We’re still in the early stages of the college basketball offseason, with March Madness not even finished yet, but it’s hard not to be impressed with Syracuse so far.
On the heels of one of the worst seasons in program history, the Orange have hit the transfer portal hard, adding Georgia Tech big man Ibrahim Souare as the team’s fourth addition from the portal. Since the portal opened, Syracuse has also added fellow Yellowjacket Naithan George, Oregon State sharpshooter Nate Kingz, and UCLA forward William Kyle.
In addition to the new transfers, Syracuse will also bring in one of the most talented recruiting classes in the country, highlighted by Kiyan Anthony, the son of Syracuse legend Carmelo Anthony. Along with Kiyan, the Orange will have two other four-star prospects in Sadiq White and Luke Fennell.
That sounds like the making of a complete roster that’s ready to compete, especially considering the team’s top two scorers JJ Starling and Donnie Freeman will return next season. However, it appears Syracuse isn’t done yet.
The Orange have reached out to multiple players in the portal who are still yet to sign with a team, including Florida State forward Jerry Deng. Deng, who Syracuse will have to beat out stiff competition for in the portal if they want to sign him, averaged 7 points and 1.9 rebounds in 15 minutes per game for the Seminoles last year. He was an effective floor spacer, shooting 37% from deep.
Monmouth’s Jaret Valencia is another player Syracuse is rumored to be interested in. Valencia, a 6’9 forward who averaged 6.7 points and 4.1 rebounds last year with 1.2 blocks per game, shot 44% from the field and 34% from beyond the arc. If the Orange can sign either player, they would provide additional depth and three-point shooting to a team looking to forget last year’s historically bad struggles.
Head coach Adrian Autry is under plenty of pressure in his third season at the helm, but it’s nice to see Syracuse be active in the portal. It’s still too early to tell if Syracuse’s aggressiveness in the portal will pay off, but it’s clear that the Orange want to win next season.
