Syracuse Basketball Sending Only 2 Coaches On Road For Recruiting

It's been well documented that the NCAA sanctions levied against the Syracuse basketball program in March included stripping SU of 12 scholarships over four years and suspending head coach Jim Boeheim for nine games.

But the sanctions also included reducing the number of Syracuse coaches that are allowed to recruit off campus from four to two for two years. As of yesterday, the second day of the NCAA's current evaluation period, only two Orange coaches were on the road to recruit, according to syracuse.com's Mike Waters.

As Waters points out, it was originally thought that none of Syracuse's penalties would go into effect until after the NCAA ruled on the school's appeal. Waters thus speculated that since only two coaches are on the road, it could mean that SU isn't appealing that penalty.

"The fact that only two Syracuse coaches were on the road this week could mean that university is not appealing that specific penalty. It could also mean that the recruiting penalty is being appealed, but the university is hedging its bets. If the NCAA reduces the penalty to just one year, then Syracuse will have served the penalty this summer. Or if the NCAA denies that appeal, then Syracuse will have at least served one year of the two-year penalty."

While this penalty might not seem like much, Waters warns that it could hurt Syracuse, since it will likely prevent Jim Boeheim and Co. from sending coaches to watch multiple recruits playing simultaneously in different locations.

"Consider that on Wednesday, Duke head coach Mike Kryzewski and two of his assistants all went to one event -- the Adidas Uprising in Atlanta -- in a show of force for Dennis Smith, the No. 4 rated player and No. 1 rated point guard in the 2016 class. That still left Duke with one assistant to go to events in North Augusta, S.C., Charlotte, N.C., or Southern California.

"With just two coaches on the road, Syracuse couldn't send three representatives to one event even if Boeheim and his staff felt it necessary."

As of yesterday afternoon, Syracuse officials had not responded to a syracuse.com inquiry about the status of the university's appeal.