Redshirting is Rare

Our friends over at TNIAAM overheard Jim Boeheim state on the Daniel Baldwin show that he has no intention of redshirting any players for the upcoming 2018-2019 season.  This led to a lot of healthy discussion on whether this was the right move or not.  A lot of people seem to think that redshirting Buddy Boeheim is a no-brainer.  But redshirting in college basketball is rare.

Trevor Cooney

I think that’s something that is getting overlooked. Yes, Trevor Cooney did it recently, but most players don’t redshirt, even when their prospects of playing time is limited. It’s also not something solely at the coach’s discretion; it is mutually agreed upon by the player and the coach. A coach cannot force a player to redshirt. Obviously, the Buddy situation is a little different, as Jim Boeheim is both the father/family and coach, so there’s a bit more sway there.

An awful lot of players who have sat out a year talk about how tough it is to be away from the competitive games for a year. Even if they aren’t playing much, they are still playing, and they have the psychological hope of possibly playing. If they announce they are red-shirting, they know they are walking away from competitive games for a year.

Since 2000-2001, here is the list of players who red-shirted for non-medical / non-transfer reasons:

Matt Gorman 2004-05

Trevor Cooney 2011-12

Matthew Moyer 2016-17 (arguably it was an injury move)

I may have missed someone in that span… but even if I did, it’s not a big list. There’s a lot of guys who didn’t redshirt and didn’t get a lot of playing time.

I’m not saying Buddy’s redshirt status is the right or the wrong move, but I think we are putting this situation under the spotlight because he is Jim Boeheim's son. What I am saying is that its not unusual for no player to redshirt.

Consider that the typical roster has 12-13 scholarship players, and is normally going to be comprised on 4-5 guards, 4-5 forwards, 2-3 centers. Most seasons don’t have a redshirt player, so there is almost always a 4th/5th player deep at a position that chooses to play rather than redshirt.