Bourama Sidibe thought he let everyone down. Just 27 seconds into his final sequence against Louisville on Feb. 19, Sidibe rotated late and hacked a Cardinal driver, heard the whistle blow and then took a seat back on the bench.

He doubled over and put a hand on his face. This always happens, Sidibe thought. He fouled out of four of the last five games to that point. “Whenever you try to be aggressive, the ref calls some dumb fouls,” Sidibe said.

All season long, Sidibe’s production relied on two things: Picking the right spots and staying on the court. In the last three games, he’s done exactly that. Sidibe is enjoying perhaps the best stretch of his career not because of any drastic overnight change in ability, but because he’s abandoned the fears that once held him back. Sidibe isn’t playing not to foul anymore, he’s just playing. And it’s made him more aware of where he needs to be on the floor.

“If you go through the motions every day, you’re not being aggressive,” Sidibe said. “You’re not doing what you’re supposed to do.”

Emily Steinberger | Design Editor

Syracuse (16-13, 9-9 Atlantic Coast) head coach Jim Boeheim had fielded questions all season long about Sidibe’s frontcourt-mate Quincy Guerrier’s limited minutes game-to-game. Boeheim said it was because of fouls. But Sidibe earned no such treatment. Sidibe went out for the minutes he could provide until fouls forced Boeheim to remove him. Boeheim always asked for more, and Sidibe always shrugged seemingly unknowing of what he was asking for.

But Sidibe’s game against Georgia Tech was the perfect baseline for the good and the bad. He had no fouls in the first half and still fouled out in the second, yet Boeheim raved after the game about his strong play. He followed that performance with a combined 39 points and 37 rebounds over the next three games, adding 11 blocks and eight steals. Sidibe has struggled all season long with the 2-3 zone shifts, particularly closeouts in the corners, but in recent games he’s been less fidgety in the middle.

“Bourama was tremendous tonight,” Boeheim said after Sidibe’s 17-point, 15-rebound and 6-block performance against North Carolina. “He’s really found himself the last couple of games.”

The 2-3 requires a lot of the center, Sidibe said. There are several rotations around the rim and to the high post, but consecutive swing passes can make the center the most reliable shot disruptor in the corners as well. Sidibe hasn’t struck the balance between using his length to alter shots and closing out without fouling all year.

“Sometimes you’re going to foul people,” Sidibe said. “There’s no way to avoid it. You just got to keep playing.”

Emily Steinberger | Design Editor

Sidibe said Boeheim’s post game feedback rarely has to do with the offensive end. “(Boeheim) doesn’t care about me scoring,” Sidibe said. A few games ago, Sidibe started rotating up to the elbows to contest mid-range jumpers. Then Boeheim said he got “a little bit” better getting to the corners. He blocked shots and stayed involved in the game.

On offense, Sidibe has gotten inside position and grabbed offensive rebounds with his length. He recently increased strength from five-days-a-week workout routines. He knows he’s improved physically. It’s his proudest growth. He’s always known what he can do, he just never put himself in a position to do it. But Sidibe, despite playing his most aggressive and disruptive defense all season long, stays on the court long enough to “find the wide open area” on the other end.

“I mean, everybody wants to score,” Sidibe said. “(But if) I get a 10 rebound or 15 rebound or 12 rebound (game). That motivates me. That’s something that’s kind of worth playing for, you know?”

As the final seconds ticked off of the first half against North Carolina on Feb. 29, Sidibe boxed out his man and leapt for a looping pass. SU had never scored on its final shot before the end of the first half this season. They worked it to Elijah Hughes first, who had the ball stripped out, leading to the out-of-bounds play. Now, Sidibe was the only open option.

He aggressively cut to the rim, rose up and he nearly picked up a poster dunk while he was fouled. It was a burst of speed and aggressiveness Syracuse hadn’t seen from Sidibe all season long. But it’s always been in him.

Published on March 3, 2020 at 9:47 pm

Contact Michael: mmcclear@syr.edu | @MikeJMcCleary