Syracuse football players listed basketball as one of their favorite off-the-field activities. Some have illustrious backgrounds in the sport. Others rarely play at all. Over the course of the season, numerous players have provided their take on who the best basketball players are and what positions they would slot into.

Listed below is a projected starting lineup, reserve players and team superlatives based off the players’ reactions.

Point guard: Taj Harris

Harris said that he plans to walk onto the basketball team. When he first visited Syracuse he met with the basketball coaches as well. At Palmyra High School in New Jersey, Harris averaged over 25 points and seven rebounds per game. Harris is a high-flyer who flashes “pretty dunks,” he said.

“I’m surely all aboard playing basketball,” Harris said. “If McNabb can do (both) so can I.”

Shooting guard: Chris Fredrick

Fredrick is the team’s best shooter, said Eric Dungey. With quick release and a silky follow-through, his athleticism at the cornerback position transitions onto the court to create separation. Though he isn’t the tallest player on the team, he uses his jump shot to be one of the best.

Small forward: Trishton Jackson

The four-star transfer wide receiver from Michigan State spent much of his summer playing in the King of Kings Pro-Am Basketball League against players like Jimmy and Buddy Boeheim, Dajuan Coleman and several other former professional basketball players. Per Syracuse.com, Jackson wants to walk on the Syracuse basketball team this season.

Power forward: Eric Dungey

When he was about 40 pounds lighter, SU’s signal caller could throw down windmill dunks and 360s, he said. Dungey is the toughest person to play against offensively because he uses his size and strength to his advantage on the court.

“He’s built like a linebacker,” Jamal Custis said. “He wants to bump. He takes the football aspect and brings it to the court, trying to not let you move.”

Center: Jamal Custis

Custis is likely the most well-known basketball player on the team. Coming out of high school, Custis had offers to play basketball at several Division I schools, including SMU. He started for Neumann-Goretti (PA) High School on the same team as Ja’Quan Newton and Quade Green and  guarded players such as Karl-Anthony Towns, Jahlil Okafor and Stanley Johnson.

“Every time we play I’m definitely the best player on the court,” Custis said.

6th: Trill Williams

7th: Nykeim Johnson

8th: Andrew Armstrong

9th: Sam Heckel

10th: Devin Butler

11th: Chris Slayton

12th: Kenneth Ruff

Honorable Mentions: Kingsley Jonathan, Tim Walton, Gabe Horan, Abdul Adams

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Superlatives:

Best Player: Custis

Custis sticks out as the best player on this team. He’s guarded the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns and “more than held his own,” Neumann-Goretti High School coach Carl Arrigale said. He received loads of Division I basketball offers, and had the option to play for Syracuse if he wanted. His 6-foot-5 frame makes him a force around the rim, and his 4.46 speed let’s him fly up and down the court.

Best Dunker: Custis

Custis is a high-flyer and likely the most “freakish” athlete on the team. He constantly played above the rim in high school for one of the best teams in the country. Meanwhile, Williams said that Harris can jump through the roof and perform acrobatic dunks. Teammates have also said that Dungey is the most powerful dunker on the team.

Best Defender: Dungey

Jackson was in consideration for this award. He’s long and athletic, Johnson said, and covers a lot of space. But Dungey is a pure bruiser, someone who uses his linebacker-like size to push people around on the court. If Custis, who is regarded as the team’s best player, said that Dungey is the person he least likes guarding him, the edge goes to Dungey.

Best Shooter: Fredrick

Fredrick was the most consistent player that teammates named when asked who the best shooter was. Johnson was also in consideration for this award. As one of the shortest players on the team, Johnson said he uses a “Steph Curry” deep-ball approach and takes a lot of transition and deep threes.

Self-Proclaimed Bad Player Who Opponents Hate Because He Only Plays Defense and Locks Down the Best Player: Kielan Whitner

Though Whitner does not consider himself a basketball player, every pickup game he asks to guard the best player on the floor.

“I’m not any good,” Whitner said, “but I’ll play defense.”

Published on October 23, 2018 at 11:59 pm

Contact Matt: mdliberm@syr.edu