Syracuse guard Geno Thorpe is leaving the program due to personal reasons, according to the team.
Thorpe was averaging 6 points per game in just 14.3 minutes per game off the bench. He appeared in all six games off the bench. He was slowed to start the season after battling an ankle injury, which held him out of both exhibition games.
The fifth year senior transferred to the Orange from South Florida after leading the Bulls in scoring last season and was the lone senior on the SU roster. This was his last year of college eligibility.
Thorpe is the second player to leave the program since the 2017-18 school year started, joining Seton Hall transfer Taurean Thompson, who left in August.
Thorpe’s brief time at SU saw few bright spots. He only logged eight minutes against Iona and Jim Boeheim called his performance “terrible” and that he would only see the floor if he played better. The very next game against Texas Southern, Thorpe answered that call with 13 points off the bench with Tyus Battle in foul trouble. In his final game with SU, he saw the floor for a season-low four minutes in the win against Maryland and had his only scoreless game to go along with two turnovers.
There was a hidden expectation around Thorpe’s arrival that he could potentially be the Orange’s leading scorer since he had flashed that ability at USF and maybe even step into the starting point guard role if Frank Howard struggled early on.
Thorpe was played as both the primary ball handler and off the ball while he was in the game. Now with about 15 minutes per game opened up in the rotation, it will be interesting to see how Boeheim doles out the time. With both Battle and Howard averaging north of 32 minutes and no other available scholarship guards on the roster, freshman Howard Washington should see an increase in workload. Washington has played sparingly in the early stages, appearing in just three games in garbage time for a total of 20 minutes, but he looks comfortable on the floor with four assists and no turnovers in that time.
Thorpe’s sudden departure brings about many questions, but being unexpectedly shorthanded for Saturday’s game against No. 2 Kansas should show what kind of fight this Syracuse team has.
