Five Positive Takeaways From Syracuse Basketball's 2021-22 Season
Syracuse basketball had a disappointing 16-17 season during the 2021-22 campaign. Despite that, there were positives to take away that should have an impact going into next year.
1. The Development of Jesse Edwards
Few players in the country took as big of a leap as Jesse Edwards last season. From barely part of the rotation to a major contributing starter, Edwards was excellent on both ends. He finished well, showed fantastic hands, great footwork, set screens and rolled off them and was a superb shot blocker. Edwards is still learning parts of the game, but another offseason of development should have him ready to take another step forward next season. Despite his 2021-22 campaign ending early due to injury, his play was a major positive from the season.
2. The Emergence of Symir Torrence
It took a while for Torrence to get comfortable, but once he did, he played very well. Especially in the two ACC Tournament games. In those two games, Torrence averaged eight points and 10 assists per game while shooting 46% from the floor and 80% from the free throw line. And that was against two good defensive teams. This was a very encouraging sign going into next season. The offseason will be critical for him, as Torrence needs to work on his shot to at least become a small threat with his jumper.
3. Experience for Benny Williams, Frank Anselem
Both Benny Williams and Frank Anselem were up and down this season. That happens with young players sometimes. However, both gained valuable experience that should help them going into the offseason as they look to improve in order to be more consistent next season. Benny flashed when he had a career high 14 points and six rebounds against Duke in the Dome. Anselem flashed with a 15 rebound game in his first start at Virginia Tech, a 10 rebound game in a win over Georgia Tech and a nine point, four assist, three block, 15 rebound game in the ACC Tournament against Florida State.
4. Defensive Changes
Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim mentioned during his radio show one week that next season's squad is likely to play some man to man. Most were in the "I'll believe it when I see it" camp, but the end of the season signaled that is not as blasphemous as once thought. Syracuse used a little man, a little triangle and two and straight zone against Duke in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. This is in addition to some changes to the zone during the year, such as moving one of the backcourt players to the free throw line. Going into next year, with an entire offseason and training camp to assess the strengths of the team, the man to man comment suddenly does not seem so absurd.
5. Culture
When a team goes through unexpected challenges, it is easy to lose the locker room. Yes the players will still play hard on game day, but the team will look disjointed and will often quit when things start to get hard. This Syracuse team never did any of that. They were always together, always played hard, continued to fight when it was far easier not to and started playing its best basketball at the end of the season. That speaks to the culture of Syracuse basketball including the coaching staff's ability to keep the players engaged and looking ahead. Not easy to do, and that is a positive headed into next year.
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