We continue our recruit and return series with the Syracuse Orange, whose season ended Saturday with a loss to North Carolina in the Final Four. A look at what the 2016-17 season could hold:
Possible 2016-17 starting five (statistics reflect regular-season average)
G: Franklin Howard (1.7 PPG, 1.8 APG)
G: Malachi Richardson (13.2 PPG, 4.3 RPG)
G: Tyus Battle (incoming freshman)
F: Tyler Lydon (10.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG)
F: Tyler Roberson (8.8 PPG, 8.0 RPG)
Who is lost: The Orange lose a pair of fifth-year seniors in leading scorer Michael Gbinije (17.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 4.1 APG) and fellow gunner Trevor Cooney (12.8 PPG, 2.4 APG) -- two players who combined to take 493 three-pointers this season. Big man DaJuan Coleman (5.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG) was listed as a senior as well, but still has a year of eligibility after sitting out the 2014-15 season for medical reasons. Coleman announced in February that he would return in 2016-17.
Who is added: Jim Boeheim secured the services of two ESPN 100 players in guard Tyus Battle and four-man Matthew Moyer -- both of whom are expected to contribute right away. Battle, top returning scorer Malachi Richardson and fellow returnee Franklin Howard are all really combo guards, so it will be interesting to see who takes over primarily ball-handling duties. Howard played significant minutes off the bench over the final month-plus of the season. Kaleb Joseph, a starter in 2014-15 who barely played this past season for reasons that were never made clear, is a transfer candidate. Paschal Chukwu, a 7-2 center who averaged 2.6 points and 2.4 rebounds at Providence in 2014-15 before transferring to Syracuse, also joins the squad.
What it means for next season: For better or for worse, the Orange are going to look very different next season without Gbinije and Cooney firing up so many shots. Richardson figures to become the number one option, and fellow freshman Tyler Lydon, a consistent double-digit scorer down the stretch this season, will likely be a bigger piece of the offense as well. Battle is known as a scorer and will likely get his shots. Up front, the Orange lose virtually nothing, and should be tougher thanks to the addition of Moyer and Chukwu.
Trending: Up. Though they made a surprising run to the Final Four, the Orange were an odd and inconsistent team in 2015-16, with fifth-year seniors and freshmen attempting to live in harmony, and no true point guard to help direct the proceedings on the floor. While there’s still no true point guard (unless Joseph gets back in the staff’s good graces), and while replacing 30 points of production from Gbinije and Cooney is not an insignificant task, the arrow seems to be pointing up for this team. The front line figures to be deep and tough, and there are still plenty of scorers at the guard positions. Look for Syracuse to have a stronger identity in 2016-17, and to be closer to the top of the ACC.