/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46735822/usa-today-8329441.0.jpg)
For what felt like the 100th time since March, Syracuse Twitter came close to breaking Monday morning. This time, it was because five-star Class of 2016 recruit Tyus Battle announced his commitment to play for the Orange.
For SU, getting Battle is huge. Syracuse's 2016-17 team now has a chance to be special. But with his commitment, a scholarship situation that was already difficult to understand just got even messier.
In March, as part of NCAA sanctions levied against the basketball program, SU was stripped of three scholarships per season for four years. During the penalty, the Orange will be able to carry only 10 scholarship players, rather than the typical 13.
As of right now, SU has 11 players on scholarship. That's not an issue yet, since Syracuse is currently appealing the sanctions and can choose to begin the scholarship penalty during the 2016-17 season. But Battle's commitment means the Orange is projected to also have 11 players on scholarship during that season. And if Syracuse doesn't win its appeal, that could be an issue.
For now, we'll assume SU loses its appeal and doesn't get any scholarships back. How can the team make room for both Battle and fellow 2016 recruit Matthew Moyer? Let's delve into that and more as we look at Syracuse's scholarship situation from the 2016-17 season through the 2019-20 season:
2016-17
Players expected to be on scholarship:
- Tyus Battle
- Paschal Chukwu
- DaJuan Coleman
- Moustapha Diagne
- Franklin Howard
- Kaleb Joseph
- Tyler Lydon
- Matthew Moyer
- Chinonso Obokoh
- Malachi Richardson
- Tyler Roberson
If Syracuse wants to have scholarships available for both Battle and Moyer, one of the other players listed above will have to leave after this season. Of course, that means there must either be a transfer or an early departure for the NBA.
Obokoh would seem like the most likely candidate to transfer. While his former AAU coach told the Daily Orange on Sunday that Obokoh has "no intentions whatsoever" of transferring, we'll see if that changes in a year. Between Chukwu, Coleman, Diagne and Roberson, SU will have quite the crop of big men on its 2016-17 roster. If Obokoh isn't going to see the floor, it might make sense for him to transfer.
Some have speculated that point guard Kaleb Joseph might also be a potential candidate to transfer. If Joseph isn't much better this season than he was as a freshman, that could become increasingly more likely. Especially since Battle, who's listed as a shooting guard, could end up seeing the bulk of his minutes at point guard. But if Joseph follows his dreadful freshman campaign with a solid sophomore season, he should be able to secure a long-term spot in the rotation.
It's also worth noting that DaJuan Coleman, who is expected to graduate from SU next spring, could take advantage of the NCAA's graduate transfer rule, which allows players to transfer and play immediately at another school.
Malachi Richardson, meanwhile, would be smart to consider leaving for the NBA following the 2015-16 season. Richardson has a considerable amount of developing to do, but so does Chris McCullough, and that didn't stop an NBA team from taking him in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft.
2017-18
Players expected to be on scholarship:
- Tyus Battle
- Paschal Chukwu
- Moustapha Diagne
- Franklin Howard
- Kaleb Joseph
- Tyler Lydon
- Matthew Moyer
- Malachi Richardson
2018-19
Players expected to be on scholarship:
- Tyus Battle
- Paschal Chukwu
- Moustapha Diagne
- Franklin Howard
- Tyler Lydon
- Matthew Moyer
- Malachi Richardson
2019-20
Players expected to be on scholarship:
- Tyus Battle
- Matthew Moyer
2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 |
Tyus Battle | Tyus Battle | Tyus Battle | Tyus Battle |
Paschal Chukwu | Paschal Chukwu | Paschal Chukwu | Matthew Moyer |
DaJuan Coleman | Moustapha Diagne | Moustapha Diagne | |
Moustapha Diagne | Franklin Howard | Franklin Howard | |
Franklin Howard | Kaleb Joseph | Tyler Lydon | |
Kaleb Joseph | Tyler Lydon | Matthew Moyer | |
Tyler Lydon | Matthew Moyer | Malachi Richardson | |
Matthew Moyer | Malachi Richardson | ||
Chinonso Obokoh | |||
Malachi Richardson | |||
Tyler Roberson | XXXXXXXXXXXXX | XXXXXXXXXXXXX | XXXXXXXXXX |