Moving forward: Michael Gbinije, Trevor Cooney

Trevor Cooney and Michael Gbinije took two very different paths to leave Syracuse as accomplished seniors. However, they both ended up in the same place, leading.

Gbinije transferred from Duke and only played three seasons for the orange. Cooney spent five years at Syracuse including his freshman year when he red shirted. The two came together at Syracuse and led the team to one Sweet Sixteen and one Final Four appearance.

Gbinije and Cooney were in the top three scorers for the Orange with 17.5 and 12.9 points per game respectively. Watching Syracuse over the course of the season made it clear that when in a big moment the two seniors were able to step up and lead the team, particularly from behind the arc.

Now that the season has concluded the focus for the two stars shifts to their future careers and their draft stock. On most mock drafts Gbinije is the only Syracuse player on the board and he falls between the 49th and 56th overall pick. Cooney on the other hand is not on the board right now.

The NBA draft is scheduled for June 23rd. Over the course of the next three months Cooney and Gbinije will be finding agents and working toward improving their draft stock. Mock drafts are far from accurate, but it does give some indication as to how close they are to the draft bubble. This gives hesitance for Cooney because the mock drafts do not have him on the board. You cannot count him out though because he has shown strong leadership and that he can shoot the long ball.

While at Syracuse both Gbinije and Cooney both showed their proficiency as shooters. Cooney finished third all time for Syracuse in three point field goals made with 281. Gbinije with only three seasons at Syracuse managed to move his way up to thirteenth on that list with 155 three point field goals made.

Draft stock can fluctuate a lot and it can rely on what you have done lately. In the last game of his career Cooney scored 22 points on fifty percent shooting against a team that could now win the 2016 NCAA Tournament Championship. Gbinije also led Syracuse through the tournament and shown that in big moments he can be trusted with the ball in his hands.

The two have provided Syracuse with many exciting moments and moving forward the city of Syracuse will be watching and wishing the best to these two stars.