Syracuse basketball Adrian Autry, first year head coach has said more than once lately that he thinks forward Benny Williams is ready for a big junior season, and a top national analyst/scout recently echoed that sort of sentiment.
The 6-foot-9, 210-pound Williams, a native of the Washington, D.C., area and ranked among the top 25 five-star prospects by Rivals.com in the 2021 class, showed some of his potential as a sophomore , as the Orange went 17-15 overall during the 2022-23 season under then-head coach Jim Boeheim.
With Autry now at the head of the ‘Cuse, some of the talk I’ve heard from experts is that perhaps Benny Williams could play a little more freely in the upcoming campaign, without having to worry about getting a quick hook. We’ll see.
Last Friday, when Syracuse Basketball defeated the Buffalo Area Division II Daemen, 81-68, in an exhibition on the Hill, Williams was solid, that’s for sure. By a boxed score provided on cuse.comhe played 24 minutes, totaling 11 points, six rebounds, two blocks and three turnovers.
Benny Williams, Orange coaches say, continues to work hard to improve his baseline jump, although he still occasionally shoots it with enough arc. Yet against Daemen, he connected on 5 of 8 from the field, which included several perimeter attempts.
Syracuse junior basketball forward Benny Williams is a top-notch pundit.
The ‘Cuse is hosting another exhibition, Wednesday, November 1, starting at 7 p.m., against the College of Saint Rose of Albany, NY, at the JMA Wireless Dome. The 2023-24 season officially begins on Monday, November 6, when Syracuse Basketball welcomes New Hampshire to Central New York.
In recent days, On3’s Jamie Shaw shared an article on his X page about Williams. Shaw, who is one of the nation’s top analysts/scouts, wrote: “Benny Williams has a lot of tools at his disposal. He’s been slow to come out of HS and I’m curious if he takes that step for Syracuse this season. Rated at 6-9, he has great length with an easy explosion. Adrian Autry seems to have a lot of confidence, and the balance/mechanics seem clean.
At the recent Orange media day, Autry said that Benny Williams has become stronger and is working hard to expand his gameand ‘Cuse head coach believes that Williams in 2023-24 will demonstrate great ability to score proficiently both inside and on the perimeter.
Undeniably, if Williams can be more consistent on both ends of the court, day in and day out, and that includes his scoring production, defense, and versatile rebounding, I have no doubt he will shine as a junior and prove to be a massive contributor as Syracuse. basketball is looking to return to the NCAA tournament after a two-year absence.
In his sophomore campaign, Benny Williams shot 39.6 percent from the 3-point line, on somewhat limited attempts. In Boeheim’s rotation, he played an average of 22.3 minutes per game, although I expect that number to increase over the next season.
Originally from Bowie, Maryland, Williams came to the Hill after spending his final year with the post-college team at the powerhouse IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. His lack of playing time under Boeheim was perhaps the hottest topic among ‘Cuse fans in 2021-22, but that is long gone and the Orange have a new head coach.
I recognize that Syracuse basketball has yet to play an official game, but I’m excited to see Benny Williams go into beast mode as a junior.
