The Syracuse Orange basketball season is unofficially underway as the team picked up its first exhibition win over the College of Saint Rose on Thursday night by a final score of 80-49. In an unlikely scenario, Jim Boeheim found himself without a healthy point guard for the contest as Frank Howard, Jalen Carey and Howard Washington were all sidelined with injuries.
Howard has been in a walking boot all preseason and just shed the cumbersome outer-layer before the game. Carey sprained his ankle in the Orange vs. White scrimmage a few weeks back while Washington continues to work his way back from a torn ACL and partially torn MCL. As such, Tyus Battle stepped in and assumed the point guard role.
After the first post-game presser of the season, Boeheim detailed that Syracuse is hopeful to have both Carey and Washington back in practice on Monday.
“We’re very hopefuly Jalen will be able to practice by Monday. Howard Washington will probably be able to practice right around Monday. Frank has been cleared for movement stuff, shooting, limited things,” Boeheim said.
Boeheim noted that Howard won’t play in next week’s exhibition against Le Moyne and said there’s “no time frame for him right now.”
Translation: Don’t be surprised if Frank is out a little while longer and doesn’t return for the season opener. Comments from Syracuse have been nebulous at best vis-a-vis Howard, but it is more or less wait and see mode for now.
“It all depends on how his next ten days goes, as to when he can play, I have no idea when that is,” Boeheim said.
In any case, having two of the three point guards on this roster back on Monday would help assuage the situation at the one. While that also doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll play on Halloween night, it doesn’t rule out the possibility either.
“If they’re full-go at practice, yes then they would be able to,” Boeheim said when asked if Carey and Washington would play Wednesday.
Either way, these games serve as a tuneup for the regular season and Battle would again assume the role of point should Carey or Washington not be able to go next week. This gives Buddy Boeheim more run at the two-guard, but it does rob the point guards of early season reps at the one.
Syracuse will tip against Le Moyne on Wednesday at 7:00 pm EDT from the Carrier Dome.
For Syracuse basketball updates, follow James on twitter @JamesSzuba