of graduation as well. So what role these incoming freshmen will have on next year‚Äôs team?
It might not quite be a Michigan Fab Five type of impact, but the youth of this team may dictate whether the Orange season is a success or a bust. Jim Boeheim’s options at both guard positions are very much in the air. Trevor Cooney was believed to be a three-point shooting machine for Syracuse, but showed no consistency last season. When he was given the minutes in the Big East tournament against Georgetown, Cooney showed he has talent. But he has a ways to go before he earns trust in the starting lineup.
Then there is Ennis. As discussed on last week’s Fizz Radio, Ennis could be the next big deal in Syracuse. He is quick on both sides of the ball, and regarded as one of the best point guards in the nation. Ennis is mature, and most people believe he will accept whatever role he is given. Last season, MCW wasn’t so pleased with sitting on the bench behind Scoop Jardine and Dion Waiters. Even if Ennis doesn’t start, he will be a solid option for Boeheim at the top of that 2-3 zone. But most signs point to him running the point for the Orange right from the start next season.
If the starting backcourt is Ennis and Cooney, there’s not much experience there. But there’s not many options for JB. SU will also have shooting guard Ron Patterson coming in as a freshman, and Duke transfer Michael Gbinije¬†is a transfer guard/forward tweener.¬†The frontcourt at least will have some experience, especially if C.J. Fair stays. Rak Christmas, Dajuan Coleman and Baye Keita will all be back. Gbinije may play forward, and Roberson and Obokoh come in to add some depth.
While this huge dependence on new faces may leave many SU fans queasy, it could actually be a boon for the Orange. Each of the incoming class are athletic, and can get out and run. If Ennis ends up being a solid distributer at the point, the fast break and transition game may become a huge strength. It’s also possible the new class is hungry to put their own stamp on the program, and bring an exuberance and energy that only youth can bring.
Boeheim has always allowed his teams to look for buckets downfloor after turnovers with the 2-3 zone, but maybe we’ll see a more up-tempo squad with this much youth and speed. Then again, if the strong suit of the team becomes the frontline of Rak, DC 2.0 and Fair, then maybe it’s all about Ennis dumping it down low and watching those guys go to work.
Either way there will be a whole new set of options for Boeheim. It remains to be seen whether that’s a good problem to have, or a bad one.
Posted: Austin Pollack
12 responses to “Syracuse’s Fab Fresh Faces: Could the Massive Influx of Youth Help SU?”
I am of the opinion that if C.J. Fair stays another year the front could could be very good. Also, perhaps Ennis will turn out to be a very good replacement for turnover M-C Williams. As for Cooney, should he be as bad as he was this past year, then he should sit on the bench and let Patterson be the 3-point gunner.
I watched Ennis in the Jordan Brand Classic and he reminds me of the traditional great SU point guard: has great floor presence, sees everything, gets everyone else involved before looking for his own shot.
While MCW was fun and interesting to watch I think he turned the ball over too much in critical situations when he should have been looking to make a play for one of the seniors.
MCW looked too much for his own shot in key situations. He wasn’t as much as a maestro in conducting the orchestra.
The last game of the year featured a breakdown in SU’s offence. Had they been playing better as a team they might have got over the hump. Their shortcomings showed up in the semifinal.
Sherman Douglas knew how to run a team. MCW and Pearl were more “selfish” but still fun to watch and of course greats.
Glad MCW came to SU but happy to see us back with a point guard, Ennis, we’re more used to and who will help the team meld together better.
I think we will have the best rebounding front court in many years. DC especially is a good rebounder and can throw an outstanding outlet pass. Grant looks to have a decent handle and loves to dunk. Cooney has some hops. CJ is a proven finisher. Ennis looks to be a great ballhandler and an assist machine. This will be a fun team to watch in transition.
* All-Star season is winding down, & the jury is out: 3 frosh players will play significant roles season. Ennis is SU starting PG ( shoulder needs rest), Roberson could be a double-double type freshman ( he has elite xfactor athleticism & rebs. ability), and for the ’13-’14 season, Patterson. SU has no guards, and Patterson has the ability to get to the rim, finish, shoot and defend the best perimeter player on the other team.
All 3 players have had all types of accolades : POY – Patterson( his league) , Roberson picked up some hardware in NJ, Jordan classic- TR & TE… Ennis got a post season star +
Mike G. is the puzzle piece that can be seen as a SG/SF hybrid, that should start in ’13, but if CJ comes back MG can’t start at SF? Regardless of a 5 man class, SU has 3 guards again, on a top10 team!
If HCJB sticks to a traditional lineup, two freshman could start. SU has 1 returning guard… Roberson showed some skill in the Jordan classic
( ex: open court dunk, w/ left hand over opponent, being defended from half court…str8 nasty), but does he start over Mike G. & Ron P. ?
Great talent for SUBB. Next year looks good!! But tomorrow is the spring game!! And no practise until late summer. Where’s the articles about SUFB. Come on!!
Well guys went to the spring scrimmage game on Saturday and the following is what I came away with after the game.
I was pleased that I got a chance to meet another member(the sackster)of the family. We talked about 15 minutes and discussed the program in great detail and we both agreed that the program has turned the corner on mediocraty and is headed for great things in the future.
There were 15 recruits in attendance and they all looked pretty impressive to me and they weren’t wearing any pads either.
Line backers from the JUCO ranks look pretty impressive to me and will see playing time this year.
Derek was right in his take on the QB competition. My assessment was way off,I now believe that if Drew Allen doesn’t get the job that Terrell Hunt will be the started with Drew Allen as the back-up quarterback and if Drew gets the starting nod then Terrell will be the back-up. Charlie Loeb and John Kinder didn’t show me anything during the game. NOTHING!!!
It kind of looks like they ran the basic offensive package and didn’t give away or show any new wrinkles in the offense. They ran Jerome Smith some,Adonis Ameen Moore more and George Morris III a lot. I think George Morris was more impressive that what he was last year and am looking forwards to seeing him on the field this year. The kid is fast. I mean FAST.
They used the Tight End over the middle a few times,went to Jarrod West a lot. I honestly didn’t see any of the QB’s go to Funderburk during the scrimmage. They’re going to have to include him in the offense at some point because he’s big and fast.
Last but not least was the defense. Gentlemen start your engines,it’s going to be interesting this year. Can’t wait for the season to start.
Again to the sackster,it was a pleasure talking to you,enjoy the season.
Quality freshmen are always fun to anticipate.The “Whoa boy” is always screamed by Jimmy, especially when it comes to playing time. And we wonder why some of these kids aren’t ready by the time tournament time rolls around.
Starting 5 next season:
PG: Ennis
SG: Mike G
SF: Fair
PF: Rak
C: DC
I think Ennis will be fine. It Comes down to if fair stays and if Rak, DC and Grant get better.Obokoh, BJ I feel will red shirt. Pat, Cooney, Grant, Keita and Roberson will bring depth. Next yr its time for DC and RAK to live up to their micky d’s rankings.
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If CJ leaves then you can probably expect Gbinije to play forward.
I would like to see Keita put on some muscle mass for next season. He goy pushed around quite a bit this past season. He also had a bad number of rebounds taken away from him when he came down with the ball. I some cases he just lost the ball when someone took it out of his hands,Coleman was a waste and anything he gives us next year will be a bonus. I think Jeremi Grant will improve offensively for the team.
well, nice post, thanks for share