A Syracuse alumni wishlist for Boeheim’s Army

Boeheim's Army
Boeheim's Army poses following their 76-69 win over Men of Mackey in The Basketball Tournament. Photo Credit: Ben Solomon.

Boeheim’s Army suffered a disappointing loss in the quarterfinals on Saturday, bowing out to Sideline Cancer 65-48. The Army will be back next year, and perhaps General Manager Kevin Belbey can check off a few of these wish list players:

Andy Rautins: Rautins was one of the best shooters in Syracuse history, shooting 40.7 percent (98 of 241) his senior season. In 14 international games in the 2019-20 season for Panathinaikos, he shot a torrid 51.4 percent according to RealGM. In two games, Boeheim’s Army finished 8 for 48 from downtown. Certainly, having Rautins, who also has the ability to play the point, would’ve been able to help with that.

Dion Waiters: ‘Waiters Island’ may not be the style of play desired in the NBA, but Waiters ability to create his own shot is exactly the kind of player that the TBT embraces. Waiters averaged 9.3 points in 14 minutes per game in his three game cameo with the Miami Heat prior to the NBA shutdown. And just for good measure, Waiters averaged nearly two steals a game in his sophomore season at the top of the zone.

» Related: Boeheim’s Army eliminated from 2020 TBT

Tyler Lydon: Lydon is the perfect TBT big man. In 23 career G League games, he’s shooting 36.8 percent from downtown, meaning he would’ve helped spread the floor. And he’d be a nimble center in the zone, having averaged 9.1 rebounds and .5 blocks for the Capital City Go-Go the past season. Lydon was rostered for Boeheim’s Army, but had to drop out last minute due to an injury.

Chris McCullough: McCullough, like Lydon, would’ve made a perfect stretch big man with his shooting touch and good rebounding size inside. McCullough, also like Lydon, dropped at the last minute due to the death of a close friend. Lydon and McCullough, former first round NBA picks, could’ve been the difference in Boeheim’s Army making the TBT Final Four.

Carmelo Anthony: So this obviously won’t happen as long as Anthony is on an NBA roster performing at a high level. But Anthony, 36, likely only has a few more years left, and perhaps when Anthony retires from the NBA, he could lace up for Boeheim’s Army. It’s not likely to happen for the 2021 TBT, or even 2022, but Belbey has told us in the past that Anthony has an open invitation to join.

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About Wes Cheng 2907 Articles
Wes has worked for Rivals.com covering the New York Knicks, as well as for Scout.com covering Syracuse athletics. Wes has also been a contributing writer for the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), for SportsNet New York (SNY) as a news desk writer covering all of New York professional sports, and reported on the NBA and MLB for the New York Sportscene. A native of Long Island, New York, Wes graduated from Syracuse University in 2005 with a degree in journalism. Contact him at wes[at]sujuiceonline.com.