Monday Musings: Syracuse Basketball's Options After Quincy Ballard's Decision
Florida State transfer big Quincy Ballard committed to Wichita State on Saturday over Syracuse. Ballard was being recruited to replace Frank Anselem, who is in the transfer portal, as the primary backup to starting center Jesse Edwards. How does the Orange respond? Here are the options moving forward.
Option 1: Find Someone in the Portal
While it did not work out with Quincy Ballard, that does not mean it necessarily would not with someone else. Syracuse can continue to monitor portal options for someone who is willing to come in and backup Jesse Edwards for a season with the potential to compete for a starting spot the following year. This may require patience, however. That pitch is very difficult within the portal as most that enter it do so expecting an opportunity with significant playing time immediately. Playing time is the biggest reason for entering the portal in the first place. However, with the abundance of portal entrants, there can be a bunch of players that are left without a home as summer draws near. Perhaps at that point Syracuse can find a player who may be more willing to accept such a role if other opportunities do not present themselves.
Option 2: Stand Pat
With the difficult pitch of convincing a transfer, who is likely leaving to get more playing time, to accept a small amount of playing time immediately, an option for the Orange is to stick with what they have. That would mean John Bol Ajak and Peter Carey as backups, or potentially a forward such as Maliq Brown to slide over if needed. Carey has not played this season due to injury, and we do not know how well that will be recovered by the time he arrives. Nor how ready he will be right away. Bol Ajak is a 6-10, 220-pounder who is entering his fourth season with the program. Bol Ajak has appeared in 22 games over the last two seasons, averaging 5.1 minutes, 0.3 points and 1.2 rebounds per game. Jim Boeheim noted multiple times last week that Bol Ajak was performing well in practice. Perhaps with an offseason of hard work that could translate to game performance with a more consistent role.
Option 3: Look at JUCO or International Options
With the transfer portal, the junior college ranks often get overlooked. That can lead to players who would otherwise go to a high major program falling to a mid-major or lower. Perhaps Syracuse could find a junior college big who is willing to accept a reserve role for a year. Beyond that, the international route has helped the Orange in the past and maybe could be valuable once again. Syracuse has added Marek Dolezaj late in the recruiting cycle that way, and signed Jesse Edwards during the late period as well. An international big may be ready and willing to take on a reserve role in year one with the potential to earn a starting spot after that.
Option 4: Try to Convince Frank Anselem to Stay
Frank Anselem visited Georgia over the weekend for an official visit. He's had another high major programs express interest as well. That said, there is familiarity at Syracuse. He has developed well under the tutelage of Allen Griffin. After next season, he would have the opportunity to compete for the starting job and would likely be the favorite to win it. Could that be enticing enough for Syracuse to convince him to return? It would be a difficult pitch as his decision to enter is likely to find a spot where he can play more next season. But that option could be on the table depending on Anselem's portal recruitment.
Final Thoughts
Option two may be the most likely scenario. Option one includes a difficult pitch to portal targets, which is why Quincy Ballard went elsewhere. Option three may be difficult as it is late in the cycle. Option four is also a difficult task. Still, there are options on how to proceed for the Syracuse coaches and there is a long way to go before the summer when incoming players start to arrive. There could be some twists and turns before that point.
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