Syracuse Basketball: 5 Reasons We Can't Wait for Orange's 2014-15 Season

The Syracuse men’s basketball team is anxiously awaiting Friday, Oct. 3, which will mark the 2014-15 season’s first practice. As usual, the Orange enter a new season after waving goodbye to former greats.

Entering the 2011-12 season, the Orange had to make do without Wes Johnson, Andy Rautins and Arinze Onuaku.

In the 2012-13 season, the Orange lost Kris Joseph, Scoop Jardine, Dion Waiters and Fab Melo.

Last season, the Orange lost Michael Carter-Williams, Brandon Triche and James Southerland.

This season, Tyler Ennis, C.J. Fair, Jerami Grant and Baye Moussa Keita are all gone.

Luckily for the Orange, the cupboard remains stocked.

Rakeem Christmas, who completed his undergraduate degree in just three years, will be a graduate student at the forward position. Also returning are Michael Gbinije, Trevor Cooney and, hopefully, a rehabilitated DaJuan Coleman, who has been struggling in his recovery from leg surgery.

Two highly touted freshmen, Chris McCullough and Kaleb Joseph, will look to make an immediate impact, and a bevy of other returners will compete for playing time.

In its first season in the ACC, Syracuse started with a 25-0 record and ascended to No. 1 in the polls. Scoring problems and injuries were but two of the reasons the Orange sputtered to a 28-6 record. They went 3-6 in their final nine games, including a third-round 55-53 loss to Dayton in the NCAA tournament.

In the previous two seasons, the Orange made it to the Elite Eight and Final Four, respectively, and the team is excited to come back for another deep run in the tournament.

Here are five reasons Orange fans should be excited, too.

The Arrival of Kaleb Joseph

Freshman Tyler Ennis took the point guard reins from the departed Michael Carter-Williams and became one the best point guards in the country.

It is now Kaleb Joseph’s turn to assume the role of freshman point guard after Ennis’ departure to the NBA.

Whereas Ennis was an on-court coach and throwback point guard, Joseph, at 6’2”, will be more of the new breed. Ennis was calm and decisive on the court and seemed unflappable. Joseph may be just as unflappable but will be more go than slow.

In an interview with Syracuse.com’s Chris Carlson, Syracuse assistant coach Mike Hopkins rejected comparisons to Ennis but likened Joseph to a couple of other Syracuse greats: “I compare him to Jonny Flynn and Jason Hart.”

Either should be considered a huge compliment and a reason to be excited for Joseph’s arrival.

The Arrival of Chris McCullough

With the departures of C.J. Fair and Jerami Grant, Syracuse will need to fill a few major holes in the scoring department.

Enter, 6’10” Chris McCullough, who could end up being a mixture of both.

He’s already equipped with an NBA body. He has a decent mid-range jump shot, can jump through the rafters and can throw down thunderous dunks with the best of them.

The advertised explosiveness of Joseph combined with the incredible athleticism of McCullough could have Orange fans seeing a return to an uptempo offense and less of last year’s half-court attack. Pair that possibility with the Orange’s proclivity for fast-break points off turnovers and this team might become the Go-Go Orange.

Look Who's Waiting in the Wings

Eugene Tanner/Associated Press

Michael Gbinije

Waiting in the wings are a few players who have paid their dues and will try to work their way into more prominent roles.

Michael Gbinije spent last year filling in at the point guard, shooting guard and small forward positions. He can stroke it from the outside and has a bit of silkiness to him.

Maybe "silky" is a little strong. Perhaps "satiny" is a better description.

Tyler Roberson is another player who could have a huge impact. The 6’8” sophomore played an understudy role but averaged almost nine minutes per game. DaJuan Coleman’s status is up in the air after knee surgery, which means that a frontcourt of Christmas, McCullough and Roberson is a real possibility.

Roberson was a little green last season and didn’t know the team’s offense or defense that well, but with a year under his belt and his excellent play for the USA East Coast team in the Four Nations Cup, he should be ready to shore up the baseline for the upcoming season.

Another player who excelled in the Four Nations Cup was Roberson’s teammate, B.J. Johnson. The 6’7” forward averaged almost 16 points and five rebounds during the three games he played and was a shining star on the team.

Johnson and Roberson’s offseason efforts are reminiscent of Syracuse’s preseason Canada trip, where an unproven Tyler Ennis showed his worth and gave Orange fans a reason to celebrate.

The Second Coming of Trevor Cooney

KEVIN RIVOLI/Associated Press

Trevor Cooney

Maybe we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves, but a return of Trevor Cooney to his form from the first half of last season would be just the outside balance the Orange will need to allow the big men to operate down low.

Cooney spent the beginning of last season as one of the best three-point shooters in the country, but ACC play proved to be difficult as he became a target of opposing defenses and expended an enormous amount of energy breaking free from double-teams and shadows. Over the first 22 games of the season, he was nearly a 44 percent three-point shooter but finished the season at 37.5 percent from beyond the arc.

On the bright side, Cooney went 4-of-8 from distance in the Orange’s second-round win over Western Michigan in the NCAA tournament. That was the first time he made at least 50 percent of his attempts since an unconscious 9-of-12 performance against Notre Dame on Feb. 3.

If Orange fans have their druthers, Cooney will re-emerge from his late-season blues and become the leader that this team craves. That would certainly be something to be excited about.

Rakeem Christmas Becomes Great by Default

Nick Lisi/Associated Press

Rakeem Christmas

Rakeem Christmas had career highs of 5.8 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game in the 2012-13 season. His numbers never fill the stat sheet but he has been a consistent player for the Orange during his three years.

Christmas gets a pass for being the first Syracuse men’s basketball player to ever graduate in three years.

Christmas, at 6’9” and 250 pounds, has the body and athleticism to be a beast for the Orange down low. He’s never been one to call for the ball, but when he actually shoots, he’s a 60 percent shooter.

I believe Christmas will emerge into the player that Syracuse fans have always dreamed he could be—if just for the fact that no one else on the team has his knowledge and experience. By default, he has nowhere to go but up.

This is optimistic, but this article is about the reasons to be excited, not doubtful. That comes after everything written here goes wrong.