I've been following SU basketball and going to games for the past 30 years.
This team looks nothing like any SU basketball team I've ever seen. Mainly Boeheim has never been a big user of his bench and this year he almost always uses 10 players in every game and all in critical parts of the game. Before this year, Boeheim would probably use 7 players tops.
Part of the reason is not only was it what Boeheim preferred, but SU has never been able to get this much talent all at once. I keep telling myself 'this is what it must be like to root for Kentucky or UNC.'
Anyway, from what I see SU really gets going when Fab Melo is playing well. When he's on, he plays excellent defense and can rebound and give them a few points in the paint. When he's off or in foul trouble, the team is not nearly as effective.
Essentially, if they can get Melo and one of either Triche, Jardine or Waiters playing well...they are extremely tough to beat. Here's my rundown of the team:
Jardine - underrated player and a solid college point guard. More athletic than given credit for, but does have some occasional laziness. Probably the player on the team I trust the most with the ball. Most likely a pro over in Europe after graduation.
Triche - Frustrating player because there are times in a game where he looks like he can do it all and then times he makes idiotic plays. Most likely a fringe NBA player because he has the bulk and athleticism for a guard and shows flashes of all of the skills, but can't do it consistently.
Waiters - At times, just unbelievable. Good size and is often the fastest player on the court who can finish, handle the rock. He's NBA bound and I think if he plays 1 more year at SU he will be head and shoulders above the prospect that Johnny Flynn was after leaving SU.
Carter-Williams - McDonald's All-American who gets spot time off the bench because he's playing behind 3 very good to excellent guards. 6'6" tall, handles the rock well, beats defenders off the dribble and is becoming a very good defender. The coachign staff started him earlier in the year because he was that impressive, but his lack of experience found him on the bench. He's going to be NBA bound. Too big and skilled at the point not to be.
Joseph - Another great finisher and a good defender. Can shoot as well. I think he's NBA bound because he's extremely athletic. Needs to badly work on his ballhandling and hope his knees hold up.
Southerland - 6'8" athletic player who can really stroke it. I don't think he's really developed his game like he should have because he only sees action because of his shooting ability. Sometimes he gets lost in the 2-3 zone as well. I think he has as much potential as anybody on the team.
Keita - Pretty good shot blocker and rebounder who can finish but has limited scoring skills in the paint. However, an excellent bench player.
Christmas - He starts every game, but usually gets about 5 to 10 minutes of total playing time. I think they do that to get him into games and keep him happy. Out of the big men, he has the most offensive skills. They say they want more energy out of him. I think he's just adjusting to college play. But, he's a nice guy to have on the team because he's not a guy that other teams can attack.
Melo - Great defender because he can block shots, run the court and play defense in transition and he takes a lot of charges. Hell, if he played for Duke he would never get called for a defensive foul
Pretty good rebounder. Good passer for a big man, just needs to work on some mechanics in the paint. Definitely NBA bound although I think he'll wind up being more of a defensive big man than a scoring big man.
Fair - Reminds me of Southerland in that he may have the most potential of anybody in the group. He reminded fans of Stevie Thompson and Josh Pace, athetlic swing forwards who could really play the game, but didn't have a jumpshot and had ugly form to boot. But, Fair actually has not only developed a jumpshot, but it's a textbook technique. In fact, I think in the next year or so he needs to shoot more 3's. If he can do that, he'll be extremely difficult to defend since he can take it to the hole, finish in traffic and is left handed. I'm pretty sure he's NBA bound as well.
YR
