Busting Brackets
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ACC Basketball: Each team’s best acquisition out of 2023 transfer portal

By Jerran Anderson

Jan 24, 2023; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles guard Matthew Cleveland (35) reacts in the second half against the Miami Hurricanes at Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 24, 2023; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles guard Matthew Cleveland (35) reacts in the second half against the Miami Hurricanes at Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /

JJ Starling – 6’4 Guard/Wing – Syracuse Orange

J.J. Starling joins the Syracuse Orange and moves a lot closer to his hometown of Baldwinsville, New York after spending the 2022-23 season with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound prospect possesses a ton of intrigue for the Orange given his potential in the backcourt, especially coming off an ACC All-Freshman team selection.

Starling answered a lot of the answers of “Could he play in the ACC?” with last season’s overall performance on the hardwood. He posted 11.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg and 1.1 apg on 42.1 percent shooting from the field and 29.9 percent shooting from deep.

While his ability to shoot the 3-ball wasn’t stellar, he still ranked third among freshmen in the ACC in field goals made (125), ninth among freshmen in the ACC in 3-pointers made (24) and 12th in total rebounds (79) when the season concluded by the end of February.

His best outing came on the road against Louisville back on Jan. 28, 2023 when he racked up 22 points and six rebounds on 9-of-16 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 shooting from the 3-point arc.

In 10 wins this past season, he averaged 14.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 1.5 apg while shooting 35.1 percent from deep and 48.7 percent from the floor. With a change of scenery and an emerging star guard returning in Judah Mintz, there’s certainly a ton of potential with the addition of Starling to the backcourt.

While Notre Dame wasn’t the greatest team from an overall standpoint, the performance of Starling was certainly a bright spot this past season. As he learns to be more efficient from deep, look for things to turn in not only Starling’s favor but also in favor of the Orange. Syracuse missed the NCAA Tournament this past season for the first time since 2020-21.