Off the Jump: With the Help of Jim Boeheim and the Rest of the Orange Coaching Staff, Point Guard Kaleb Joseph is Making Serious Strides

Freshman point guard Kaleb Joseph plans to lead Syracuse in 2014-15.

Story and Photo by Anthony Castellano

If there's any college basketball player fit to run a jump shooting seminar,  it would be Gerry McNamara. Fielding questions from the surrounding reporters at Media Day, the celebrated 2003 Champion Orangeman finds himself in his fifth season on Head Coach Jim Boeheim's coaching staff. What is one of the heralded former point guard's primary tasks this year? Working on star recruit Kaleb Joseph's jump shot.

"That was one of the knocks on him, coming in," McNamara said. "From what I understood, his range was limited. What he did this summer was improve it and really, really extend it."

The much ballyhooed freshman was known for his scoring out of Cushing Academy in New Hampshire but, like many incoming college basketball players, displayed an inconsistent outside shot. McNamara says continuing to hone Joseph's shooting and leadership abilities will be the next steps in his development.

"He's certainly capable of scoring," McNamara said. "He works incredibly hard and every time I've walked in this gym, he was here working, he was here shooting. His jump shot has come a long way and early on in practice, he has shot it at a high level when given the opportunity. I'm very impressed with his ability to read the pick and roll situations and I think he's going to continue to improve because of his work ethic."

If you have any misgivings about Joseph's drive, he advises you not to worry. If anything, he may have to tone down his intensity, according to McNamara. Joseph says he is very intent on improving any of his weaknesses and is soaking in all the advice and knowledge he can absorb from the coaching staff. 

"He (McNamara) has told me to just relax sometimes," Joseph said. You focus on the mistakes so you can fix them and get better at it. He's my position coach. I talk to him every day about what's to come in the season and I'm just trying to learn as much as possible from all the coaches."

The number four ranked freshman point guard's work ethic isn't lost on Boeheim either. While the floor general's development seemed to be more more of a pressing issue in the summer, much of the angst has since been tempered. Addressing the field of reporters gathered at Media Day from the Melo Center, the typically stoic head coach lauded the point guard's improvement.

"I think Kaleb's just as talented (as Tyler Ennis and Michael Carter-Williams)," Boeheim said. "I think his progress has been good. He is as hard a worker as any point guard we've ever had and probably any guard we've ever had. He understands the game."

One can only learn so much from practices though. As Boeheim explained, game conditions under the glistening spotlight of 30,000 roaring, demanding fans is an entirely different animal.

"There's really two tests for a freshman," the head coach said. "You have to handle practices and he's certainly done that. Then it's how does he handle game conditions and situations and nobody knows the answer to that. Some guys exceed expectations and others maybe don't quite get there." 

Rising before sunset, the highly touted freshman is a regular 6 a.m. visitor to the Melo Center and is wasting no time asserting his presence on this year's Orange squad. Expectations are high for the newcomer with CBS Sports calling him one of the most important players in Division 1 College Basketball this year. Dismissing his rookie status, Joseph looked me right in the eye with unwavering confidence and said he plans to be a leader right off the bat.

"I try not to think of myself as a freshman too much because when I get out there and make a mistake, that's not going to be an excuse," Joseph said. "I think at this level, everyone's here for a reason. They're all talented, they've all worked hard to get here so when you get on the court, age doesn't really matter. It's about your basketball I.Q. and what you bring to the table on the court."

While media day came to a close, optimism remained planted in the air. After falling unceremoniously to Dayton in the second round of the NCAA Tournament following their stellar first half of the '13-'14 season, Joseph and his teammates are foaming at the mouth to hit the hardwood this year.  Leading this squad to a national title may be a tall task but Joseph is sure to have the coaching staff in his ear along the way.  

"We have an aggressive young point guard and he's going to tell people where to go," Boeheim said. "That's what point guards are supposed to do. Point guards are supposed to tell people where to go and what position they're supposed to be in. That's why I talk to the point guards more than anyone else."