Junior forward Benny Williams was dismissed from the Syracuse basketball team on Tuesday.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (CBB Review)– Syracuse basketball senior Benny Williams has been dismissed from the team, according to the SU men’s basketball Instagram page.
It had been a tumultuous season for Williams, one of the oldest players for the Orange. Fellow Syracuse upperclassmen Jesse Edwards and Joe Girard III took their talents elsewhere over the offseason, transferring to West Virginia and Clemson respectively.
Williams elected to stay, and it has been a bumpy road, to say the least.
Before the season opener against New Hampshire, it was announced that Williams was suspended indefinitely for a “violation of team rules.” He was reinstated and debuted against Colgate, logging just 10 minutes.
Just two games later during the Maui Invitational, head coach Adrian Autry kept Williams off the floor against Gonzaga. It was the same against Cornell.
When asked postgame why Williams kept getting left out of the rotation, Autry kept it brief.
“I played the players I thought would help us win the game,” said Autry.
At SRC Orange Out, a fan event held at Destiny USA in December, Autry was asked by a young fan who the best dunker on the team was. The panel, which included JJ Starling, Chris Bell, and Maliq Brown, suggested Williams. Autry, without hesitation, said, “My pick is Kyle Cuffe.”
This all leads back to one thing: It has been a long and winding season for Benny Williams. The Instagram post also states, “Everyone involved with the program wishes Benny the best.”
The Orange take on Louisville at home on Wednesday.