Jim Boeheim became very good at many parts of being a basketball coach during his long tenure at Syracuse. One of them, which is often only referred to anecdotally (“ten bleeping games”), is how he managed press conferences. And to be sure, he absolutely managed them.
Yes, there were times when Boeheim’s true feelings came through, but those were mostly a reflection of his competitiveness. Two seasons ago, when Benny Williams missed a mid-season game that the Orange lost, the first question after the game was about Williams’ absence and not the game SU had just lost. Boeheim fired back a heated response at the reporter because, in that moment, he was more concerned about the loss of the game than the player.
Many nights, Boeheim walked to the podium, looking at the printed box score in his hand in preparation of giving rote answers that were traditional concerns for the team. A perceived weakness of the 2-3 zone led to frequent variations of “we didn’t rebound well”, whether the team won or lost. “We missed some shots” was a standby, too, sometimes specifying free throws, which has been schtick since the mid-1980’s.
The old coach was a master of “magician’s patter”, directing your attention over there while his other hand was performing the mechanics of the trick. In other words, Boeheim would often say a lot of words that didn’t necessarily mean much, just offering general basketball platitudes in answering questions about the recently transpired events.
As such, the responsibility of figuring out what Boeheim really meant belonged to the listener. He delivered a favorite in February 2016 after SU suffered a 66-52 loss at home to Pitt, who also doubled them up on the glass, 40-20. After the game, Boeheim spoke about how “Tyler” needed to rebound better.
The common perception was that he was talking about perpetual whipping boy Tyler Roberson, who had four rebounds (and no points) in 25 minutes. But, was Boeheim actually calling out Tyler Lydon, who had led the Orange that night with 21 points… and had one rebound in 31 minutes?
In other words, some of what the head coach is saying is the real message while much of what is quoted is just filler.
Which brings me to Boeheim player, assistant, and successor, Adrian Autry.
It’s been a bumpy 21 months since he took the job, saying he would “be my own coach” and not a continuation of his predecessor, including giving the most obvious evidence of that change by switching to primarily man-to-man defense.
It’s been an even rougher 13½ months for Autry since the games started going on his permanent record. Under his guidance, Syracuse struggled through an up-and-down first season and an even worse start to the current campaign.
When facing the media, Autry has often cited the “Syracuse standard” and taken blame for losses, saying that it all rests at his feet and owning the team’s struggles. Again, platitudes, because the two most important words he has said this season have passed his lips just a couple times, but they could certainly be used to explain what is happening with the team this season:
“Positionless basketball.”
The man who ushered in a change from his predecessor has also mentioned that as his preferred style of play. Positionless basketball is best summed up by versatile players who can do a lot of things on both ends of the floor: skilled players who can handle the ball, pass, and shoot on offense while also having the size and athleticism to switch on defense and guard capably in multiple matchups.
That’s what Autry wants from his team. And that’s what he’s building on this roster while trying to remain competitive in the current moment.
The roster Autry took over was not comprised of players who fit the profile of positionless basketball. Incoming freshman center William Patterson also did not fit, either. But, Autry could only augment the roster he inherited through the transfer portal.
Autry pulled in Kyle Cuffe Jr., Naheem McLeod, J.J. Starling, and Chance Westry through the portal, netting two players expected to start immediately and two players coming off injury.
Those two starters, though, are not the ideals of positionless basketball. McLeod is a giant who struggles in space and is not a strong offensive player. Starling is a small wing who has recently reached more assists than turnovers while shooting 31.1 percent from 3-point range in his career.
While neither fits the ideal of how he wants his team to play, Autry needed those two not just to play, but to play immediately. Meanwhile, Cuffe was a lottery ticket based on his recruiting ranking as a fringe-top 100 player in his class. And that fourth player…
Westry was coming off injury and is still a mystery whose high school recruiting profile includes phrases like “long 6-6 for a multi-positional perimeter player,” “crafty in the mid-range as a scorer and passer,” “point guard-type vision,” and “can guard multiple positions and has quick hands.”
Positionless basketball.
The three freshmen currently on the roster also fit this style. Donnie Freeman is an extremely athletic stretch four who has shown good touch on his shot while also showing defensive tools that need refinement. Elijah Moore made his bones as an excellent perimeter shooter and has shown some ability to create off the bounce and pass. Petar Majstorovic is a skilled four who has shown soft shooting touch and passing skills.
None are finished products, but you can see an emphasis on diverse skill sets that can be employed on the floor.
Positionless basketball.
The committed 2025 recruits are more of the same. Sadiq White is a long, extremely athletic player who is developing on offense while already being capable of playing at multiple positions on defense. Kiyan Anthony is a multi-skilled offensive wing who can handle and pass. Australian Luke Fennell is a skilled, smart combo guard who can shoot while Aaron Womack is a rangy, developmental wing.
All four are listed between 6’5” and 6’8” and have positional flexibility. No centers who clog the middle or undersized guards who can be picked on while defending.
Which gets to this year’s transfer class, which does not have a whole lot of positionless basketball. Jaquan Carlos is an undersized point guard whose lack of elite athleticism is hampering him against power conference opponents and Eddie Lampkin is a center whose passing skills help offset his lack of athleticism. Jyare Davis is an undersized power forward and Lucas Taylor a two-guard who is neither a great shooter nor ballhandler, leaving them both to try to contribute through effort and grit.
But, all four do have one thing uniting them, aside from how they do not fit Autry’s ideal: they are all on their last year of eligibility.
In other words, they were an attempt to keep the team’s record above water while Autry was actually ripping the bandage off. It’s just that a sub-.500 record is magician’s patter for a bad reason.
With Judah Mintz gone to the professional ranks, Benny Williams already dismissed, and Maliq Brown, Peter Carey, Quadir Copeland, and Justin Taylor leaving through the portal, there was no reason for Autry to continue on the previous path with just four returnees. Instead, the decision seemed to be to bring on the teardown, while bringing in players to help make a competitive roster while not cluttering the long-term vision.
So, while it’s not working out this year, it is clearing the deck for Autry to build the team he wants to play the style he wants starting next season.
And he should absolutely get that chance. He took over a roster built to play 2-3 zone, brought in four players, and squeezed 20 wins out of that inexperienced group (only Judah Mintz’s return kept the entire roster from entering last season with fewer minutes in their combined collegiate careers than Gerry McNamara had in his). In doing so, he snapped a streak of four campaigns where SU’s win total ended in the syllable “teen.”
Mintz’s return was very important to Autry’s success, but not for the reason you are thinking. Had Mintz not returned, how do you think Autry’s first season would have gone? Could he have survived tearing it all down last year, his first as the head coach? Or would there have been an announcement that torches and pitchforks were not allowed inside the JMA Dome?
Based on that first year of evidence, Autry knows what he is doing. As such, he should be allowed to build the team he wants to coach, especially since he’s already shown the ability to coach a team he partially built.
Give him the opportunity to build the team he wants to coach and the program he wants to run.
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