“Unfinished Business” is this year’s motto for the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team. However cliché the new catchphrase may be, it’s more than appropriate.
Because the hopes of devout fans were raised to such an unbelievably high level in the NCAA tournament last year and then slashed in the Orange’s loss to Butler University, a desire to make up for the lingering disappointment has been evident throughout the preseason.
Returning players Rick Jackson, Antonio “Scoop” Jardine, Kris Joseph and Brandon Triche have much to bring to the Syracuse program – something that’s definitely expected in the upcoming season. Increased contributions from returning players are a necessity in order to make up for what slipped away last year. After earning the Big East’s sixth Man of the Year Award last season, Joseph is expected to produce from a starting position versus coming off the bench mid-game, a situation to which he is more accustomed.
The tandem of the seasoned veteran Jardine and the hardworking Triche will seek that balance of scoring and assisting that they became increasingly comfortable with last season. They will both be expected to score more frequently because they won’t be able to rely on Wes Johnson or Andy Rautins to win games with their personal prolific point production. With the graduation of the consistent and always reliable Arinze Onuaku, Jackson will receive more pressure from opposing defenses and must be more efficient with his touches.
While the Orange lost many important pieces over the offseason as a result of graduation and the NBA Draft, the incoming class of freshmen is considered to be one of coach Jim Boeheim’s finest. Fabricio Melo (resisting corny joke urge), the 7-foot center from Brazil, has been described by typically dreary Boeheim as the finest freshman big man ever to brave the snow and sign with Syracuse. Fellow freshman forward Baye Moussa Keita is also expected to make an impact early on with his strong efforts on the glass. Each of the remaining big recruits, C.J. Fair and Dion Waiters, also has the potential to crack the starting lineup at some point this season. These four freshmen, along with fellow newcomer swingmen Mookie Jones and James Southerland, will be expected to provide a spark coming off the bench at the snap of Boeheim’s finger.
The pundits in the college basketball world have said that this highly regarded class has kept Syracuse’s goal identical to what it was last year: a national championship. Deserving or not, the Orange have remained in these talks throughout the preseason.
Regardless of the high praises his squad has received already, leave it to Boeheim to call this year’s team “the most overrated team that [he has] ever had.”
While Boeheim has been known to downplay the talent and quality of his teams in the media, his infamous furrowed brow and puzzled shrug may be more appropriate than many believe. There is no doubt that the highly sought-after freshmen have the potential to navigate the Orange through the treacherous Big East Conference schedule and well into March. Boeheim’s argument is a valid one though: “We have no proven depth.”
And that is where the success of the Syracuse Orange’s season rests – in the ability of freshmen to prove themselves. It really is this simple: if the freshmen don’t completely live up to the hype – which is anyone’s guess now – the Orange will not come close to “finishing their business.”