Syracuse Basketball: Kadary Richmond will have big list of big-time suitors

It was no secret that Syracuse basketball would lose players to the transfer market after the recently ended season for the Orange, however, when word broke that freshman combo guard Kadary Richmond had entered his name in the NCAA’s transfer portal, a ton of ‘Cuse fans absolutely blew up on social media.

I have to admit that I didn’t necessarily see this development coming for Richmond. He put forth a really solid freshman campaign, in limited minutes, during the 2020-21 stanza, and I figured that his court time would increase in the next term.

However, with the news that sophomore Joe Girard III, the team’s starting point guard, would reportedly be returning to the Hill, it’s understandable if the 6-foot-5 Richmond has elected to suit up elsewhere and have a starting role.

Then again, I have no inside information on Richmond’s thinking, so myself and an abundance of other Orange fanatics out there are merely speculating on this situation.

Either way, this is a huge bummer, as I believe that Richmond would have proven a key cog for Syracuse basketball in the future. I also think that he has NBA potential down the road.

Richmond, a top-100 prospect coming out of high school, is going to receive a lot of interest in the transfer market, and that is already becoming the case.

Syracuse basketball guard Kadary Richmond is moving on from the program.

According to Anthony Dabbundo, a senior staff writer for The Daily Orange, Atlantic Coast Conference juggernaut Florida State and blue-blood squad Kentucky are displaying an interest in Richmond.

Per The Athletic’s Kyle Tucker, others that have called regarding Richmond include West Virginia, Connecticut, Maryland, Seton Hall, Iowa State, Creighton and George Washington.

Richmond is an elite defender and facilitator. He excels at driving the lane. Sure, he will continue to work on improving his jump-shot and finishing around the rim, but even as a freshman, Richmond’s court vision most of the time was off the charts.

According to his bio on ESPN’s Web site, in the 2020-21 season when the Orange went 18-10 and lost to Houston in the Sweet 16, Richmond averaged 21.0 minutes, 6.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.6 steals a game.

He connected on 45.3 percent from the field, 72.1 percent from the charity stripe, and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc. His outside shooting kept on getting better as the campaign neared its conclusion for the ‘Cuse.

A four-star prospect in the 2020 recruiting cycle, Richmond attended the Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H., prior to joining the Orange.

Richmond, whose hometown is in Brooklyn, N.Y., reportedly picked Syracuse basketball over other finalists such as Oregon, Seton Hall, St. John’s and UConn.

Besides Richmond, other ‘Cuse players to have entered their names into the transfer portal so far are redshirt sophomore forward Robert Braswell and redshirt freshman center John Bol Ajak.

"Head coach Jim Boeheim issued a statement on these players, saying in part, “I want to thank John Bol, Rob and Kadary for all they contributed to the Syracuse program. I especially want to thank Rob and Kadary for the key role they played in the success we had at the end of the year. We all wish them the best.”"