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Syracuse Basketball: Gerry McNamara Offers Honest Assessment of Two Key Players
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- Syracuse Basketball: Gerry McNamara Offers Honest Assessment of Two Key Players
After the Syracuse Orange men's basketball team toppled New Haven in the season-opener on Monday night at the JMA Wireless Dome, new head coach Gerry McNamara offered an honest assessment of sophomore forward Sadiq White and freshman point guard Ryan Moesch.
With regards to White, McNamara said "I think we saw the guy we were looking for tonight."
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And on Moesch ? "I think he played terrible.... He had 5 assists.... I think he could be one of the best point guards in the country, that's why I'm so hard on him."
Those are quick comments from McNamara, but there's actually a lot there, so let's dive in.
With regards to Sadiq White Jr.
White, a 6-foot-8 sophomore from North Carolina, was one of the most productive players in Monday's win against the Chargers. He went for 14 points, which tied him for second-most on the team behind Kiyan Anthony (17), and he also pulled down 10 rebounds and had two blocks.
When you watch Syracuse play, two things immediately stand out to me. One is that Gavin Doty is very clearly the leader of the team , and two is that White is the most athletic player on the floor most nights.
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The 10 rebounds that White had vs. New Haven are more than double his total number of rebounds from the three exhibition games that the Orange played. After the first exhibition game against the UConn Huskies , White called his one-rebound performance "unacceptable," but the problem persisted through the next two games.
While you can't "out-athlete" everybody, White has the ability to make an impact in each game he plays, provided he simply uses that athleticism and applies himself.
Monday was a good step toward actually doing that. And McNamara indicated as much by his comments. Now, it's about repeating the output.
Syracuse Orange forward Sadiq White Jr. (1) controls the ball during the second half against the New Haven Chargers at the JMA Wireless Dome. Rich Barnes-Imagn Images
And as for Ryan Moesch?
A freshman from nearby Chittenango, N.Y., Moesch originally committed to play for McNamara at Siena, but de-committed once McNamara took the job at Syracuse in March. Lightning fast with the ball in his hands, Moesch stood out in exhibition play, but McNamara has made clear how demanding he is of his point guards. And that's very clearly going to continue into the regular season.
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Moesch should see good minutes for this team, but he's going to be held to a very high standard, and if he fails to meet it, McNamara won't hesitate to let him know about it.
While the coaching will surely be tough, the hope is that Moesch grows into the kind of All-ACC player that McNamara thinks he's capable of becoming.
Up next
Syracuse will be back at home on Thursday night (7 p.m. ET) against Central Connecticut State. We will have live coverage from the JMA Wireless Dome.
