Syracuse 2021-22 Free Throw Shooting

The Syracuse men's basketball team had a good year shooting free throws making 73.7% of their attempts.  This was the 8th best free throw shooting team in Syracuse history, with the 2020-21 team holding the record at 78.2%.  They were not a prolific free throw shooting team, with only 17.39 attempts per game, the second lowest in school history. That should not be too surprising from a team that specialized in perimeter shooting.

The team had three outstanding free throw shooters in Buddy Boeheim (88.4%), Joe Girard (88.2%), and Cole Swider (86.6%).  Buddy had the rare distinction  of leading the team in free throws made as well as free throw percentage.  Only Preston Shumpert (2001-02), Gerry McNamara (2005-06), and Tyus Battle (2018-19) have accomplished that in the past twenty years. [note it was a bit more common place in the 50s-90s with 15 players accomplishing it]

In the past seven seasons, six different players have led the Orange in free throw shooting percentage:  Trevor Cooney, John Gillon, Tyus Battle (2x), Joe Girard, Alan Griffin, and Buddy Boeheim.  Meanwhile, eleven different players have led the team in free throws made the past eleven seasons.

Earlier this season, I discussed the best free throw shooting backcourts in Syracuse history.  Boeheim and Girard set the record this year at 88.3%, making 181 out of 205 free throw attempts.  They have surpassed the 2005-06 effort of 87.1% by  Gerry McNamara and Eric Devendorf.

Buddy Boeheim finished his career as the 7th best three throw shooter at SU. Joe Girard is currently #2 at 86.5%, trailing Gerry McNamara's 88.78% by a couple of percentage points. On the downside, Bourama Sidibe finished his career as the 7th worst free throw shooter, becoming one of just seven to shoot less than 50% for his career.  Sidibe did shoot 64.3% in his last season, and he fell just one made free throw short of making 50% for his career.

In the battle of Boeheim free throw shooting, Buddy wins the contest.  Buddy's 82.7% is tops.  Coach Jim Boeheim shot 69.5%, and Buddy's older brother Jimmy shot 64.4% at Syracuse (Jimmy shot 66.3% in his combined career at Cornell and Syracuse).  By the way, sister Jamie Boeheim shot 70.6% (12-17) in her career at the University of Rochester.

Should Syracuse Fans Expect the Freshmen to Score A Lot in 2022-23?

One of the big questions for 2022-2023 season is where will the Syracuse offensive production come from.  The Orange are losing three of its top four scorers with Buddy Boeheim, Cole Swider, and Jimmy Boeheim leaving.  The team is likely to have to rely on some freshman to do some scoring, assuming no big acquisitions through the transfer portal. Is it realistic to expect freshmen to score?

Since the 2012-2013 season, there have been 31 scholarship freshman on the men's basketball team.  Nine were starters (29%), and eight scored 9+ a game (26%); six scored 10+ a game (19.4%).  Those eight were:

Tyler Ennis 12.9 ppg
Chris McCullough 9.3 ppg
Malachi Richardson 13.4 ppg
Tyler Lydon 10.1 ppg
Tyus Battle 11.3 ppg
Taurean Thompson 9.3 ppg
Oshae Brissett  14.9 ppg
Joe Girard 12.4 ppg

• Of course, really scoring totals are more a function of opportunity and necessity.  Even on really bad teams someone has to score, and if there are capable scorers already in place, freshman are not going to be called upon to play and/or score.  So take those numbers for what they are; just a reflection of what did happen, not what will happen.

While looking this up, probably the most similar situation to 2022-2023 was the 2017-2018 season.  That team lost four of its top five scorers (John Gillon, Tyler Lydon, Andrew White, Taurean Thompson), and the two bench players were weak scorers (Frank Howard and Paschal Chukwu).  Five incoming freshman (Matthew Moyer, Oshae Brissett, Marek Dolezaj, Bourama Sidibe, and Howard Washington).   That team struggled like heck to score, but played terrific grinding defense.  Moyer/Dolezaj and Brissett started, and Brissett turned in one of the best freshman scoring seasons for the Orange, but the team did lack scoring with only three guys who reliably scored: Battle, Howard, and Brissett.  The only new transfer on that team was Geno Thorpe, and he didn't contribute.

2022-2023 is not as barren as 2017-2018 in regards to returning players.  Two starters are returning, not just one (Joe Girard and Jesse Edwards).  There are four returning bench players not just two, and of those Benny Williams does have a very high upside.  There is also no returning player the caliber of Tyus Battle, so temper expectations with that in mind.