Why Syracuse transfer Kaleb Joseph is heading to Creighton
Having watched another transfer point guard thrive at Creighton this past season, Kaleb Joseph decided to follow in his footsteps.
The Syracuse transfer committed to the Bluejays on Sunday evening, his former AAU coach Vin Pastore told Yahoo Sports on Monday.
One of the biggest factors in Joseph’s decision was his strong relationship with Creighton assistant Preston Murphy. The other was the success the Bluejays had with point guard Maurice Watson, a Boston University transfer who averaged 14.2 points and 6.6 assists in his debut season in the Big East this year.
It appealed to Joseph to go to a school with a track record of helping transfers improve during their redshirt seasons. Creighton also had a need for a point guard with Watson set to graduate after the 2016-17 season and no heir apparent waiting in the wings.
What Creighton is getting in Joseph is a former Rivals top 50 prospect in need of a fresh start.
Thrust into the role of top point guard right away at Syracuse as a result of Tyler Ennis’ unexpected evolution into a one-and-done prospect, Joseph started 30 of 31 games as a freshman and performed respectably under the circumstances. He averaged 5.9 points and 3.8 assists, but his outside shooting was a liability and turnovers were too frequent.
Joseph lost his starting job to Michael Gbinije before this past season and the back-up role to Frank Howard by midseason. He did not play more than one minute in any of Syracuse’s final 18 games in Jim Boeheim’s tight rotation, yet he did not complain publicly and remained engaged on the bench throughout the team’s surprise run to the Final Four.
Joseph and high-scoring Sacred Heart transfer Cane Broome were the two transfer point guards Creighton pursued most heavily the past few weeks. Hours after Joseph committed to the Bluejays, Broome texted Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin around 1 a.m. to tell him he wanted to join the Bearcats.
For Creighton to add to its burgeoning reputation as a haven for transfers, it will need to help Joseph regain confidence in his shot. The versatility of Gbinije and the emergence of Howard diminished Joseph’s role at Syracuse, but he’s still clearly capable of becoming an impact player in the Big East now that he has a fresh start.
– – – – – – –
Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
