Marked last week by the retirement of the legendary coach Jim Boeheim, who hung up after 47 seasons, the new era of the basketball program of Syracuse starts ideally.
Via the NCAA transfer portal, the staff now led by Adrian Autry has just secured the recruitment of one of the best young backs available: JJ Starling“freshman” at Notre Dame (Indiana) this season (11.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists on average in 28 games).
A native of New York State, the young talent is therefore returning home, since the Syracuse campus is located about twenty minutes by car from Baldwinsville, his hometown.
” Being able to play for one of the most legendary teams in college basketball is something » he also admitted. ” Especially knowing that my parents and other relatives will be able to come to the matches. It’s awesome. »
Dynamic and scoring “combo-guard”, JJ Starling had left high school ranked 19th among the best players in his promotion in 2022. While he is still only 18 years old, he will certainly bring freshness to the Orange attack, which has become a little too stereotypical and inefficient in recent years (110.4 points on 100 possessions last season for example, only the 85th best evaluation in the country).
He notably formed an explosive “backcourt” with Judah Mintz, author of a fine “freshman” season (16.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists).
” The choice was obvious “he assured, when he already knows the staff of his new team, including the new coach Adrian Autry, who had already tried to recruit him when he left high school, before he chose Notre Dame. ” My relationship with Coach Autry is very strong. I know he wants the best for me, and he won’t take too much time to tell me things. He will let us play with freedom and confidence. It was a quick decision because I already knew what the program could do for me, and vice versa. I know that I am in good hands to continue my development. »
A development whose final objective is of course the NBA, which he envisages for 2024, even if he admitted to having thought of testing the waters of the Draft as early as this summer.
” I judged that it was finally perhaps preferable to play an additional season, after a first year of acclimatization, in order to continue to grow and progress to better try my luck. [à la Draft 2024] “Concluded the young fullback, who therefore becomes the first recruit of the new era in Syracuse.
