Syracuse Basketball: Off the court, Elijah Hughes is equally as impressive

Former Syracuse basketball star Elijah Hughes will hear his named called at the upcoming NBA Draft. He deserves all the success that’s coming to him.

Elijah Hughes, the former Syracuse basketball sensation who in 2019-20 put forth one of the finest individual seasons for the Orange program in recent memory, is a humble yet determined young man.

He’s candid, a tremendous teammate and, admirably, didn’t focus on the awards bestowed upon him over this past year. Hughes’ appreciation for the Syracuse fan base is clear, and, despite only suiting up on the Hill for two official campaigns, he will go down as one of my favorite guys in ‘Cuse history.

I bet that I’m not alone in these sentiments, either.

For all that Hughes accomplished on the court at Syracuse in 2019-20, though, what serves as just as much inspiration, at least from my perspective, is whom he is as a human being, and not simply a basketball player.

Donna Ditota of Syracuse.com published a really cool interview with Hughes on Friday that revealed some of his personality. Ditota asked him if he has paid attention to mock drafts, particularly since Hughes is appearing in some of them.

His response is awesome – and telling. “I haven’t really been delving too deeply into that. My thinking is if you watched the games, you kind of know. But it’s the off-the-court stuff as well. I just think of myself as a high-character kid, somebody who’s not going to cause problems for any team, and somebody who’s always willing to learn. I’ve matured my last two years tremendously, even off the court. And I’ve been able to develop an even greater appreciation for the game of basketball sitting out. It made me realize how much I love the game, how much I miss the game. That’s what you’re going to get out of me.”

Hughes, who led the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring during the most-recent stanza, told Ditota that when 2019-20 commenced, he didn’t necessarily see himself getting selected in the NBA Draft after this term had concluded.

“I knew I was going to take a big leap. I didn’t think it was going to be this big a leap. It was all new to me being a leader, being that go-to guy. I was just trying to see how I would adjust to it. I didn’t really see all this happening — not saying that I don’t believe in myself or I’m not confident. But it all just happened kind of quickly. It was kind of something that just smacked me in the face. It’s all such a blessing. I’m living out my dream hopefully in a couple months. I realized it could be a possibility — I don’t know, maybe by the middle of the season or the end of the season. I knew that people were watching me, that scouts were coming to games. I just tried to go out there and be myself.”

Even as the buzz around Hughes has grown, he has stayed true to himself. You have to respect that mentality.

According to Ditota’s article, the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee provided feedback to Hughes that aided his decision to permanently stay in the 2020 draft. Hughes described it as “good news.”

Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, it’s possible that this year’s NBA Draft, slated for June 25, could get pushed back. But whenever it does transpire, Hughes will begin his journey at the next level, fulfilling his dream.

Maybe he’ll get picked in the first round. Maybe he won’t. Either way, Hughes at that point is a professional hoops player. And many Orange fanatics, myself included, will fervently continue to root for him.