By Jon Rothstein | CBS Sports
October 18, 2015 10:53 am ET
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim will be suspended for the first nine ACC games this season. (USATSI)
Jim Boeheim is attempting to lead Syracuse back to the NCAA Tournament. The Hall-of-Fame coach is on the heels of an 18-13 season and will miss the Orange's first nine ACC games during the upcoming year due to suspension. CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein sat down with Boeheim in Syracuse to discuss last season's struggles, Kaleb Joseph, and what the Orange have to do in order to return to the field of 68 next March.
Jon Rothstein, CBS Sports: So given all the different things you had to deal with, was last season about as hard of an all-around year as you had to deal with since you've been at Syracuse?
Jim Boeheim: They're all tough. Every year has its own different parts to it. From a basketball point of view, we probably won more than we should have because we had so many problems with Chris (McCullough) going out and we thought he would grow into a big part of our team. Even though he started slow, he played well in some of the non-conference games. He won the Iowa game for us and if we were in position to get a bid that would have been a big win because they were a tournament team. He played really well in a couple of other non-conference games too. He had a slow start in some of the conference games, but we were winning so it was OK. But he would have evolved and we needed another guy on the front line that would have been helpful. Losing him early was a big key and the other thing was Kaleb (Joseph) wasn't ready last year. He's gained 16 pounds since last year. He was 160 pounds -- he wasn't big enough or strong enough. Most freshman point guards can't play. They can be very good eventually, but we needed him to do too much. There's a lot of really good point guards who in their freshman year were not very good. It wasn't that he was terrible -- he just wasn't good enough. I think those were the two things that stood out.
The ACC was pretty good, as we thought it would be during the year, and we got 18 wins. So I think it was as good or better a year as it might have been perceived, and I don't really count the circumstances outside of basketball as a factor because there's no way of knowing what that does. Just from a basketball point of view, we had a couple of things happen and we certainly never thought that both Jerami (Grant) and Tyler (Ennis) would leave like they did the year before. That was hard to replace. I think overall it was a good learning experience. I think our guards got better. I think Trevor (Cooney) and Mike (Gbinije) got better and I think Kaleb got better. There aren't many teams that have two seniors in the backcourt like we do this year and an experienced point guard like we do in Kaleb. Franklin Howard is a pretty good player, too. So we've got good guard play and we'll probably play Malachi Richardson at small forward -- he's 6-6. He's plenty big enough and he shoots the ball.
CBS Sports: You mentioned Kaleb Joseph. Which areas of his game are you expecting the most dramatic improvement in during his second season of college basketball?
Boeheim: I think the weight is the big thing, but he's shooting the ball better. He's worked very hard on his shooting. But he's just more confident in what he's doing. He still makes some mistakes, but they're not as egregious as last year. He's much better and he's just a better player. Tyler Roberson has gotten better, too. He's one of the best athletes in the conference. He averaged almost eight rebounds a game last year.
CBS Sports: DaJuan Coleman is going to play a major role for your team this season despite the fact that he hasn't appeared in a college game since Jan. 7, 2014. What are your expectations for him after such a long layoff?
Boeheim: Unless something happens, he's playing every day. He's played every day in practice. He's rusty, but he's a very good player. If he had played the last two years, he'd be one of the best players in the league. But he hasn't. He'll be rusty. It's not something that will come in a game or two or five or 10. It's going to take a while, but he's in shape. He's about 260 or 270 and he used to be 300 or more. He looks good. He's moving well.
CBS Sports: You add three freshman -- Tyler Lydon, Malachi Richardson, and Franklin Howard -- who all arrive at Syracuse with some level of pedigree. Who in that trio do you expect to make the biggest contribution this season?
Boeheim: It will be equal I think between Richardson and Lydon. I think they'll both have great years. Tyler Lydon is a 6-9 forward that's really good and is going to help right away. Franklin Howard is a good player and could play right away, but we've got two fifth-year guys in his spot. I like him and he's a good fit, but I think the two guards -- Gbinije and Cooney -- I'd be shocked if they don't average between 15 and 20 points a game. Both guys are capable of that. Gbinije is an NBA player -- he's really good. He can shoot. He's strong. He puts it on the floor and he's really gotten better. It's been a process. He had 21 against Duke in the first half last year -- he's got that kind of ability.
CBS Sports: It is a little weird for you to see a team at Syracuse not be projected to finish at the top of the league that it's playing in?
Boeheim: No I think they (the ACC) go by who's coming back. We lost Rakeem Christmas who was a great player so there's uncertainty. I think we're about where we should be, but I think we'll be a little better than that. That's where I would pick us -- in the middle somewhere. The league is hard. The league is much better and it was good last year, but it's better this year.
CBS Sports: Now you're going to serve a nine-game suspension during Syracuse's first nine ACC games this season. What do you think it's going to be like when those games are going on?
Boeheim: I don't know. You don't want to play golf someplace and have somebody take a picture of you playing golf when your team is getting beaten by somebody. I can't come to practice. Why should I not be able to come to practice? Do these guys deserve that? They didn't do anything. You've already punished the university -- you've taken away scholarships -- and now the coach can't come to practice? It doesn't make sense. You can't come to the office. You can't talk to anybody for 30 days.
CBS Sports: Is there any update on the appeal you filed with the suspension?
Boeheim: We won't know for another couple of weeks.
