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Syracuse center Bourama Sidibe, who’s participated fully in preseason workouts, has been cleared for practice, head coach Jim Boeheim told syracuse.com on Wednesday.

The Orange’s first official practice will take place on Sept. 28, according to syracuse.com, and Sidibe’s clearance means that the Orange will open preseason practices with their starting center from 2019-20 available to practice. Sidibe missed all but two games last season due to knee injuries, and the effects of the injuries lingered into the offseason.

Sidibe left SU’s season-opening win over Bryant just minutes into the first half, subbing off the court without an apparent limp or injury, and he never returned to the game. An MRI after the game revealed a torn meniscus, which resulted in Dec. 1 surgery that placed him on a timeline to return in four weeks.

But then that estimate kept expanding. Atlantic Coast Conference games started, but Sidibe still remained out. At times, he went through light warm-up activities with his teammates, but he never returned to his spot in the the 2-3 zone in the lineup and the center positions — taken by Alan Griffin and Marek Dolezaj, respectively. Jesse Edwards, the Orange’s backup center, flashed potential at times, but Boeheim reiterated throughout the season that Edwards and Frank Anselem weren’t ready for expanded roles. Boeheim told syracuse.com on Wednesday that Edwards and Anselem have gotten “very healthy and stronger” to the point where their improvements and presence at the center position have turned Sidibe into “a bonus guy for us.”

Sidibe returned for Syracuse’s 17-point loss against Clemson on Feb. 6, playing 11 minutes off the bench, scoring one point on a free throw and picking up four fouls before exiting. “He’s just not really ready to play yet,” Boeheim said after the game. “He’s had barely, maybe two practices where he went part of the time. Hopefully, his knee will react well to playing, he’ll be able to continue.” But the swelling returned, and Sidibe didn’t play again.

That created a clouded scenario about Sidibe’s future heading into the offseason. Dolezaj chose not to use his extra year of eligibility and instead signed with a professional team in Ukraine. Griffin entered his name into the draft and Quincy Guerrier transferred to Oregon. Those moves thinned SU’s forward depth and led to the transfer-portal acquisition of Jimmy Boeheim while opening up an avenue for Sidibe to return using the NCAA’s eligibility relief. 

He announced that decision on Apr. 5, telling syracuse.com that he wanted to give himself a “chance (to) get healthier and play one more season.” But one of the final hurdles was returning fully for practice, a hurdle he cleared this week. He also took another step closer toward returning to the Orange’s lineup in the Nov. 9 season-opener against Lafayette in the Carrier Dome.

“The four weeks of practice will tell us more about where he is,’’ Boeheim told syracuse.com on Wednesday. “He has spurts where he plays well, but he’s really been out of basketball mostly for the past year. He needs these four weeks and we’ll see where he is at that time.’’

Published on September 23, 2021 at 1:19 pm

Contact Andrew: arcrane@syr.edu | @CraneAndrew