Syracuse Basketball: Revisting Trevor Cooney's High School Scouting Report

It seems like it has been quite some time since Trevor Cooney joined the Syracuse basketball team. Cooney is entering his redshirt junior season for the Orange and will be looked to as one of the leaders of this year's squad.

Cooney will again be the team's main three-point shooting option, and the offense, at least early on, will likely go as Cooney goes. As Cooney prepares for the season as a go-to player, let's take a look back at his high school scouting report and what people were expecting as he arrived on campus.

Underrated?

Some recent Syracuse guards have had some issues with being properly rated by outsiders. Jim Boeheim famously ranted when former guard and current assistant Gerry McNamara was called overrated. Boeheim said Syracuse wouldn't have won "10 (bleeping) games" without McNamara.

Conversely, according to one scout, Cooney was severely underrated when he was coming out of high school. Via Trish LaMonte of Syracuse.com, Scout.com national recruiting director Dave Telep tweeted that the scouting service had Cooney "ranked too low."

This came after Cooney put on a show at the 2010 King City Classic. Telep went on to say that he "really like's Trevor Cooney's swagger. Honestly, he looks like a different guy. Confidence level is sky high after u18's."

Cooney brought that swagger with him to Syracuse. He is an aggressive defender, and you can see the intensity on his face after he hits a big shot.

Highlight Tape Breakdown

There's a limited amount of tape to be found on Cooney. But what can be found gives a perfect sample of the type of player Cooney is.

As you can see, Cooney has always been an effective scorer. He shows a good first step off the dribble and is able to finish in the paint with floaters. Naturally, the three-point shot is also on display, which is more of what Cooney has been responsible for in college.

Cooney's full offensive repertoire hasn't been used as much at Syracuse, but that's because he has been lower on the offensive totem poll with players like C.J. Fair and Tyler Ennis ahead of him. Now, Cooney will have the ball in his hands more often and will have more freedom to score from different areas on the floor.

What's most surprising about Cooney's mixtape is the athleticism he displays. You wouldn't expect someone with Cooney's build to be able to dunk as forcefully as he does. And yet there he is finishing lobs from teammates and dunking the ball off the backboard.

Cooney has had his athletic moments in college too. One such occasion was against Colgate, when he threw it down over a defender (and got fouled) on a fast break. The best part of the video might be the reactions of his teammates, as Fair, Ennis and Baye Keita all have smiles after Cooney rocked the rim.

Even though Cooney's shooting has been streaky over his first few collegiate seasons, he has been a valued member of the team. His defensive abilities make it hard to take him off the floor even if he isn't shooting well, and he gives the team a little attitude with his swagger, as Telep mentioned.

Now that Cooney will be one of the featured players of the team, look for him to score from more areas on the floor and lead by example.