October 18, 2015 10:53 am ET
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim will be suspended for the first nine ACC games this season. (USATSI)
Jim Boeheim is attempting to lead Syracuse back to the NCAA Tournament. The Hall-of-Fame coach is on the heels of an 18-13 season and will miss the Orange's first nine ACC games during the upcoming year due to suspension. CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein sat down with Boeheim in Syracuse to discuss last season's struggles, Kaleb Joseph, and what the Orange have to do in order to return to the field of 68 next March.
Jon Rothstein, CBS Sports: So given all the different things you had to deal with, was last season about as hard of an all-around year as you had to deal with since you've been at Syracuse?
Jim Boeheim: They're all tough. Every year has its own different parts to it. From a basketball point of view, we probably won more than we should have because we had so many problems with Chris (McCullough) going out and we thought he would grow into a big part of our team. Even though he started slow, he played well in some of the non-conference games. He won the Iowa game for us and if we were in position to get a bid that would have been a big win because they were a tournament team. He played really well in a couple of other non-conference games too. He had a slow start in some of the conference games, but we were winning so it was OK. But he would have evolved and we needed another guy on the front line that would have been helpful. Losing him early was a big key and the other thing was Kaleb (Joseph) wasn't ready last year. He's gained 16 pounds since last year. He was 160 pounds -- he wasn't big enough or strong enough. Most freshman point guards can't play. They can be very good eventually, but we needed him to do too much. There's a lot of really good point guards who in their freshman year were not very good. It wasn't that he was terrible -- he just wasn't good enough. I think those were the two things that stood out.
The ACC was pretty good, as we thought it would be during the year, and we got 18 wins. So I think it was as good or better a year as it might have been perceived, and I don't really count the circumstances outside of basketball as a factor because there's no way of knowing what that does. Just from a basketball point of view, we had a couple of things happen and we certainly never thought that both Jerami (Grant) and Tyler (Ennis) would leave like they did the year before. That was hard to replace. I think overall it was a good learning experience. I think our guards got better. I think Trevor (Cooney) and Mike (Gbinije) got better and I think Kaleb got better. There aren't many teams that have two seniors in the backcourt like we do this year and an experienced point guard like we do in Kaleb. Franklin Howard is a pretty good player, too. So we've got good guard play and we'll probably play Malachi Richardson at small forward -- he's 6-6. He's plenty big enough and he shoots the ball.
CBS Sports: You mentioned Kaleb Joseph. Which areas of his game are you expecting the most dramatic improvement in during his second season of college basketball?
Boeheim: I think the weight is the big thing, but he's shooting the ball better. He's worked very hard on his shooting. But he's just more confident in what he's doing. He still makes some mistakes, but they're not as egregious as last year. He's much better and he's just a better player. Tyler Roberson has gotten better, too. He's one of the best athletes in the conference. He averaged almost eight rebounds a game last year.
CBS Sports: DaJuan Coleman is going to play a major role for your team this season despite the fact that he hasn't appeared in a college game since Jan. 7, 2014. What are your expectations for him after such a long layoff?
Boeheim: Unless something happens, he's playing every day. He's played every day in practice. He's rusty, but he's a very good player. If he had played the last two years, he'd be one of the best players in the league. But he hasn't. He'll be rusty. It's not something that will come in a game or two or five or 10. It's going to take a while, but he's in shape. He's about 260 or 270 and he used to be 300 or more. He looks good. He's moving well.
CBS Sports: You add three freshman -- Tyler Lydon, Malachi Richardson, and Franklin Howard -- who all arrive at Syracuse with some level of pedigree. Who in that trio do you expect to make the biggest contribution this season?
Boeheim: It will be equal I think between Richardson and Lydon. I think they'll both have great years. Tyler Lydon is a 6-9 forward that's really good and is going to help right away. Franklin Howard is a good player and could play right away, but we've got two fifth-year guys in his spot. I like him and he's a good fit, but I think the two guards -- Gbinije and Cooney -- I'd be shocked if they don't average between 15 and 20 points a game. Both guys are capable of that. Gbinije is an NBA player -- he's really good. He can shoot. He's strong. He puts it on the floor and he's really gotten better. It's been a process. He had 21 against Duke in the first half last year -- he's got that kind of ability.
CBS Sports: It is a little weird for you to see a team at Syracuse not be projected to finish at the top of the league that it's playing in?
Boeheim: No I think they (the ACC) go by who's coming back. We lost Rakeem Christmas who was a great player so there's uncertainty. I think we're about where we should be, but I think we'll be a little better than that. That's where I would pick us -- in the middle somewhere. The league is hard. The league is much better and it was good last year, but it's better this year.
CBS Sports: Now you're going to serve a nine-game suspension during Syracuse's first nine ACC games this season. What do you think it's going to be like when those games are going on?
Boeheim: I don't know. You don't want to play golf someplace and have somebody take a picture of you playing golf when your team is getting beaten by somebody. I can't come to practice. Why should I not be able to come to practice? Do these guys deserve that? They didn't do anything. You've already punished the university -- you've taken away scholarships -- and now the coach can't come to practice? It doesn't make sense. You can't come to the office. You can't talk to anybody for 30 days.
CBS Sports: Is there any update on the appeal you filed with the suspension?
Boeheim: We won't know for another couple of weeks.
