SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Unlike most schools where football is king, basketball season reigns supreme at Syracuse University. On Tuesday, SU’s Men’s Basketball team tipped off its 2021-2022 season inside the Carrier Dome against the Lafayette Leopards.
Compared to seasons past, the construction of this team is slightly different. In 2020, the Orange welcomed six freshmen into the folds of its roster. In 2021, they will only welcome one. That being Bowie, Maryland, native Benny Williams.
Williams started his high school basketball career at St. Andrew’s Episcopal in Maryland, finished it at IMG Academy in Florida and committed to SU back in June of 2020. At that time, he was not projected to play a major role for the Orange his freshman season. But after multiple players left the program for various reasons, as head coach Jim Boeheim put it…
“Well you just moved up,” coach Boeheim said. “Your playing time just moved up.”
Williams was a fairly highly touted recruit coming out of high school, and with that brought an added level of pressure for the 19-year-old. But Williams is not worried about the pressure, at least openly.
“That’s no worry for me,” said Williams. “Guys like Jimmy and Cole just took me under their wing. Telling me how to take control of the process and take it day by day. Just control what you can control.”
His coaches, like Associate Head Coach Adrian Autry, are enamored with Williams’ skillset and what he can provide to the Orange this season and beyond.
“Well he has a very good feel for the game,”Autry said. “He is a very good passer and with the guys we have that can really shoot the basketball, he is a guy that can obviously make and create some plays off the bounce initially and not try to do anything spectacular.”
Williams’ teammates, like senior guard Buddy Boeheim, are also enamored with his abilities and excited to see what he can do in a game given what he has shown in practice thus far.
“He is working his hardest every day,” said Boeheim. “There is going to be ups and downs, there always is as a freshman. You’re going to have highs and lows. I just want to see him continue to work hard everyday, stay positive and everything else will take care of itself.”
There have been some great players to don the Orange uniform: Carmelo Anthony, Dave Bing, Pearl Washington, etc. Williams however wants to make it clear there is only one person he can be.
“I am going to be the best version of myself,” Williams says. “I can’t be anybody but Benny Williams. I am Benny Williams, I can’t be Carmelo Anthony, I can’t be Jerami Grant. I can be myself and I can be the best version of myself if I put the work in.”
Despite Williams’ talent, it is unclear how much he will play in 2021 given how many veteran players are on the SU roster. But it is a problem coach Boeheim will have to worry about and something he probably won’t lose too much sleep over.
