"I wanna give him a little bit more opportunity to see, but, that's increasingly what it looks like."
When he wasn't roasting Chris McCullough, Jim Boeheim touched on the status of injured big man DaJuan Coleman during his Colgate post-game presser and whether or not he'll suit up for the Syracuse Orange this season. It sure doesn't sound like it.
He's working a little bit more, but, you know, we'll probably decide around...next couple weeks what's gonna happen, one way or the other. If he doesn't look like he's ready to go, then we'll redshirt him this year. That's what it looks like, but I wanna give him a little bit more opportunity to see, but, that's increasingly what it looks like. Unless he could put together five or six good days and felt really good. He hasn't been able to do that. So, we'll have to see. We'll give him a few more days.
This should be a surprise to approximately zero people. Despite the fact that Boeheim has been hinting at Coleman's return all year long, it never seemed likely to those who followed the program from the outside. Not sure if that was just Boeheim protecting his player from unnecessary scrutiny or a lack of awareness about the true severity of the injury.
Just last week, Coleman's doctor said that his knee was "exactly where I hoped it would be at this point," and the tone of everyone quoted was fairly positive about his imminent return. However it was probably more wishful thinking.
If sitting out this season and getting back to full-strength is what DaJuan needs in order to eventually put on a Syracuse jersey and fulfill his promise, so be it. It's not as though this is a championship team desperately missing one piece. It won't make a difference right now.
Tonight while sitting on the bench, the big man wore a shirt that read simply, "Billionaire." That's a lofty goal in general, but one that's going to be a whole lot easier if Coleman becomes a star at Syracuse. Better to sit it out now and be ready next year. Those "What-If's" will be a lot easier to answer then.
