Cue up that old Katy Perry song. Except instead of some lover, it’s Quade Green that has the Orange wondering, “how did that one get away?”
After being heavily recruited by SU over the past couple of years, the five star point guard is taking his talents to Lexington to join another stacked Kentucky recruiting class.
It seemed like the Orange had this one in the bag. In the months, weeks and, for a period, days leading up to Green’s announcement, Syracuse seemed like a shoo-in for the Philadelphia native’s services. But Green is not the only prized recruit on SU’s radar. There is indeed life after Quade, and there are a number of reasons for the Orange to remain optimistic.
This Year’s Team:
Let’s live in the present for a second. This year’s team is pretty damn good so far! Syracuse has won all of its game by 20+ en route to its 3-0 start. The Orange’s new arrivals have all lived up to their billing and then some. Andrew White III is the team’s leading scorer and is making SU fans forget about Malachi Richardson’s premature exit (P.S.: Richardson was just demoted to the D-League). John Gillon is quickly becoming a fan favorite with his inside-out game and nose for creating turnovers on the defensive end. As for the freshmen, Tyus Battle has been stellar from deep and Taurean Thompson has impressed on the offensive end. The ceiling is high for this year’s team. A return to the Final Four is certainly not out of the question.
Hamidou?
The Orange is not yet out on Hamidou Diallo. The Queens native is rated higher by recruiting services than Green. One major wild card with Diallo is that he is eligible for the 2017 NBA Draft. However, the five star shooting guard has previously said that his plan is to go to college. Diallo is evaluating SU along with Arizona, Indiana, UConn and Kentucky as potential landing spots. Hey, Kentucky can only steal so many guys from the Orange.
Significant Returning Pieces:
Barring some historic individual March Madness performance, there are significant players returning to central New York next season. Sure, all signs point to Tyler Lydon entering the NBA Draft. Yes, the Orange are graduating three starters (White, Tyler Roberson and Dajuan Coleman) and a key reserve (Gillon). But the Orange gets its first full season out of Matthew Moyer. Battle and Thompson have both proved their worth on the floor. And Franklin Howard has taken that significant step that Syracuse fans were so desperately hoping for.
Would Quade Green have looked great in orange? Absolutely. But it’s time for Syracuse fans to move on, because the light at the end of the tunnel is still pretty bright.
