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After Jerami Grant made his announcement to go pro, I put together a real quick rundown of what I thought the starting line-up for next season's Syracuse Orange basketball squad might look like. I took a lot of flak for assuming Chris McCullough would be coming off the bench, given the hype surrounding the freshman. After seeing what Jim Boeheim thinks of the 6'9" power forward, I may have to admit I assumed incorrectly.
"I think he has unlimited potential," SU coach Jim Boeheim said in a telephone conversation. "He's very, very athletic for a big guy and he handles the ball well for someone his size."
Of course, unlimited potential is one thing, unlimited results are another (actually, I don't think 'unlimited results' is a thing). But you and I both know Boeheim doesn't speak up about guys like that unless he believes it.
McCullough is gearing up to play in the Jordan Brand Classic at Barclays Center in Brooklyn this Friday. It'll be a great chance to see what he can do against the nation's top talent, some of the same guys he'll be facing next year in an SU uniform.
McCullough took part in a media session on Wednesday and The Juice was there to collect his answers, including
TJO: What are Syracuse fans going to see from you?
CM: Hopefully they’ll see everything. Dunks. I’m working on my post game, mid-range, 3-pointers, dribbling the ball. You’re going to see a lot of everything.
TJO: When coach [Jim] Boeheim was recruiting you, what did he say about his overall timeline of how long he was going to stay?
CM: He said he saw me as a one-and-done player. He didn’t see me staying here more than two years at most. He said I’d have to put in a lot of hard work, but he was willing to work with me. That’s a good position that I’m in.
So, yeah, if McCullough isn't starting next season, he's almost certainly the Sixth Starter. Mea culpa.
