Syracuse Basketball: Judah Mintz to ‘probably’ start at PG, per head coach

Ever since 2022 four-star combo guard Judah Mintz committed to Syracuse basketball at the end of March, I’ve been curious to see what his role would be for the Orange during the upcoming campaign.

The 6-foot-3 Mintz, a versatile combo guard who can suit up at point guard or shooting guard, is an efficient three-level scorer who gets after it on the defensive end, according to analysts and scouts. He was a stand-out in the 2021-22 season for the powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va.

‘Cuse head coach Jim Boeheim isn’t afraid to start players in their freshmen years, if he feels they’re ready. But I kind of figured that Mintz might be the team’s 6th man in 2022-23, given that guards Joe Girard III and Symir Torrence are both seniors.

However, in a recent article from college basketball insider Adam Zagoria, Boeheim provided a glimpse of what the near-term future may hold for Mintz, a consensus top-80 prospect in the 2022 cycle who was rated as high as No. 33 nationally by ESPN.

Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim lauded freshman guard Judah Mintz.

Zagoria’s recent piece was primarily about rising-sophomore forward Benny Williams, although Boeheim had this to say about Judah Mintz.

"“He’s really good, he’ll be a pro. He’ll probably start at the 1 and move Joe over to the 2, we’ll see how that goes.”"

First and foremost, it’s still the summer, and the 2022-23 campaign is a few months away, so we’ll have to wait and see what Boeheim’s initial starting rotation ultimately entails.

Secondly, I’m glad to read that Girard may end up as a shooting guard within the 2022-23 line-up for the Orange, and I’m not alone in this sentiment.

As the ‘Cuse struggled to a 16-17 record a stanza ago, many Syracuse basketball fans chimed in on social media and via chat rooms that they felt Girard would have more success as a shooting guard, rather than the squad’s point guard.

Thirdly, it won’t surprise me at all if Mintz is, indeed, the Orange’s starting point guard, and Torrence ends up coming off the bench as a top reserve.

Yes, Symir is a veteran player and has shown a wonderful ability to drive the lane, facilitate for others and be a force in the zone defense. At the same time, Judah Mintz is really, really good, experts say.

Both Mintz and Williams hail from the talent-rich Washington, D.C., area. Williams, per the Zagoria story, helped recruit Mintz to Syracuse basketball after he de-committed from fellow Atlantic Coast Conference team Pittsburgh in November of 2021.

"Williams, in his interview with Zagoria, said of Mintz, “He’s a natural-born scorer. He can score on all three levels, can shoot the 3 consistently, can play defense. And he’s just a dog, has a dog mentality.”"

Love that. For what it’s worth, in his recent ACC off-season report, CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein also projected that Mintz would be a starter for the Orange as the 2022-23 campaign gets underway this November.