The current iteration of college athletics makes absolutely no sense. Is it better than it was before when players were stuck at a school and made no money? Probably. But now it’s the Wild Wild West, and Syracuse has to replace at least half of its starting lineup for next season because of it. The transfer portal hasn’t even officially opened yet, yet three players who played significant minutes have already announced their intentions to leave. The future of the rest of the roster is still unknown. JJ Starling and Donnie Freeman are still massive wildcards but if they’re back, then those two are the only two obvious starters.
At a minimum, the Orange need to bring in three major pieces to the team. Starting two freshmen next year seems like a big risk. Even if Sadiq White and Kiyan Anthony do start an make an impact, you still. need veteran players behind then on the bench. That means the minimum amount of legitimate contributors that SU needs to pick up in the portal next year is three.
That would give the ‘Cuse seven players it can rely on for next year. In my mind, that’s absolutely enough. Syracuse desperately needs star power to compete this year. Depth isn’t what lost SU games, it was a lack of talent. Yes, depth is important but the 8th, 9th, and 10th men can be the players with potential. I’m by no means an advocate of Petar Majstorovic but, if he’s the 4th guy off the bench then that’s okay.
Last year, it’s pretty apparent that the strategy was depth. Adrian Autry picked players he thought fit in the team’s mold. A point guard in Jaquan Carlos, center in Eddie Lampkin, then depth pieces with Lucas Taylor and Jyare Davis. Those guys all were ACC depth players but didn’t make an impact. The Orange need players who can truly make an impact.
