For the past 44 seasons, Syracuse has been led by Jim Boeheim. This year Jim’s son Buddy returns for his sophomore campaign in the Orange and Blue. The 6-foot-6 guard really turned on the heat during the last few months of the 2018-19 season. Boeheim scored 20 points in the Orange’s ACC Tournament win against Pittsburgh. The bottom line: he proved to the college basketball world last year that he’s much more than just the coach’s son. Now, Boeheim figures to help fill the scoring void at the guard spot left by Tyus Battle and Oshae Brissett.
As far as playing time is concerned, Boeheim started the Orange’s first exhibition game against Daemen. He played 22 minutes, the most among SU starters.
Why Syracuse Needs Him
He’s (relatively) experienced. That’s right, Boeheim is one of the more seasoned players on this year’s roster. Just think about the guard spot. Jalen Carey and Howard Washington didn’t play much last year, while Brycen Goodine and Joe Girard III haven’t played a single minute of real college ball. Sure, the three-point shooting should be much improved. But as we saw last year with Boeheim, it’s not always an easy transition for freshman.
After shooting 35% from three-point range a season ago, Boeheim has a chance to be way better this year. Frankly, the Orange will likely need him to be close to 40% from downtown if they’re going to make some noise in the ACC.
Best Case Scenario
Boeheim becomes one of the best three-point shooters in the conference while developing an inside game to go with it. Behind forward Elijah Hughes, Boeheim finishes the year second on the team in scoring. At the end of the year his name is in the mix for second of third team All-ACC.
Worst Case Scenario
Like last year, Boeheim’s season start slow. He can’t find his shot and Orange fans start to get anxious about his future. Even with that, he’ll bounce back to have a solid season. Boeheim has proven he can shoot the ball at a high level. If he starts slow again, it’s only a matter of time before he gets back to where he was.
We’ll continue to unveil our top five up until Halloween. Check back here on these days as we continue to get you ready for the much-anticipated 2019 basketball season. Also, make sure to check out our audio content on SoundCloud at Orange Fizz. We post a weekly show, podcasts and more.
Thursday, October 17th: #5 Quincy Guerrier
Monday, October 21st: #4 Jalen Carey
Thursday, October 24th: #3 Bourama Sidibe
Monday, October 28th: #2 Buddy Boeheim
Thursday, October 31st: #1?
