Syracuse Basketball: ACC Media Day, what'd we learn?
Syracuse basketball head coach, Jim Boeheim, talked recruiting strategy and roster evaluations Wednesday during the ACC’s annual basketball media day in Charlotte.
The annual basketball media day was this week and the Syracuse basketball team was the talk of the town. But what were the top takeaways? Lets go through some of the headlines and comments throughout the day.
Jim Boeheim spoke about the graduate transfer rule…
“(It) helped us because Malachi (Richardson) left so late, you’re not going to get (another recruit). I don’t like the rule, but it’s the rule,” he said. “It’s a good thing because … you’re getting a veteran player and he’s got experience and now he’s coming to really focus on basketball. And that’s a good thing. It’s good for us. It’s bad for the teams that lose them.”
Boeheim is a smart coach, clearly, but you can’t play both sides of the fence. This Syracuse basketball team benefited greatly from the rule and so did the football team for that matter.
While the team has been helped by that transfer rule, their prized gem came the good ‘ole fashioned way. Tyus Battle, was the coveted gem of the class for Syracuse. And Boeheim hasn’t hidden his admiration of his new star piece.
“His shot has really improved,” Boeheim said at Wednesday’s ACC Media Day. “He has a good release. He’s got good mechanics, so it’s going to get better. He still gets to the basket. That’s what he does best.”
But perhaps the biggest praise came when Boeheim spoke about his future in the NBA.
“He’s a big-time player. He’ll play in the NBA for a long time.”
Of course since we’re talking about NBA futures, the Orange team lost its top-three scorers with Trevor Cooney, Michael Gbinije, and Malachi Richardson all gone. With two of those players being on NBA rosters.
A player that will certainly garner a ton of NBA consideration in next year’s NBA Draft is Tyler Lydon. Lydon was No. 76 on ESPN’s Top 100 prospects for his recruiting class. NBA Draft projections have slotted him in the lottery vicinity and it seems the Orange continue to find players like Lydon year-in and year-out.
“We’ll find a guy like him every year. He’s pretty good. We’ll find somebody like that this year,” Boeheim said. “Taurean Thompson (No. 75 ESPN) was not that highly thought of, but he’s pretty good. We’ve recruited guys that people didn’t want and then we start recruiting them and now, all of a sudden, everybody else is recruiting them. That happens. But you’re going to miss on guys.”
Where does #OrangeNation think Syracuse will end up this season? Share your thoughts on ACC Media Day and on the exhibition season opener for next week below!
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