A couple of months ago, we at The Fizz wrote a piece about how the end was near for Jim Boeheim, and how it wasn’t going to be pretty. Well, since then, it’s gone from not pretty to ugly, as Syracuse has lost back-to-back games by 18+ points for the first time since 1968, 55 years ago! Things have gone from bad to worse, and although the Orange have won some games and looked competitive at times, it’s not a good product being put on the floor.
At this rate, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Orange had major roster turnover this offseason. If Judah Mintz continues to shoot the ball from long range as he has, he might get picked in the NBA Draft. Most outlets see Mintz as a better 2024 prospect than a 2023 prospect, but if he can impress down the stretch and then perform well at the combine, there’s no reason he shouldn’t pursue his professional dreams.
Plus, a significant portion of the roster could seek to hit the transfer portal because of the ups and downs in playing time with everyone on the roster this season unless your name is Judah, Joe, or Jesse. It would not be a surprise if half of the current roster left. Everyone thinks Benny Williams has been checked out for weeks despite him getting more playing time recently. Chris Bell has been in Boeheim’s doghouse all season and Justin Taylor hasn’t gotten consistent minutes the entire year. Plus, Maliq Brown has been quiet, just playing his role, but it hasn’t been a consistent role over the past few games and Quadir Copeland has barely played in conference action.
So, all this is to say that Boeheim brought in a six-man recruiting class for 2022, and could be poised to lose a good chunk of it with only a singular recruit in 7’2 center William Patterson committed for 2023. The transfer portal has made life difficult for a coach who has been accustomed to players sticking around and developing over the years, but if you look at the Orange’s roster, Benny Williams is the only player that committed to SU out of high school that isn’t a freshman or senior. Syracuse has lost so much from its classes over the past few years that it can’t sustain a consistent level of success because there hasn’t been consistent development with the roster.
Boeheim has lost the grip of continuity on his teams, and the Orange are no longer and haven’t been for years, a sustainable program. It’s likely SU will hit the transfer portal this offseason, but the quality of players the Orange can secure is questionable considering who they’ve gotten to this point. Symir Torrence has been a fine backup guard, he’s nothing more than that. Mounir Hima is a work-in-progress at best at center. Plus, Jimmy Boeheim and Cole Swider were one-and-dones before moving on. No substantive results have come from the portal, and SU has lost more than it has gained.
All in all, Boeheim is barrelling a train toward an unenviable ending. Roy Williams went out gracefully, Coach K (albeit with the most insane farewell tour ever) still made the Final Four in his final season, and Jay Wright stepped aside when everyone still loved him. Boeheim is embarking down a path that people might turn on him when now is the time to have celebrated his career, and the only person to blame is himself for what SU’s program has become.
