ESPN college basketball analyst and former Providence head coach Tim Welsh calls in to chat about Syracuse basketball and the NCAA Tournament with host Wesley Cheng on the Juice on the Cuse podcast hosted by SNY.tv. TJO Editor in Chief Brad Bierman also calls in to wrap up the hoops season and talk about the lacrosse team’s recent struggles.
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Here are some highlights from the show:
The Juice Online: I know that this was a disappointing end to the season, no Syracuse team wants to lose in the round of 32, but overall, did you think this was a successful year?
Tim Welsh: First of all, when I was up in Syracuse in October doing work for the Midnight Madness production, I was watching them work out before Midnight Madness, seeing their team, I was impressed with their potential. But potential is a big word. Can you fulfill your potential? With the loss of Brandon Triche, Michael Carter-Williams and James Southerland, that is a big loss to a team that came within one bad call in the national semifinals of playing for the National Championship. When you look at that, it was a big rebuilding project with young players. They jumped out of the gate and won a lot of close games, but they also were dominant in some other games that were big, including Maui. Jim Boeheim having his team ready to compete and play and win at a high level just shows you what a great coach he is.
TJO: The question now becomes whether Tyler Ennis and Jerami Grant will jump to the NBA. Do you think they should?
TW: When you say whose ready and who isn’t, it’s hard to say because the development of guys is all different. You look at Tyler Ennis as a freshman, he has a lot of improvement to look at moving forward. He’s got to work on his body. He’s got to get stronger. He’s got to be a more consistent shooter. He’s got to become a guy who can make sure he can defend guards. At times, I saw people go by him. I’m not sure. The problem is when guys fall into that range of right around the lottery, all it takes is a couple of teams to pass on you and you’re in the 20s. I’m not saying that would happen with him, but I think when you’re on that borderline, when you’re not a lock-down lottery guy, especially as a freshman, why not come back? Come back to a great program, a great coaching staff, a great coach who has a proven record with point guards. Come back and enjoy the experience. Especially that this draft is so loaded, a lot of things can happen. […] I do think that both Ennis and Grant should come back because they’re not lock-down lottery picks and both still have huge development to work on in the off-season, and they will because they’re both good kids, and the Syracuse program over the years has shown that they will keep developing players. All you have to do is look at Michael Carter-Williams last year and what he did in the jump from one year to the next.
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Rundown:
1. Intro
2. ESPN Analyst Tim Welsh calls in
3. Syracuse season wrap
4. Was it a successful season?
5. Do Jerami Grant and Tyler Ennis jump to the NBA?
6. How does CJ Fair look as an NBA prospect?
7. Thoughts on “ESPN 30 for 30: Requiem For the Big East”
8. The Juice Online Editor in Chief Brad Bierman calls in
9. More hoops talk
10. Jim Boeheim in the Tourney
11. Lacrosse Talk
12. Closing Thoughts and Wrap Up
» Related: Ezra Edelman chats about his ESPN 30 for 30 Requiem For The Big East
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