Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim had a far ranging interview with Syracuse.com’s Donna Ditota on Tuesday, commenting on everything from Darius Bazley’s defection to the G-League to the development of Elijah Hughes.
One particular interesting nugget came from the coach’s take on his son, freshman Buddy Boeheim. The 6’5″ shooting guard from Brewster Academy will step into the tradition of great SU sharpshooters, a list that includes Gerry McNamara, Andy Rautins, Trevor Cooney and Preston Shumpert.
The elder Boeheim said that his son wouldn’t redshirt in his freshman year, or at least, that’s not the plan yet.
“Right now, there’s no plans to redshirt anybody,” Boeheim said.
To be sure, Buddy has already drawn rave reviews for his shooting ability, but among the list of McNamara, Rautins, Cooney and Shumpert, only McNamara really made an impact in his freshman year.
I used these five names because this group are five of the top six 3-point shooters in Syracuse history. Eric Devendorf is the fifth name, but he and McNamara aren’t great comparisons for Buddy because of the depth that the Orange has this year.
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Devendorf and McNamara played big minutes not only because they were talented, but because the team needed their talent. Buddy doesn’t face that kind of pressure this year.
He’s playing behind a returning backcourt that combined for the most minutes in the ACC in the 2017-18 season (Tyus Battle, Frank Howard), to say nothing of Jalen Carey and Elijah Hughes who will both see time at guard.
Like Buddy, Rautins, Cooney and Shumpert all played on deeper teams that didn’t need to lean of them their freshman year, which may provide some insight into the type of season Buddy is in for.
| Name | Games | MPG | 3P% | PPG |
| Andy Rautins | 20 (0 starts) | 7.9 | 32.6% | 2.6 |
| Trevor Cooney | 39 (0 starts) | 11.1 | 26.7% | 3.4 |
| Preston Shumpert | 32 (4 starts) | 14.3 | 29.0% | 5.4 |
| Demetris Nichols | 26 (15 starts) | 16.9 | 23.6% | 4.2 |
So the numbers don’t look great, and not because the above-four players weren’t good shooters. In fact, they turned out to be four of the best shooters in SU history. But it seems like these are the types of numbers that Buddy is in line for next season.
With the exception of Nichols, this group ended up having significantly improved sophomore seasons. Cooney and Shumpert averaged double figures in their second years, while Rautins nearly tripled his points.
Buddy is in for a great SU career. It just may not be as illustrious right away.
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