The Syracuse Orange basketball team have added some depth by putting three walk-ons on the roster for the upcoming 2014-15 season.
You can never have too much depth in college basketball, and the Syracuse Orange are continuing to add to theirs as the season is coming just around the corner.
The Orange have added three walk-ons to the roster to go along with their pool of scholarship players. SU added big man Doyin Akintobi-Adeyeye to their roster, confirmed to the Daily Orange earlier Tuesday by the team, while also adding two guards.
Akintobi-Adeyeye, a 6'6" sophomore from Uniondale, N.Y., went out for the team last season, but with their front court depth, the Orange felt no need for him on the roster. This year, with Baye Moussa-Keita graduated and the long-awaited return of DaJuan Coleman still up in the air, head coach Jim Boeheim brought in Akintobi-Adeyeye for insurance. According to the Daily Orange report, the Orange worked out the 235-pound center with Rakeem Christmas and Chinoso Obokoh, and was on the team "two minutes later" according to Boeheim.
Akintobi-Adeyeye, who graduated from Uniondale High School in 2013, was ranked 4,565th nationally and 171st in New York according to MaxPreps. With injuries and lack of front court depth, it is possible he could find his way into some sort of role with the squad.
Carter Sanderson, a 6'2' guard from Nashville, Tenn. is in the midst of his first year on Syracuse's campus, pursuing a graduate degree at the S.I. Newhouse School after wrapping up his undergrad degree at Lipscomb University, After redshirting his first year, Sanderson played three years with the Bisons, being coached by his dad Scott. His grandfather, Wimp, was a long-time college basketball coach at both the University of Arkansas-Little Rock and University of Alabama, accumulating a total of 529 wins.
Sanderson averaged just 13.8 minutes per game in his career with the Bisons, with 4.8 points and .9 assists while making 34 percent of his three-point attempts. His numbers actually regressed from junior to senior year, but his expertise as a third-generation coach's son could prove to be useful for the Orange bench.
Lastly, Mike Sutton, a 6'2" guard from nearby Norwich, N.Y., was also added to the roster. A freshman on campus, Sutton averaged 14.3 points per game his senior year for Norwich High School.
It is uncertain what role, if any, these guys will play on the team, but if anybody is expected to earn playing time it seems as though Akintobi-Adeyeye would have the best opportunity based on his skill set and position. If all else fails, at least there is always garbage minutes.
