Brandon Triche could be a huge swing vote in Syracuse landing Dajuan Coleman, but it sounds like the Orange guard will not use his influence. News has been popping on Coleman as he makes his way through the summer AAU circuit, and Jamesville-Dewitt coach Bob McKenny delivered some good news to Orange Nation. He told The Fizz Syracuse was part of Coleman’s top three along with Kentucky and Ohio State.
McKenny also told The Fizz that Triche would be a key SU’s courting of the big man.
“Brandon [Triche] staying for his senior year is key to DaJuan coming to Syracuse. He played with him, likes to play with him and really respects him on and off the court.”
Sounds like great news for the Orange, but Triche may have rained on the parade with his recent comments to the Post-Standard:
“That’s not my job, to speak to him about what school he’s supposed to go to. It’s his family and the college that’s trying to persuade him. So I pretty much talk about regular basketball stuff, regular life stuff. With guys who are just heavy basketball, basketball, basketball, they don’t want to talk about basketball all the time. So once we play, it’s ‘All right, game’s over, whatcha gonna do after?’ He’s got enough pressure.”
So Triche is the strongest potential influence in convincing Coleman to stay at home, but he doesn’t want to politic to bring DC 2.0 to the Hill because it’s “not his job.” This obviously has some Orange fans upset, but should they expect Brandon to take on more of a role in Dajuan’s recruitment?
Brandon is right. It isn’t his job to persuade Coleman to come to Syracuse; as he pointed out, that’s the coaches’ job. As someone who’s been through the recruiting process before, Triche understands the pressure of the decision and the way that high school athletes are pulled at from countless directions. Brandon simply doesn’t want to put another voice in Coleman’s ear, because he knows most of the time that’s the last thing recruits need.
However, this is not as big of a blow to Syracuse as it seems. Brandon will influence Coleman’s decision whether he is actively trying to or not. They’re obviously friends, and obviously talk. The fact that Brandon isn’t just selling Dajuan for the Orange might actually be a good thing. A sales pitch is what you get from coaches. Having a friend who has been on the team at Syracuse that Dajuan can trust to tell him what really goes on within the program may actually be more valuable.
It can be hard for recruits to know if what coaches are saying is the real deal or not. Coleman trusts Brandon, and the more Triche tries to pull DC 2.0 towards The Hill, he becomes less of a friend and more of a recruiter. There are plenty of recruiters, but having a current player with that type of relationship with a recruit is a unique advantage.
If Dajuan’s friendship with Brandon is as strong as McKenny says, you can rest assured that Coleman has and will continue to ask Triche for his opinion and advice. It doesn’t matter if Triche wants to play a role in bringing Coleman to The Hill or not, because he will either way.
Posted: Steve Neikam
