Now that baseball season is finally over and football players are dropping like flies, we look towards an intriguing basketball season. We’ll start the annual preview with projected starters today and catch you up on the bench players on Monday along with a preview of the season opener against Albany.

After reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time in five years, the Orange lost its top three scorers in the offseason of 2009. Despite losing Jonny Flynn to the lottery and Paul Harris and Eric Devendorf to, well, let’s just call them “other basketball pursuits,” nearly every spot in the starting lineup for 2009-10 is spoken for. Right now, it’s hard to tell if that’s a good thing or a bad thing – is it because there is a stable of talented players who are ready to lead the team, or is the quality of depth that makes for exciting competition within the roster just not there yet, or perhaps some combination of both? Whether the players are ready or not, they are tasked with the challenge of replacing over 55% of the team’s offensive production from 2008-09.

On the whole, expect to see a very long, efficient zone d and an offense dependent on scoring in transition and post play, in stark contrast to last year’s collection of slashing guard play and shoddy defense.

Let’s take a little ride.

Center: Sr. Arinze Onuaku, 6′9″/261
Notable 2008-09 Stats: 10.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.4 BPG, 66.7 FG% (Syracuse record), 29.8 FT%

2009-10 Outlook: Forget the terrible free throw shooting for a minute - the biggest question mark for AO will be how his legs will hold up over his senior season. The fifth-year senior went through offseason surgery to alleviate knee tendinitis, and his rehab program played a role in him losing about 20 pounds to help support his big frame. Onuaku and Jim Boeheim are confident that he’ll be in game shape when the regular season tips off on Monday, but his playing time could dip into the low 20’s until he’s fully recovered, and who knows how long before AO is 100%?

Overall, expect a similar season – with added frontcourt depth, even if AO makes a full recovery, his ceiling (statistically speaking) remains limited. You can definitely expect Boeheim to take him out of late close games.

2009-10 Stat Prediction: 22 MPG, 11.5 PPG, 7 RPG, 1.0 BPG

Power Forward: Jr. Rick Jackson, 6′9″/240
Notable 2008-09 Stats: 27 GS, 22 MPG, 8.3 PPG (9.5 as a starter), 5.8 RPG, 1.6 BPG, 62.3 FG% (67% in conference play, leading Big East)

2009-10 Outlook: Jackson made the sophomore leap in 2008 and stepped in immediately when Kristof Ongenaet struggled to open the year. His first start came in a big road game against Memphis where he posted a line of 14 points and 7 rebounds. The Orange will need a lot of lines similar to that one if they hope to get back to the tournament, let alone winning a few games in the dance. Many of Jackson’s points last season came when he was left open after defenders collapsed on Jonny Flynn. This season, he won’t have that luxury, so keep an eye on how Jackson operates when he has the ball in the post. If he’s developed a few moves, you’ll know he’ll be dependable because he’s already a good finisher. He will also be counted on to improve on his 48% mark from the free throw line.

2009-10 Stat Prediction: 25 MPG, 10.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 55 FG%, 1.5 BPG

Small Forward: Jr. Wesley Johnson, 6′7″/205
Notable 2008-09 Stats: N/A (transfer), averaged 12.4 PPG and 4.0 RPG for Iowa State in 2007-08

2009-10 Outlook: ’Cuse fans are hoping Wes Johnson can shoulder the brunt of most of that lost scoring production and also help out on the glass when AO  gets fatigued. Hyped as a possible one-and-done (or is it three-and-done because of his time at Iowa State?) player by his new teammates, Johnson has a year with SU under his belt, but only in a practice capacity, as transfer rules kept him in street clothes on gamedays last season.  As for his skill set, Johnson is primarily a do-it-all scorer, from the paint to the elbow to the three-point line. Defensively, Wes will use his long arms to defend the wing and his athleticism to keep up with those who try to drive on him.  He has a very good chance to be the matchup nightmare that Jim Boeheim constantly strives to have in his arsenal - think Hakim Warrick with some of the post prowess exchanged for perimeter shooting.

2009-10 Stat Prediction: 30 MPG, 15.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 30%

Shooting Guard: Sr. Andy Rautins, 6′4″/195
Notable 2008-09 Stats: 10 GS, 28 MPG, 10.5 PPG, 36.6% 3FG, 3.0 APG

2009-10 Outlook: Rautins is another fifth-year senior starting for the Orange, and you have to like the veteran presence he and AO will bring on an otherwise inexperienced team. Rautins has asserted that he will try to be the vocal leader the team needs after losing Flynn and Devendorf. While there’s reason to believe that such an asset is intangible, Rautins was around for the upperclassmen seasons of Terrence Roberts and Darryl Watkins, so he probably knows a thing or two about how far a stoic mindset and playing without clear direction can set a team back.

Perhaps more than any other player, SU fans know what they are going to get out of Rautins: Streaky three-point shooting and solid if unspectacular perimeter defense. In increased playing time last season, Rautins also added passing efficiency to his skill set, tallying a career-high 3 dimes a game. He’s not afraid to shoot the ball, and his scoring capability will be sorely needed in a Syracuse offense that will be very dormant if Wes Johnson turns out to be less of a scorer than advertised.

2009-10 Stats Prediction: 30 MPG, 12.0 PPG, 3.5 APG, 33% 3FG

Point Guard: Fr. Brandon Triche, 6′4″/198
2009-10 Outlook: After being in on Brandon Triche from his underclassmen days at Jamesville-Dewitt, Jim Boeheim is finally ready to see what he can do for the Orange. Boeheim has a lot invested in Triche, even anointing him as the starter before practice began. His bigger build is very different from the point guards SU has played in the aughts. We quickly found out in the LeMoyne game that Triche is not a very good defender, and playing in a zone defense will go very far in maximizing his defensive contributions. On the offensive end, Triche will be more of a distributor than a scoring point guard but will spot up for a three from time to time and use a combination of ball fakes and high basketball IQ to create space to drive and find the open man.

Aside from his physical attributes, another thing Triche has going for him is that for once, the Syracuse point guard spot will not be counted on to be a key scorer. That should reduce the high amount of pressure that comes with being a freshman starting point guard in the Big East and allow Triche to focus on maximizing the offense he has to work with.

2009-10 Stats Prediction: 28 MPG, 7.0 PPG, 4.0 APG

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 12:56 pm by Brian G. . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.