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Today we continue along with our preseason player profiles for men’s basketball. See previous profiles be checking the men’s basketball section here.
The most eye-popping athlete to transfer to Syracuse this season is Jimmy Boeheim, older brother of Syracuse guard Buddy Boeheim and the son of Jim Boeheim, the head coach for the Syracuse men's basketball team.
What is better than seeing a father and son work together to win basketball games? Well, how about seeing the whole family do it.
Surely seeing Buddy and Jimmy both draped in the Orange’s jerseys will be something special to watch this season, especially considering the strong season of play from Jimmy at Cornell before transferring to ‘Cuse.
In his final year at Cornell, Jimmy Boeheim averaged 16.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists while shooting 43% from the field, 29.5 % from three, and 71.6 % from the charity stripe. All of this in 30.5 average minutes per game across 21 games played.
With the starting forward for Cuse last season, Qunicy Guerrier, transferring to Oregon, and Alan Griffin and Marek Dolezaj also not returning this season, there will be plenty of opportunities to earn minutes at both forward positions. The elder of the Boeheim brothers looks to be a candidate to earn one of the starting forward positions this upcoming season.
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Position: Forward
Class: Graduate Student
Vitals: 6’8, 225 pounds
2019-20 stats: 16.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists, shooting 43% from the field, 29.5 % from three, and 71.6 % from the free-throw line in 30.5 minutes per game across 21 games played.
Quote (from media day): “Jimmy is already questioning things we’ve been doing for 46 years. I said listen, you’re not at Cornell anymore,” Jim Boeheim said of having Jimmy on the team.
Strengths/Weaknesses: Boeheim's biggest strength has got to be his on-court IQ. The way he can read defensive schemes and his ability to move off the ball to create strong shot selections for himself are both major strengths in his game. Boeheim also demonstrates a strong ability to score in volume beyond or within the arc and shows great tenacity and grit in fighting for boards.
Boeheim has a pretty solid all-around game but the one area that could be classified as a weakness is his shooting efficiency. While Boeheim's offensive numbers increased each year and his 71.6 free throw percentage in his junior season shows his strong shooting touch, he’s not efficient with below-average numbers from the field and beyond the arc. Although his efficiency is a key weakness in his game, Boeheim has a strong overall game with a high basketball IQ that serves him well on both sides of the ball.
Ceiling: Boeheim is a seasoned NCAA veteran who knows what it takes to win basketball games. He enters Syracuse this season, as a capable scorer whose game play can be seamlessly inserted into his father's rotation due to his strong fundamental understanding of the game. If all goes according to plan, Boeheim’s ceiling this season would put him as Syracuse’s third-leading scorer behind his younger brother Buddy and junior guard Joseph Girard.
Floor: Boeheim’s floor truly depends on how well the other competition around him plays in practice and pre-season exhibition games before the official season begins. If he gets outplayed by the other forwards on the Syracuse roster, his role could be minimized. However, after two of the team's three top leading scorers, last season left, and the starting lineup desperately needs a scoring punch. In the past Boeheim proved he can be that scoring spark. The question is can he show this ability here and now? If he can’t, his floor is a backup forward playing 15-20 minutes a game.