Syracuse Orange
2022-2023: 17-15, 10-10 in the ACC (tie for 8th)
Departures: Jesse Edwards (14.5 ppg., 10.3 rpg., 1.4 spg., 2.7 bpg.) transferred to West Virginia, Joe Girard (16.4 ppg., 38.1% 3pt.) transferred to Clemson, and Symir Torrence transferred to Binghamton; John Bol Ajak entered the transfer portal
Major Additions: 6-4 Notre Dame transfer J.J. Starling (11.2 ppg.), 7-4 Florida State transfer Naheem McLeod (1.2 bpg.), 6-6 Auburn transfer Chance Westry, and 6-2 Kansas transfer Kyle Cuffe
Current Projection: 6th in the ACC; NCAA Round of 64
At the age of 78, after 1,015 wins, 34 NCAA Tournament appearances, five Final Fours, and a National Championship, Jim Boeheim finally handed over the reigns at Syracuse to long time Associate Head Coach Adrian Autry. While it will be his first year as a head coach, Autry inherits a roster loaded with young talent, to which he was able to add a former five star recruit and member of last year’s ACC All-Freshman team.
Last season was a rebuilding year for Boeheim with a very young roster, and by the end the team clearly had a bright future. Notre Dame transfer JJ Starling will join another All-Freshman team member (and an honarable mention All-ACC selection) in Judah Mintz (16.3 ppg., 4.6 apg., 1.8 spg.) to form what should be one of the best backcourts in the conference. 6-8 Benny Williams (7.2 ppg., 4.1 rpg., 39.6% 3pt.) was still inconsistent as a sophomore, but there were more than ten games where the scoring and rebounding ability that made him a five star recruit were on full display. Two freshmen forwards, 6-7 small forward Chris Bell and 6-8 power forward Maliq Brown, also had standout games spread throughout the year. 6-6 sophomore Justin Taylor (39.3% 3pt.) didn’t receive a ton of opportunities, but he played with energy and is an excellent perimeter shooter. Finally, 6-11 Mounir Hima saw limited minutes as a sophomore behind Jessie Edwards, but he did enough to show that he has the athleticism and motor to fit into the Syracuse tradition of rebounders and shot blockers (6.9 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per 30 minutes) at center. Overall, last year’s freshman and sophomore classes worked out incredibly well, and all of those players should be ready for larger roles and to provide more consistent play for Autry.
While Autry worked with Boeheim for twelve years, he has made it clear that there will be a major shift in coaching strategy as the team will move away from the traditional Syracuse Zone to playing primarily man to man. Some of the effects of that change will be a foregone conclusion. Syracuse is routinely among the leaders in steals per game (66th last season), and that will decrease with players less focused on passing lanes. At the same time, the change should take care of the team’s defensive rebounding issue (Syracuse is routinely in the 200s nationally in rebounding margin, and finished 263rd last year), and theoretically the Orange will be better able to defend the three (226th in 3pt.% defense last year). Zone defenses are normally used to cover for less athletic players or to stay out of foul trouble, but Boeheim’s zone was unique because it was manned by long and athletic players that locked down passing lanes and blocked shots from off the ball. It was a shock to the system to many teams in the NCAA Tournament, and was a big reason for Boeheim’s postseason success.
Although the team is still fairly young, with so much length, athleticism, and overall talent, expectations will reasonably be high for Adrian Autry in year one, and the shift in defensive philosophy will be cause for additional scrutiny. It will be a stressful position to be in, but Jim Boeheim did make sure that Autry will have a chance to make a strong first impression.