If you saw Syracuse’s Sweet Sixteen run coming this year, then you were part of a small, select group of people.
However, next year’s Orange season might be a little bit easier to predict.
Barring [major] transfers and departures for the NBA by this year’s SU starters, Syracuse basketball could be poised for an even better run in 2018-2019.
Next year, three new top recruits will walk onto Jim Boeheim Court wearing “Syracuse” across their chests.
There’s Darius Bazley, the number eight college basket basketball prospect in the nation. The five-star small forward is bound to be a high contributor to the team no matter who is around him.
There’s Jalen Carey, the eleventh best college basketball prospect at point guard in the country. He has received constant praise for being the Syracuse prototype that the Orange has been missing in recent years. He will add even greater length to a court of players already have proven its length on defense is to be feared.
And, of course, there’s Buddy Boeheim, the son of—you guessed it—Syracuse basketball’s own Hall of Fame head coach, Jim Boeheim. The shooting guard has built up his own reputation to go along with his name.
Based on what SU was able to accomplish this year, the addition of these three players can only make the team better. If the Orange’s starters from this year return, Syracuse could be the team to beat.
How realistic is it that the new players become additions rather than replacements? Well, let’s have those conversations in another post. For now, we can be optimistic. Either way, the table is set for Syracuse basketball to make big improvements heading into next season.
Published: David Edelstein
