Syracuse Basketball: Symir Torrence is a physical, strong and tough guard

Syracuse basketball is getting a talented and versatile point guard in Marquette transfer Symir Torrence, and it’s certainly conceivable that he could challenge sophomore Joe Girard III for the starting point-guard spot in the Orange line-up next season.

The 6-foot-3 Torrence, who revealed via his Twitter page on Wednesday that he will leave the Golden Eagles for the ‘Cuse, will help to offset the loss of freshman combo guard Kadary Richmond to the NCAA’s transfer portal, some experts say.

Torrence, a Central New York native who suited up for Syracuse Academy of Science and then the Vermont Academy in Saxtons River, Vt., prior to joining Marquette, is characterized by analysts and other observers as a point guard whose exquisite court vision enables him to effectively set up teammates.

Additionally, Torrence is both a solid defender and rebounder at this position. His shooting percentages in the 2020-21 campaign for the Golden Eagles were sub-par, but Torrence can shoot the rock and drive with assertiveness to the basket.

Jerry Meyer, a national analyst with 247Sports, said in an evaluation of Torrence about two years ago that the new Syracuse basketball commit “plays with an edge and competes.”

New Syracuse basketball commit Symir Torrence is a multi-dimensional player.

Mike McAllister, the publisher of SyracuseOnSI, wrote in an analysis of Torrence that he “is a true point guard who brings an attitude to the position. He plays with a chip on his shoulder, is a strong, physical guard and has above average length for a point guard.”

In his two terms with Marquette, Torrence only averaged about 12 minutes a game, per his bio on ESPN’s Web site. While he connected on a commendable 37.5 percent from beyond the arc as a freshman, that number dropped to 13.9 percent as a sophomore in 2020-21.

"Says McAllister, “Torrence has good shooting form and showed the ability to make the outside shot as a high schooler. He can still work on this area but the truth regarding percentage is probably somewhere in the middle.”"

A four-star, top-100 player in the 2019 recruiting class, Torrence held more than a dozen scholarship offers, including from Marquette, the Orange, Virginia, Butler, Cincinnati, Dayton, Maryland and Providence, according to his bio on the 247Sports Web site.

Per various media reports and tweets from analysts, Torrence recently had received interest from teams such as South Carolina, Wake Forest, Washington, Albany, Siena, Massachusetts, South Florida and Murray State.

After word broke that Richmond was leaving the ‘Cuse, that may have contributed to Torrence ultimately choosing the Orange. We should also note that the Golden Eagles have a new head coach in Shaka Smart, the former Texas and VCU boss who is replacing Steve Wojciechowski at Marquette.

Torrence is an encouraging addition to Syracuse basketball, as he can do positive things on both offense and defense. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he ends up getting at least 20 minutes per contest, if not more, in the next stanza.