Picking Up The Pieces
Now that I’ve gone through my five stages, I’ve decided this is as good a time as any to voice my reflections on Thursday’s loss to Butler and the season as a whole.
SU came out of the gates about as slowly as possible, managing just a single point over the first seven minutes of the game. Sloppy play and turnovers, the team’s Achilles’ heal, also derailed the Orange and made the uphill climb that much steeper. SU was a great team in the regular season, but they didn’t have that much experience playing from behind, especially to start games. Obviously, it’s a situation you never want to find yourself in, but there was no mistaking that the Bulldogs’ start on offense and sound defense frustrated the Orange to no end.
And when SU finally took a four-point lead with five minutes left, they inexplicably slowed the game down rather than going for the knockout blows. For a variety of reasons, the ball was hardly ever in the hands of Wes Johnson and Andy Rautins, the team’s two best clutch performers, in those closing minutes. Scoop had his moments this season, and I think at this point, he’s a better offensive point guard than Brandon Triche, but I think it’s worth noting that the team was 2-4 in games when Jardine took more than ten shots. The confidence is admirable, but even with Onuaku out of the picture, Scoop is no better than a 3rd or 4th option on this team.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t lay some praise to Brad Stevens’ team. He did an excellent job of preparing his troops and they were totally unfazed by the Orange. Gordon Hayward was terrific in the second half and the entire team rattled the Orange throughout the game, even when the Orange had a brief lead. Furthermore, Butler took out the 2-seed Kansas State Wildcats on Saturday to reach the Final Four and get to play a mere seven miles from campus next weekend.
Thursday’s loss was also the final game for Andy Rautins, Arinze Onuaku and, barring something drastic, Wes Johnson. The basketball futures of these three players are very different at the moment, but I think they’re worth a quick look.
Wes Johnson: Since the 2008-09 season when Wes arrived on campus, his teammates as well as Jim Boeheim talked him up in a big way, and despite what you think of his performance in the final game, he had a great season. He’s been a lottery pick in mock drafts all season, usually in the top five. NBA scouts love his wingspan, three point shooting ability and quick first step, even if he uses it more to create separation than to blow by defenders. I don’t see him dancing around his decision like Jonny Flynn did, so it shouldn’t be long before he makes things official. If he comes back to SU, it’s either because someone gave him bad advice or because he hurt himself playing pickup ball after declaring.
Andy Rautins: Andy blossomed into a very intelligent guard his last two seasons, evolving from a run-of-the-mill sniper to a great defensive player. His passing was often shaky, but with his kind of long range accuracy and given that he’s not undersized at 6’5″ and 200 pounds (even if it’s a generous 6’5″), he’s going to get a long look, perhaps late in the second round, which would put him on a good team. If it came down to it, surely Leo would pull some strings to get Andy some more exposure.
Arinze Onuaku: The lower body problems have taken a big toll on AO’s body, and unfortunately, he didn’t get to play in the NCAA tournament. His health is a bigger question now than ever, and that’s saying something. I wouldn’t expect teams to give him so much as a training camp invite, but if Matt Gorman can play pro ball in Europe, AO can do just fine there if he decides he wants to go down that path.
