Syracuse Basketball: Trevor Cooney Will Redshirt

by Sean Keeley on Nov 15, 2011 8:00 AM EST

Just about every player on the Syracuse Orange roster has played in the team's first two games this season. That includes freshmen Rakeem Christmas and Michael Carter-Williams, both of whom have logged serious minutes.

The same can't be said of Trevor Cooney, was has been noticeably absent so far this year, leading to speculation that the sharpshooter would be redshirted for the season. And so he shall. However, Jim Boeheim doesn't want you to think this is a bad thing.

"Sometimes when we redshirt a guy, he couldn’t help us,’’ Boeheim said after Syracuse’s 92-56 win over Manhattan on Monday night at the Carrier Dome. "Meaning he’s not good enough sometimes to help us. This is different. He is good enough. He could play out there. I think he could play well, but when you have four guards ahead of him, he’s not going to play a significant amount of time.’’

"I made the decision to redshirt him this year,’’ said Boeheim, "because I think he’s really going to be good down the road.’’

Fair enough. Cooney will do well to sit out the season and put another year of practice under his belt. With Scoop Jardine graduating, that'll open up some room for him and his three-point shot next season.

Cooney is taking it about as well as one might expect:

"I’m definitely a little disappointed. Everybody wants to come out here and play,’’ Cooney said. "But for him to say that he could use me this year, but he knows that it’s going to be best for me to sit out a year, it shows how much trust he has in me.’’

Here's Cooney talking about the decision for him to be redshirted for the 2011-2012 season (Posted by Lauren Long)

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Unless the NCAA

changes the game to 6v6 mid-season, I think this was a smart move considering our stacked line up already.

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by 'CuseRugby on Nov 15, 2011 8:24 AM EST reply actions

Scoop Jardine was redshirted

I can’t recall whether it was for injury or due to the same circumstances as Cooney.

by kd bart on Nov 15, 2011 8:43 AM EST reply actions

Injury

He had a stress fracture if I remember right.

by jimmiejones on Nov 15, 2011 8:56 AM EST up reply actions

Yeah

Stress fracture in his shin.

"If I ain't gonna be part of the greatest, I gotta be the greatest myself." Busta Rhymes

by FeloniousPhunk on Nov 15, 2011 9:54 AM EST up reply actions

It makes too much sense

Looking back he will be glad he did this. Mature another year. Get another year of practice. Hit the ground running next season. Get ahead on your grades to keep a high GPA. Get an extra year of scholarship. Get a masters degree. Have an extra year in college (if any of us could go back, you all know we would)

May Doug Marrone bless you and keep you.

by ryanwk628 on Nov 15, 2011 8:44 AM EST reply actions

Get a head start on your studies so your 5th year you can

….. Take some basket weaving 101’s and focus on ball and tagging freshman chicks.

by NoXCUSE99 on Nov 15, 2011 9:16 AM EST up reply actions

that isn't bad either

He’ll be big man on campus before you know it!

Since the early 1990's I have not been able to get Mike Hopkins' bloody face out of my brain. I don't remember what game it was but I'll never forget that as my first memory of SU basketball. Mike Hopkins, bloody face, bloody nose, all for the love of Syracuse.

by JFerg393 on Nov 15, 2011 9:21 AM EST up reply actions

He could get a grad degree

like Kueth or McNabb… Besides, it’s great to have that redshirt guy killing it in practice to make everyone else work harder.

by Seadog on Nov 15, 2011 9:46 AM EST up reply actions

I was impressed

By what I saw from Cooney in the exhibitions. The talk about him was that he was nothing more than a spot up shooter, but I liked his handle and vision well enough. of course it’s tough to assess properly in those games.

That being said, I’m not at all surprised that he’s redshirting. There’s a glut of talent in front of him and he’d get no minutes to speak of. I think he could end up a Rautins-esque player with an extra year under his belt.

"If I ain't gonna be part of the greatest, I gotta be the greatest myself." Busta Rhymes

by FeloniousPhunk on Nov 15, 2011 9:57 AM EST reply actions

Agreed

This is def. for the best. He’s just gonna be that much better as a senior.

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by Sean Keeley on Nov 15, 2011 1:23 PM EST up reply actions

I see folks in here comparing him the GMac

I honestly think he’s closer to Rautins, who was also known strictly as an outside shooter when he first got here. Rautins was an undersized freshman as well, and used his redshirt (albeit a medical redshirt) to bulk up & round out his game.

P.S. I’m referring to Andy Rautins. I heard somewhere that his father played at SU too, but it’s the son I’m talking about (you know, in case there was any confusion).

Shut up brain or I'll stab you with a Q-tip

by MrPlow99 on Nov 15, 2011 1:54 PM EST reply actions

I think Devo

He has a much better game inside the arc than Rautins did. Andy really didn’t do anything by way of driving to the hoop until he was a senior.

by Dan Lyons on Nov 15, 2011 1:58 PM EST up reply actions

Devo had a nice mid-range game

He was an above average 3pt shooter and could also finish around the rim. He was never one to sky to the hoop, but he was one of the masters of the awkward scoop layup.

"If I ain't gonna be part of the greatest, I gotta be the greatest myself." Busta Rhymes

by FeloniousPhunk on Nov 15, 2011 3:10 PM EST up reply actions

Definitely more Rautins than G-Mac

Cooney might be better and/or more prepared to play as a frosh than Rautins was, but G-mac was on a whole other level. I mean, he was the starting PG and pretty much undisputed leader of a national championship team. As a freshman. Not to mention almost single handedly winning the BET title. Or dropping 40 in the first round of the NCAA tournament. That’s what we like to call one of those “intangibles”. “Not 10” status, if you will. If Cooney had that, we’d know it by now and it would be MCW sitting out a year. Rautins is the ideal case for hard work and earning a leadership role, a path that Cooney could very well emulate. But not G-Man, by any stretch, no matter how many 3’s he makes.

"If I ain't gonna be part of the greatest, I gotta be the greatest myself." Busta Rhymes

by FeloniousPhunk on Nov 15, 2011 3:15 PM EST up reply actions