Syracuse Basketball's Roster Construction & Available Scholarships
Two significant decisions were made recently that impact Syracuse basketball's roster for the 2022-23 season. Class of 2022 combo guard Judah Mintz committed to the Orange and Cole Swider announced he is turning pro. With that, Syracuse's roster is currently at 12 scholarships for next season. The NCAA limit is 13. Here is a look at how it is currently constructed.
Guards: Quadir Copeland, Joe Girard, Judah Mintz, Justin Taylor, Symir Torrence
Forwards: John Bol Ajak, Maliq Brown, Chris Bunch, Chaz Owens, Benny Williams
Centers: Peter Carey, Jesse Edwards
Note: Players above listed in alphabetical order.
With one current scholarship available, the question is, how will Syracuse fill it? A backup center for next season appears to be the biggest need. A player such as Quincy Ballard, who Syracuse targeted in high school and is a local, makes a lot of sense. He has a huge frame, can learn behind Edwards for a year, and then has the opportunity to compete for the starting job.
It would also be understandable if Syracuse looked at a veteran forward to replace Swider. However, the Orange operated throughout the 2022 recruiting cycle as if neither Swider nor Jimmy Boeheim would be back. That would suggest comfort in rolling next season with the forwards currently in place. Of course another entry into the portal could change that.
The roster also, as constructed, provides a lot of versatility. Girard can play the one or the two. Mintz can as well. Torrence can play the one with any of Girard, Mintz or Taylor as the two. Taylor can play some small forward. Bunch and Williams can play either forward spot. It provides a lot of options for the starting lineup, depending on how players develop this offseason and into training camp, as well as for the rotation.
The bottomline is, another center is critical to allow Edwards to not have to play 38-40 minutes every single night. If Edwards can average 30-35, with a backup playing 5-10, that would be ideal assuming Edwards continues the upward trajectory in his development. That will likely be the focus for the remainder of the offseason, barring any other departures.
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