Let’s play a game: since Hakim Warrick’s 2004-05 season, no Syracuse Orange player has averaged 20 points per game. Who has come the closest? I’m assuming you took at least a few seconds to make some guesses. Names like Donte’ Greene (17.7 PPG, 07-08), Rakeem Christmas (17.5 PPG, 14-15), Michael Gbinije (17.5, 15-16) or even Jonny Flynn (17.4, 08-09) would all be good guesses. But the correct answer would be Demetris Nichols in 2006-07 with 18.9 PPG.
By now, you have to imagine that with the post’s picture and talk of the best single-season scorers in recent Syracuse basketball history, Andrew White III has found himself in pretty good company. Averaging 17.6 PPG this season puts him behind only Nichols since 2004-05. His 20.8 PPG in-conference is the best in the ACC.
These numbers have been buoyed by White’s play during the Orange’s five-game winning streak. He has averaged 25 PPG in these wins, never dipping below 23 points. By now, you probably can guess where this is going. The last Syracuse Orange player with a streak like this: Demetris Nichols. Per Syracuse.com’s Chris Carlson today:
Nichols put together a six-game streak during the non-conference portion of SU's schedule in 2006-07, stretching over games against Oklahoma State, Colgate, Baylor, Drexel, Hofstra and St. Bonaventure.
Nichols averaged 25.5 points during that stretch and finished the year averaging 18.9 points, ultimately becoming a second-round draft pick and enjoying a long international career.
Andrew White III is showing off the ability everyone knew he had. He was always touted as a potential gamechanger and scorer whether coming out of high school to Kansas, while at Nebraska and as an immediate impact grad transfer this past fall.
We all have wondered at some point this season when this team would finally be able to turn individual talent into team wins. It should be no surprise that when one of the most individually talented players turns it on, the wins have kept coming in.