Jesse Edwards checked into Syracuse’s first exhibition game against Daemen with a personal goal: Score early, then defer to teammates and focus on defense. It was Oct. 26 and Edwards entered after SU missed a rebound. Off a designed inbound play, Edwards set a screen, scraped toward the baseline and threw his hands up.

Seeing the 6-foot-11 center roll, Buddy Boeheim fed a bounce pass. Edwards just wanted one field goal, this one a lay-up through contact. It was a key moment in his development, if not his own personal trivia. When was my first bucket in the Carrier Dome? Yet, Orange head coach Jim Boeheim tempered expectations.

“Jesse has been playing well in practice,” Jim Boeheim said after the matchup against Daemen on Oct. 26, “but he’s not ready yet.”

In SU’s historic season-opening loss to Virginia, Edwards totaled five minutes. He’s still not ready, confounding SU’s front court depth issue. Nearly half (26) of UVA’s 48 points came in the heart of the 2-3 zone and the Cavaliers outrebounded Syracuse 47-28. Within five minutes Bourama Sidibe was on the bench with two fouls and no clear solutions presented themselves. Re-slotted at center, Marek Dolezaj anchored the defense even though Boeheim said he’d prefer playing Dolezaj at the four.

For Syracuse’s (0-1, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) early season outlook, Edwards and the rest of the centers’ growth are essential if the Orange are to solve their frontcourt depth issue. A trio of Edwards, junior Bourama Sidibe and freshman John Bol Ajak are attempting to solve a position that hasn’t had a definitive answer for years while each having questions about their own skill sets. Though Boeheim didn’t identify the frontcourt as the main problem. SU’s impending non-conference opponents offer a litmus test, beginning with Rapolas Ivanauskas, Colgate’s center and reigning Patriot League player of the year, Wednesday night in the Carrier Dome.

Only two of Syracuse’s 13 field goals came from the centers against the Cavaliers. On Sidibe’s lone make, he screened a guard, gathered a pass through traffic and muscled in a lay-up. The 6-foot-10 junior recorded the majority of the center minutes, but UVA’s pack line forced him into four personal fouls and a turnover.

Later in the half, Sidibe overshot a cutting Jalen Carey for what would’ve been two points. Meanwhile, Edwards only attempt was a mid-range jumper. From the bench, Ajak watched as the centers struggled and UVA’s lead on the glass and scoreboard grew.

“(Virginia) only got 10 offensive rebounds which is really not bad,” Boeheim said, “The reason they got so many rebounds is because we missed so many shots … It’s going to be tough against them, but it can’t be that tough.”

Karleigh Merritt-Henry | Digital Design Editor

SU’s offense will be dependent on 3-pointers, but part of that dependency can be linked to a lack of interior options. Sidibe battled left knee tendonitis and averaged 10.1 minutes a game last year, tallying less than a field goal per contest. After committing to SU, Ajak faced nagging ailments including a hip injury at Westtown (Pennsylvania) High School. Through two exhibition contests and the opener, Sidibe raised that average to 21 minutes a matchup while Ajak has played 10 in total.

The only of the two freshmen centers to enter against Virginia, Edwards recorded a field goal, rebound and block in his first five collegiate minutes. Edwards disrupted shots with his wingspan, a tool he said that’s carried over easily from IMG (Florida) Academy.

Edwards doesn’t have the margin of error he had in high school, when height and talent masked mistakes. And he’s playing for a 44-year head coach that knows when someone isn’t ready. Against Virginia, Edwards wasn’t the first to spell Sidibe. Freshman wing Quincy Guerrier subbed in for Sidibe, and Dolezaj slid to the middle of the 2-3. Edwards waited till the second half to check in.

“The rest will come with time,” Edwards said, “I believe. So, just need the time.”

Bourama Sidibe, despite lingering injuries, may be Syracuse’s most reliable option at center. Daily Orange File Photo

Though the frontcourt’s defense has promise, they’ve had lapses. As Boeheim said post-Daemen, Sidibe sometimes stands around instead of using his quickness, leading to ungrabbed rebounds or uncontested shooters. For its opening basket, UVA after Sidibe failed to slide down in the zone. Virginia struggled from 3 just like Syracuse, but found success when forcing the ball inside. UVA’s Mamadi Diakite added 12 points and center Jay Huff made five of six shots from the field.

When neither Edwards nor Sidibe were on the court for the majority of the first half, Guerrier filled in as the second forward. The pairing gave the Orange offensive flexibility, but no one matched the 7-foot-1 Huff. Even when Sidibe returned, Huff already established the rhythm needed to slip through the 2-3 zone.

Barring injury, Sidibe is the clear starter. But with Boeheim not inclined to deploy Dolezaj at the five, SU needs two freshmen to cap the rotation. The start of their non-conference, non-Power 5 schedule can provide a glimpse of Ajak’s game or Edward’s potential.

“I think we’re ready to make an impact,” Edwards said, “or at least do our jobs.”

Published on November 12, 2019 at 10:44 pm

Contact Nick: nialvare@syr.edu | @nick_a_alvarez