Former Syracuse C DaJuan Coleman looks out at the future

Being a Syracuse Orange fan usually requires setting aside a lot of “what if?” thinking. But at times, we can’t help ourselves. There’s a running list of near-misses in our history in numerous sports that create additional championships, awards and legends. Thinking through all of them would be maddening if done so too often.

One recent “what if” revolves around former center DaJuan Coleman, who came to SU basketball carrying our highest hopes and while he had a productive career, was derailed quite a bit by injuries.

But Coleman doesn’t necessarily seem bothered by it all. While at King of Kings in Utica recently, he spoke with Syracuse.com’s Donna Ditota about his future — and whether it even includes professional basketball. Considering all of the knee troubles he experienced with the Orange, it would be easy to express frustration. Instead, he took time to fully recover after graduation, plays basketball locally and interns at the Onondaga County Civic Center.

Hopefully he gets to play basketball professional at some point in the future (and he’s optimistic it could happen). But if not, he seems just fine with that, too.

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Dajuan Coleman gets summer basketball run at King of Kings, considers options (Syracuse.com)

Coleman, who has an agent, said he had offers to play in the United Kingdom last year. But the surgery to repair his meniscus made him hit pause on playing basketball that soon. Instead, he continued to put in the work all these months, to focus exclusively on easing the strain on his body and coaxing it back to optimal health.

The NCAA just made it a lot riskier for players to seek transfers (SB Nation)

“Schools can cancel the aid of a student-athlete as soon as he or she provides written notification of transfer, but the aid may not be reduced or canceled until the end of the term,” the NCAA explains in its announcement of the move. “Schools can re-award the scholarship at the end of the term, subject to other financial aid rules.”

What to expect from Oshae Brissett next season (Syracuse.com)

Oshae Brissett had one of the most incredible freshmen seasons in Syracuse history last year and, yet, he received relatively little fanfare outside the 315 area code. Brissett averaged 14.9 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. His 14.9 points per game rank fourth all-time among Syracuse freshmen. His 8.8 rebounds leave him in a tie for second with Derrick Coleman and Dale Shackleford. (Carmelo Anthony averaged 10 rebounds per game).

Syracuse basketball player forecasts: What to expect from Howard Washington next season (Syracuse.com)

Washington played in each of SU’s next 12 games in a limited role. He logged more than 10 minutes in a game just once. Still, it hurt the Orange to lose the young guard. It also hurt Washington’s development to miss the last half of the year. He is expected to be ready for the start of practice in the fall.

How does AAU basketball work? Inside the City Rocks, Upstate NY’s premier team (Syracuse.com)

The City Rocks, founded by Hart about 25 years ago, chooses from a pool of Upstate New York basketball prep prospects, its reach stretching from Buffalo to Albany with stops in Rochester, Syracuse and small towns in between. Today, it counts two Syracuse players -- Symir Torrence and Mika Adams-Woods -- among its 17U team that qualified for Peach Jam.

Competitive Boeheim brothers Jimmy and Buddy prepare for college basketball season (Syracuse.com)

Syracuse women’s basketball player gets OK to transfer (Syracuse.com)

The NBA’s Minor League Could Soon Transform Pro Basketball (Bloomberg)

If the NFL wants better QBs, it should develop them in a minor league (SB Nation)