MBB : Former top recruit Gbinije transfers from Duke to Syracuse
For the first time since Wes Johnson came to Syracuse, SU has brought in a transfer player from a major college program.
Michael Gbinije, a 6-foot-7, 205-pound swingman, has decided to transfer from Duke to Syracuse.
Gbinije visited the SU campus Friday before giving his commitment. Gbinije played in 19 games off the bench for the Blue Devils as a freshman last season, averaging 1.7 points and less than one rebound per game in 5.8 minutes per contest.
Gbinije will sit out for the 2012-13 season per NCAA transfer rules, but he will have three years of eligibility remaining beginning in 2013.
The Chester, Va., native was a highly coveted recruit coming out of high school. Scout.com rated Gbinije 28th on its prospect rankings, and Rivals.com pegged him at No. 35. Gbinije averaged 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists per game as a senior at Benedictine High School in Richmond, Va., helping lead the team to a 26-5 record.
Sean McAloon, Gbinije’s high school coach, said his length fits in well with Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 zone, and his versatility will be an additional asset. McAloon said he can play small forward, but is a good enough shooter to play shooting guard.
‘I just characterize him as a wing,’ McAloon said. ‘Mike can play either position. He shoots it well enough to be a 2, and he’s long enough to be a 3.’
Gbinije, who McAloon called quiet on the floor, played in the 2011 Jordan Brand Classic in Charlotte, N.C., scoring 10 points and notching two rebounds. He played in the game with current Orange guard Michael Carter-Williams and forward Rakeem Christmas.
McAloon said he wanted Gbinije to become more talkative on the court during his time in high school.
He also has a relationship with SU assistant coach Adrian Autry, who coached Gbinije on the Virginia-based AAU team Triple Threat.
Gbinije also played for Team Takeover, an AAU program in Washington D.C. His former Team Takeover head coach Keith Stevens echoed McAloon’s assessment of the lanky swingman.
‘I think he’ll fit in well,’ Stevens said. ‘I think he’s a prototypical Syracuse-type perimeter player. He can do a lot of different things.’
McAloon said Gbinije faced an uphill battle when it came to the difficulty of playing basketball for Duke in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but he improved toward the end of the year. Gbinije thought it was time for a ‘fresh start,’
McAloon said, leading to the transfer.
Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim rarely takes transfer players, but McAloon said Boeheim likely saw a player who was a fit in his system.
‘He can run the floor well, he’s athletic. He shoots it,’ McAloon said. ‘He can do a lot of things. I think that he’s a multidimensional kid that he can fit in a bunch of positions for him, and I think that he was probably excited about that.’
McAloon also said he thinks Gbinije can eventually live up to the expectations that were placed on him coming out of high school.
‘I think he’s fantastic,’ McAloon said, ‘and I think he’ll definitely fit in to what they do.’
Published on April 28, 2012 at 12:00 pm
Contact Chris: cjiseman@syr.edu | @chris_iseman
