ACC Basketball: Ranking of top 25 players entering 2023-24 season
By Joey Loose
18. J. J. Starling – Syracuse
One of the nation’s Top 25 recruits from the Class of 2022, Starling played his freshman season under Mike Brey at Notre Dame. Named All-Freshman in the ACC, Starling certainly showed promise, but chose a new home after Brey’s departure in the offseason. He averaged 11.2 points per game as a freshman and will look to build on those numbers as a sophomore at Syracuse.
With big changes all over this Orange program, including new head coach Adrian Autry, Starling begins an important addition. He slides into an impactful role in the backcourt, starting right away and hoping to improve on those numbers. He made under 30% of his 3-pointers, doing more of his damage inside the arc. Starling could be due for a big step forward as a sophomore; we’ll just have to see how his game comes together this year.
17. Matthew Cleveland – Miami FL
The ACC’s Sixth Man of the Year as a freshman, Cleveland took another step forward as a sophomore at Florida State last season, but he’s not in Tallahassee anymore. Another in-conference transfer in the ACC, Cleveland averaged 13.8 points and 7.4 rebounds as a major factor for the Seminoles before transferring to Miami this offseason, joining a squad reloading after a Final Four run.
The Hurricanes remain in great shape for the future and adding a talent like Cleveland is a major reason why. Cleveland plays solid defense and he can replace some of the production lost from the departures of Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller from last season. Frankly, he’s a fantastic piece to slide in as a junior into this lineup, especially if he can keep improving his shooting touch.