Syracuse Basketball: J.J. Starling, No. 2 transfer, ‘has tremendous upside’

Not too long ago, Central New York native and talented guard J.J. Starling said that he would transfer from Notre Dame to Syracuse basketball, and this development delighted Orange hoops fans.

The 6-foot-4 Starling, a former five-star, top-25 prospect in the 2022 recruiting class, had the ‘Cuse in his final five before committing to the Fighting Irish.

Notre Dame was not good in the 2022-23 season, posting a record of 11-21. And the Fighting Irish’s long-time head coach, Mike Brey, who recruited J.J. Starling to the program, has moved on.

So it didn’t come as much of a surprise when Starling entered the NCAA’s transfer portal. And he quickly committed to his hometown college squad, the Orange, while citing his strong relationship with new Syracuse basketball head coach Adrian Autry.

J.J. Starling has elected to transfer from Notre Dame to Syracuse basketball.

Orange freshman point guard Judah Mintz recently entered his name into the 2023 NBA Draft, while maintaining his collegiate eligibility. Should Mintz not return to the Hill, Starling absolutely will contend for a starting spot in the ‘Cuse backcourt for the 2023-24 stanza.

Even if Mintz does come back to the team, Starling is likely to be firmly in the mix for the squad’s starting rotation in 2023-24, although we’ll have to see if senior Joe Girard III decides to return to the Orange for a fifth season granted by the NCAA due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

As a freshman for the Fighting Irish in 2022-23, per ESPN, J.J. Starling averaged 11.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. He did struggle with his shot, connecting on just 42.1 percent from the field, 29.9 percent from beyond the arc, and 63.8 percent from the charity stripe.

Both Mintz and Starling were among those newbies in 2022-23 who got named to the Atlantic Coast Conference’s All-Freshman team.

Starling was a star for Baker High School in Baldwinsville, N.Y., before competing in his junior and senior campaigns for the powerhouse La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind.

On Wednesday, 247Sports national analyst Travis Branham, one of the best in the business, published his initial top-25 rankings of the best college players in the transfer portal at this time.

Naturally, this top 25 will change over time, but for now, Branham has J.J. Starling at No. 2 across the country.

Coming out of prep school, Starling was rated as five stars for a variety of reasons, such as his size, athleticism, scoring prowess and play-making abilities, according to Branham and other recruiting experts.

But as I already noted, he didn’t shoot well in 2022-23, and Notre Dame was pretty darn awful.

"Wrote Branham: “Overall, it was a rocky season for Starling and the regression in his jump shot (29-percent from three) has resulted in his floor as an impact scorer falling a bit but he has tremendous upside and if he finds his rhythm and mechanics again, he could easily make the jump up to No. 1 when we look back in a year.”"

With Mintz’s future up in the air as to whether he will play a sophomore season at Syracuse basketball or head to the pros, Autry and his assistants landing J.J. Starling is a tremendous first recruiting win for the Orange’s new coaching staff.

Starling will have to work on his shot; however, he has tons of promise and talent. I for one will be stoked to see him don a ‘Cuse uniform in 2023-24.