Syracuse’s current squad shows flashes of team that won Jim Boeheim’s 1000th* game
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Jim Boeheim had already reached 1000 wins. In a packed Carrier Dome six years ago, Syracuse overcame a double-digit halftime deficit to defeat Virginia 66-62. It wasn’t his official 1000th win, due to the NCAA vacating 101 wins from Boeheim’s coaching record on March 6, 2015. But it was the 1000th loss he had handed to another team.
Boeheim waved to the 27,000-plus fans cheering at him, fans stormed the court for the second straight week as SU overcame another Top-10 team, and the players showered him with water once he finally made his way into the locker room.
“I know how many wins I’ve had,” Boeheim said postgame. “I’m very proud of that. Very proud.”
On Saturday, when he reached the official 1000 wins mark after a blowout win over Northeastern, the JMA Wireless Dome wasn’t packed. A few fans held up signs with the number “1000” crossed off and replaced with Boeheim’s unofficial mark of “1101” while others wore shirts saying “Give Jim Boeheim his wins back.” But there was no storming of the court. No waving to the crowd. No water shower in the locker room. No questions, or answers, about the win postgame. It was simply Boeheim’s second win of the season, part of Syracuse’s light nonconference schedule.
The makeup of both teams to reach 1000 wins have some similarities, though. In 2016-17, the Orange had a coveted freshman combo guard in Tyus Battle, a surefire deep threat in Andrew White III and a veteran down low in Tyler Roberson. This year, Mintz has already emerged as one of SU’s most efficient scorers, Joe Girard has found his stride deep and Edwards has shown that he’s finally “ready” to be Syracuse’s go-to big man.
Battle, White and Roberson clinched Boeheim’s 1000th unofficial and sparked a late run for the tournament in what was a once-lost year. And Mintz, Girard and Edwards showed in Boeheim’s 1000th official win that they could do the same.
“Our guards were really good, Jesse was really good inside. Lot of room for improvement,” Boeheim said after the Northeastern win.
Matthew Moyer, who redshirted his freshman year at SU in 2016-17, remembered when Battle decommitted from Michigan. Once he joined the Orange, it was an “insane” addition to the lineup — Mintz also decommitted from Pittsburgh before choosing SU.
Unlike Mintz, who Boeheim said is “just scratching the surface” of his abilities and has averaged 18 points per game so far, Battle’s start at Syracuse was rough. He didn’t receive a lot of playing time early, working himself into the rotation at the start of conference play.
Though John Gillon and Frank Howard struggled against Virginia, Battle erupted with 13 points in the final period. He finished with a career-high 23 points, including three 3-pointers.
“He had a huge second half against Virginia, a lot of isolation one-on-one buckets that really helped us seal the win,” former guard Shaun Belbey said.
Battle’s strength to work one-on-one was vital whenever Syracuse’ offense needed a spark, but he also had an innate ability to score at the end of the shot clock, Roberson said. He drained two jumpers, letting go of the ball before the shot clock buzzer sounded in the second half against the Cavaliers.
“When the shot clock’s running out, I know it’s a 1-on-1 game,” Battle said after the game. “Usually you have to look for your shot and make something happen. You can get to the line, hit your teammates for an open shot or create space to make your own shot.”
With the shot clock expiring in the final 10 minutes against Northeastern, Mintz called for the ball at the right wing. He faked a pass before sprinting into the lane, kept the ball low so it couldn’t be poked out and elevated in the middle of the paint to rattle in a floater. He finished two points shy of tying his career-high.
“I see Tyus written all over him,” Moyer said of Mintz. “He’s really special.”
Girard has primarily served as Syracuse’s deep option since his arrival, showing flashes of White. He was taller, but like Girard, he quickly became a vocal leader in Syracuse’s backcourt in 2016, Roberson said, and was the go-to guy on offense.
“(Joe is) going to have a big role this year, scoring, playmaking and being the leader the young team needs,” Roberson said.
White matched Battle’s three 3-pointers against Virginia, and Girard began his night against Northeastern going 3-for-3.
At the top of the key, Edwards set a screen for Girard just two minutes into the game. Girard rejected it before crossing back to his left and firing from four steps behind the arc. He drilled it and used an off-ball screen from Edwards to score from the same spot a few possessions later.
To stay perfect, Girard positioned himself on the left wing while Symir Torrence held the ball at the top of the key. Girard cut into the lane hard but stopped immediately once he reached the edge of the paint. He then turned his body toward Torrence and retreated to the corner. Mounir Hima had a defender on him, but he sidestepped to help move Girard’s out of the way. With enough space, Girard’s shot fell to give SU a 24-17 lead.
Andrew White III finished the 2017 game against the Cavaliers with 23 points, tied with Tyus Battle for the most scored by an SU player. Daily Orange File Photo | Jessica Sheldon
Having a 3-point threat like Girard or White makes the rest of the offense’s life easier, Roberson said, allowing them to space out on the court more.
“For those guys, a three is almost like a layup,” he said about White and Girard.
Like Girard with Syracuse’s young guards, Edwards has been tasked with helping new forwards Maliq Brown and Chris Bell navigate Syracuse’s offense and zone. Moyer said Roberson did the same with him and other young forwards. Everything started to make the most sense on both sides of the ball when Roberson was a junior, he said.
“You know the defense and the offense as a freshman and a sophomore, but something clicks and then you feel really comfortable,” Roberson said. “Jesse and other upperclassmen, I think that they have a good feel for it as well on the floor.”
Edwards already had nine blocks in SU’s first two games. But he’s developed even more of an offensive game than years past, using pick-and-rolls to get free in the paint while creating open looks on his own. Boeheim said he’s “more comfortable down there” and that SU is “looking for him a little better” as well.
Syracuse has still struggled defensively outside of the paint this year, allowing 19 3-pointers from Colgate last week. The defense was the crux of the team in 2016-17 as well, Belbey said, as Syracuse’s transfers and freshmen — Gillon, White, Taurean Thompson and Battle — took sometime to learn the zone.
This year, the Orange have tried man-to-man at times as the zone continuously freed up wide-open 3-pointers from the corners. But after the Northeastern win, Boeheim said the team would probably stick to the zone. It took until the midway point of the season for the zone to work in 2016-17 because of its complex nature “like a rubik’s cube,” Roberson said.
“The quicker they can come together and start clicking and gelling as a team, the easier things will be,” Roberson said.
But the defense only came into fruition the following year in a Sweet Sixteen run after Syracuse returned most of its key pieces, Moyer said. But Moyer added that it finally worked because of the “process-driven” atmosphere which Boeheim harps on every year.
This season, the fixes, which the Orange need to make the NCAA Tournament, could come in the next few games. Or it could come at the start of ACC play. Or it might not even come until the beginning of the next season. But it will come eventually, Moyer said, just like it did six years ago.
“That’s what happens sometimes with Syracuse teams, you lose some games you shouldn’t lose, but then you get that key win and things get rolling,” Moyer said.