Three takeaways from the Syracuse basketball Orange vs. White scrimmage

Following media day on Friday, the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team got things started on its new home court during the Orange vs. White scrimmage. The team first participated in skills and three point competition before the intrasquad scrimmage began.

In the end, the White team edged the Orange team by a final score of 60-53. The rosters are listed below. as are a few takeaways from the event.

Skills Competition

The Syracuse guys began with a skills competition, in which they were required to pass the ball off of two toss back nets, make a layup, dribble to the other end of the floor between cones and finish with a three on the other end.

Marek Dolezaj, Jalen Carey, John Bol Ajak and Quincy Guerrier participated. All struggled somewhat, but Carey won the competition.

Three Point Contest

Sandwiched in between the skills competition and the scrimmage was the three point contest. Joe Girard, Buddy Boeheim, Brycen Goodine and Robert Braswell all competed, with Goodine taking home the honors there by knocking down 12-of-15 (!) from deep. Boeheim made 10, Braswell made eight and Girard made seven.

Scrimmage

While the defensive intensity isn’t quite there in scrimmages such as this, both teams began by playing man-to-man before switching to 2-3 zone and mixing in some press in the second half. The offense looked solid from both teams and threes were falling consistently.

Carey looked good throughout and excelled in the pick-and-roll game. He knocked down mid-range shots and got to the rim with ease, where he either finished or was fouled. He found Bourama Sidibe inside on multiple occasions too. There was a moment in the second half, however, where Jim Boeheim greeted him on the court and offered up a few coaching suggestions.

Buddy Boeheim was knocking down shots from deep and so was Joe Girard, but Goodine looked like the best guard of the group on the night by showing off his versatility on both ends of the floor. Goodine finished at the rim, made shots from deep and picked up a few steals to boot.

Nobody in particular stood out from the center group, but Sidibe rebounded well and had a few bright moments. Jim Boeheim said earlier at media day that it’s possible Dolezaj could play some in the middle this season.

From the forwards group, Hughes knocked down a pair of threes and had a fancy finish inside, while Dolezaj mixed it up in the paint and showing a willingness to shoot without hesitation. He knocked down a few jumpers and looked more aggressive than usual.

Oh. And Syracuse also pulled off the slickest move of the year by keeping Oshae Brissett on the team but instead naming him Quincy Guerrier. Guerrier is Brissett reincarnated with a better jumpshot but slightly less athleticism.