As pop music droned through the Carrier Dome, central New York got its first look at the 2019-20 SU men’s basketball team in the annual Orange Madness preseason showcase. Team White defeated Team Orange, 60-53, after a 40-minute scrimmage on Friday night. 

Here are some takeaways from the event.

Buddy’s development

Early on in the first period, Buddy Boeheim spotted up on the right elbow. He had already knocked down two shots from beyond the arc, so Joe Girard III crashed toward the 3-point line. Buddy waited, faked and strode into the paint for an uncontested layup.

Boeheim, who limited his opportunities dribbling the ball in extended run toward the end of last season, flashed a new ball-handling acumen in small doses Friday night. Buddy occasionally created some space for others as a lead ball handler at the top of the key, but mainly looked for his own shot off of dribble moves.

To knock down his second 3-pointer of the scrimmage, Buddy performed an in-and-out dribble and hopped to his right, knocking down a contested jumper on the perimeter. Buddy did most of his damage on spot ups, but his ability to put the ball on the floor made him more than a one-dimensional threat.

New Faces 

Earlier Friday afternoon in the Carmelo K. Anthony Center, SU head coach Jim Boeheim lauded his veterans, but also praised the freshman group that will need to fill the rotation. In the Dome, the Orange faithful caught a first glimpse at some of the faces Boeheim alluded to.

Quincy Guerrier displayed his athleticism in and out of the paint, including three 3s. New York state’s all-time leading high school scorer, Joe Girard III, netted a three from the left wing in the second half. And Jesse Edwards, a 6-foot-11 Dutch center, rebounded on both ends. Edwards brought the crowd to its feet in the first half with an alley-oop dunk off a feed from Marek Dolezaj.

44

Seated in his usual spot on the sidelines, Boeheim looked out at the Carrier Dome’s new court — which now features Boeheim’s name written in cursive — and unofficially kicked off his 44th season as Syracuse’s head coach.

For most of Friday night’s Orange Madness event, which featured fan giveaways and skills competitions before an intrasquad scrimmage, Boeheim stayed in his seat. He ceded coaching duties to assistants Gerry McNamara (Team Orange) and Adrian Autry (Team White). During halftime, Boeheim popped into both huddles and offered advice. The results didn’t matter, not yet anyway.

Before the scrimmage tipped off, Boeheim reminded those in attendance that this scrimmage was one step toward the season’s real start — Nov. 6 against the reigning champion Virginia Cavaliers in the Dome.

Best of the rest 

• Two “best-of” monikers were handed out on Friday night. Sophomore Jalen Carey edged John Bol Ajak, Dolezaj and Guerrier in a skills contest. Carey dotted through the makeshift course and swished a 3-pointer to end the event. Then, freshman Brycen Goodine (12-of-15) bested Buddy for the title of Syracuse’s best 3-point shooter.  

• Elijah Hughes, though he didn’t handle the ball as much, seemed to be the Orange’s best player Friday. He was limited to a few attempts from three, but made two of them from deep past the line. Boeheim said at media day Friday afternoon that Hughes will handle the ball a good amount this year, but will be doing so from the small forward spot.

• Dolezaj showed off slick passing skills Friday. Several times he fired passes — including a lob to Edwards — without having come down from his jump to receive the pass into him. He threw no-look passes, turned quick on outlets and picked up a few assists passing out to the wing from the paint. 

Published on October 11, 2019 at 11:20 pm

Contact Nick: nialvare@syr.edu | @nick_a_alvarez