BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: SYRACUSE

September 17, 2008


VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: Brandon Triche, 6'3 G from Jamesville-DeWitt (NY) HS

Projected 2008-2009 Roster:

Seniors: Kristof Ongenaet (PF)
Juniors: Paul Harris (G), Arinze Onuaku (BF/C), Eric Devenderf (G), Andy Rautins (G), Wesley Johnson* (F)
Sophomores: Johnny Flynn (PG), Antonio Jardine (G), Richard Jackson (BF), Sean Williams (C)
Freshmen: Kris Joseph (F), Mookie Jones (G/F)
2009 Commitments: Brandon Triche (G), James Southerland (F)

* Will sit out 2008-2009 season per NCAA Transfer rules

Since the recruiting process began for Brandon Triche, he seemed destined for Syracuse. Growing up just miles fromt he Carrier Dome and being the nephew of former Orange forward Howard Triche, many thought this was a foregone conclusion so when the Syracuse Post-Standard reported late last night that Brandon Triche Picked Syracuse, it came as no surprise.


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The make-up of the Syracuse roster showed a need for a point guard and the Orange did not have to go very far to fill that void as Jamesville-DeWitt star Brandon Triche decided to stay close to home and chose the Orange over finalists Georgetown, Connecticut and Georgia Tech last night. Triche showed at the Reebok Summer Championships the ability to get into the lane and use his size and strength to get to the rim and score. Triche does need to add a more consistent jump shot as it was evident throughout the summer that his perimeter touch needs work.

The Orange get a tough local kid with a high basketball IQ in Triche. He has shown outstanding court vision in high school and is an excellent passer. He has recovered from an ACL injury that cut short his sophomore season and he is looking to finish his career at J-D with a big season now that the injury problems are behind him.

Recently, the NBE Basketball Report spent some time Catching Up With Brandon Triche and this is what he had to say about the Orange:

“The location is a factor. It’s like five minutes from my house. The coach is a Hall of Famer, and Johnny Flynn will probably head to the NBA after the season, so that will open up a spot for me.”

For now, Triche joins previous commit James Southerland in the SU class of 2009. Southerland was originally expected to be part of the 2008 class, but he will attend a second year of prep school at Notre Dame Prep. The 6-foot-7 forward has an excellent perimeter game and is working on adding strength and a more well-rounded arsenal. Despite rumors circulating late on the AAU circuit, Southerland seems to have re-affirmed his commitment to SU and the presence of Mike Hopkins at every game Southerland played with the Albany City Rocks in the Desert Duel showed how much the Orange were still interested in him. SU Looked in on Southerland at the Desert Duel and he was very offensive minded, again showing his needs to round out his game.


Triche and Southerland are not the only newcomers for the 2009-2010 season as SU will also add an important transfer. When Wesley Johnson informed the staff at Iowa State he was transferring they were not happy with the news. Losing a quality player is very tough and Johnson is definitely, at least, a quality player. As his list of potential destinations grew and was fine-tuned, it was clear that many schools believed he would be making a big impact wherever he ended up. After taking a visit to Syracuse, Johnson found his next home and decided there was no need to take any additional visits. Johnson also considered West Virginia, Pittsburgh and Ohio State as finalists.

Johnson is a 6'7 combo forward with plenty of length and athleticism, perfect for Jim Boehiem's style of play. His sophomore numbers were a little less than expected after an excellent freshman campaign in the Big 12, but a stress fracture in his foot, which forced him to miss five games and eventually led to an April surgery, took away much of his trademark explosive athletic ability.

As a freshman at Iowa State, the Texas native averaged 12.3 points and 7.9 rebounds. As a sophomore, he contributed 12.4 points a game, but the rebounding total dipped in half, but a lot of that was due to the injuries that had him on the perimeter more than going inside to battle.

The projected 2009-10 Syracuse roster is now full with 13 players. Players like Eric Devendorf, Jonny Flynn and Paul Harris could be candidates to test professional waters after the next season. However, expect SU to turn their attention more toward the class fo 2010 where they already have a big time commitment from guard Dion Waiters out of Philadelphia. Waiters is a BIG-TIME offensive talent and is a cousin of current Orange guard Antonio Jardine. Other top targets in the class of 2010 include Albany guard Taran Buie of Bishop Maginn High School, Oak Hill Academy Doron Lamb, who is a NYC native, small forward Shaquille Thomas out of Paterson Catholic and is a nephew of former Villanova star Tim Thomas, New England big man Carson Desrosiers and Long Island star Tobias Harris.

After back-to-back NIT appearances and two one and done NCAA's prior to that, it is time for Syracuse to get back into the mix of March Madness Betting and it will all start with recruiting. The 2009 class looks to be a nice chance to find some program players, expect a big time class for 2010 and the inroads are already being laid this fall.