Syracuse, N.Y. ― Bourama Sidibe’s senior season ended almost as soon as it began last year.
Sidibe, Syracuse’s starting center, injured his knee in the opening minutes of Syracuse’s game against Bryant in the season-opener at the Carrier Dome last November. The 6-10 senior missed almost the entire season, returning for an 11-minute stint in an early February game at Clemson.
On March 1, Sidibe took part in SU’s Senior Day ceremonies. He posed for photos with SU coach Jim Boeheim and fellow senior Marek Dolezaj. Sidibe and Dolezaj held their framed Syracuse jerseys.
But Sidibe decided to return to Syracuse for a fifth year and, after spending much of the offseason in continued rehabilitation, the 6-10 center is ready for the official start of practice next week.
On Wednesday, Boeheim said Sidibe was participating fully in preseason workouts and had been cleared to practice.
“He’s working out,’' Boeheim said in a telephone interview. “He’s working his way back in. He looks good.’'
Sidibe’s injury wiped out what was expected to be a breakout senior season. He had finished the 2019-20 season with a flourish, averaging 7.4 points and 8.5 boards in the last 10 games of his junior year.
Syracuse will hold its first official practice on Tuesday, Sept. 28. Boeheim said Sidibe needs the practice time leading up to Syracuse’s Nov. 9 opener against Lafayette after not playing for nearly a full year.
“I think the four weeks of practice will tell us more about where he is,’' Boeheim said. “He has spurts where he plays well, but he’s really been out of basketball mostly for the past year. He needs these four weeks and we’ll see where he is at that time.’'
Syracuse does have the luxury of not needing to rush Sidibe back if he needs more time to get his knee right.
Last year, Boeheim had to move Dolezaj, a slight 6-foot-10, 195-pound forward, into the starting center role. Dolezaj admirably battled against opponents that outweighed him by as much as 40 or 50 pounds, but he was still playing out of position.
Boeheim said young centers Jesse Edwards, then just a sophomore, and freshman Frank Anselem weren’t ready last year. Anselem appeared in just four games all season. Edwards played in 10 of Syracuse’s first 20 games but showed remarkable improvement late in the year. In SU’s last eight games, Edwards averaged nearly 15 minutes a game and showed flashes at both ends of the court.
“Last year Marek played center because Jesse and Frank weren’t ready to play a lot,’' Boeheim said. “The good news is that Jesse and Frank are very healthy and stronger. They look much improved. Having Jesse and Frank makes Bourama like a bonus guy for us.’'
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