Might Syracuse basketball pursue Colgate guard, others newly into portal?

Last November, in a non-conference clash from the Carrier Dome that every Syracuse basketball fan would like to forget, New York state neighbor Colgate torched the Orange zone to the tune of 18 makes from 3-point land, and the Raiders snapped a decades-long winless streak to the ‘Cuse by prevailing in stunning fashion, 100-85.

In that contest, Colgate senior guard Nelly Cummings connected on a half-dozen 3-pointers and finished with 18 points, and he was a pivotal piece in the Raiders’ shocking upset on the Hill.

Just a few days ago, the No. 14 seed Colgate gave the No. 3 seed Wisconsin all it could handle in a 2022 NCAA Tournament round of 64 battle from the Midwest Region, although the Badgers prevailed by seven points, 67-60.

The 6-foot Cummings, who produced a fabulous 2021-22 campaign for the Raiders, said via Twitter on Tuesday that he is entering into the NCAA’s transfer portal, with one year of eligibility remaining.

After that news broke, I came across a contingent of Orange fans on social media expressing hope that the ‘Cuse coaching staff would pursue Cummings, who this stanza made the All-Patriot League first team.

Syracuse basketball will of course mine the transfer portal this off-season.

We’ll have to wait and see if the ‘Cuse ends up showing interest in Cummings, given that the Orange has two returning guards who will be seniors in 2022-23, along with two guards as part of the team’s 2022 recruiting class.

That being said, Cummings is an intriguing player. Against Wisconsin, which spent part of this term in the top 10 of the major polls, he put up 20 points.

On the entire season, Cummings averaged 14.7 points, 3.4 assists and 3.0 rebounds per encounter, while connecting on 36 percent from downtown.

According to several tweets that I’ve come across from national recruiting analysts, a ton of college teams have already reached out regarding Cummings, including Oklahoma, USC, Clemson, N.C. State, Pittsburgh, Arkansas, VCU, Xavier, Florida, Georgia Tech, St. Bonaventure and Mike Hopkins-led Washington.

Regarding potential additions from the transfer portal ahead of 2022-23, obviously what Syracuse basketball could end up doing depends on if current guys on the roster elect to leave Central New York. The Orange also has five signees in its 2022 cycle and has pursued other options there, too.

But if we’re talking about possible strong alternatives in the portal, this 247Sports article has made an initial top-10 ranking of the best guys out there.

Per other media reports, some players who are now in the portal that hopefully Syracuse basketball coaches are eyeing include West Virginia redshirt freshman forward Isaiah Cottrell, Alabama redshirt freshman forward Alex Tchikou, Niagara senior guard Marcus Hammond and Belmont freshman guard Will Richard.

Hammond, for one, averaged about 18 points a game and was named to the All-MAAC first squad in 2021-22. Richard tallied 12 points and six boards per affair for Belmont.

Prior to joining West Virginia, Cottrell was a four-star, top-100 player in the 2020 class who actually received a Syracuse basketball scholarship offer. Tchikou, too, was a four-star, top-100 prospect in the 2020 cycle before committing to Alabama.