Things haven’t been quite so brilliant at Syracuse in recent years. Adrian Autry inherited quite the position when he succeeded Jim Boeheim back in 2023 but his first two seasons running the show haven’t gone according to plan. Quite honestly, this has been a rough stretch for the Orange since their surprise run to the Final Four in 2016 but perhaps better days are ahead?
Autry took over and had a solid first campaign, winning 20 games and tying for 5th place in the ACC standings, but last year was a major step backwards. The ACC as a whole had a really terrible year but Syracuse was one of those teams contributing to the struggle. The Orange finish just 14-19 and 14th place during one of the worst year’s in the long history of that conference.
There’s good news, as the Orange do return a pair of very talented young pieces who just might be the backbone for this upcoming season. JJ Starling is a former Top 25 recruit who was Syracuse’s leading scorer as a junior last year, while Donnie Freeman is a 6-9 forward who was a Top 10 recruit, but played just 14 games due to injury. Getting them both healthy and with a year more experience is great but Autry getting both of them back to Syracuse alone in this era is a remarkable feat.
Positive news comes off the recruiting trail as well, as Syracuse adds a pair of highly-regarded 4-star prospects. Sadiq White Jr. is a 6-8 forward from Florida with enticing potential while shooting guard Kiyan Anthony hopes to follow in his father’s footsteps by making history with the Orange.
Autry and his staff also grabbed some fine talent out of the transfer portal, most notably landing Naithan George, an outstanding point guard who starred at Georgia Tech in recent years. Among other additions, Syracuse should get good production from former Cincinnati power forward Tyler Betsey, former Oregon State guard Nate Kingz, and William Kyle III, a 6-9 forward who spent last season at UCLA.
Things have been quite stagnant in recent years at Syracuse but Autry has built a roster that has legitimate potential in the ACC. Even with how things have changed in this sport with the transfer portal, it’s still hard to completely give up on Autry and his staff after just two years at the helm. This season is going to show us a lot about him as an on-court coach and developer of talent, because the talent is certainly there this year.
If things go well, Syracuse should be back in the NCAA Tournament and be a name people are buzzing about come March. Should injuries or inconsistent play rear its ugly head again, then the folks in Syracuse are going to have some tough conversations about the future of this program. This isn’t specifically a make-or-break season in west New York but it really feels like it for Autry’s future.