Syracuse Basketball: Chance Westry is great fit for Orange, top scout says

Auburn transfer Chance Westry will prove a strong fit at Syracuse basketball, a top national scout recently said.

The 6-foot-6 guard, a former long-time recruiting target of Orange coaches, said last month that he would transfer after his freshman season with the Tigers to the ‘Cuse.

That recent development delighted many Syracuse basketball fanatics who were bummed when Westry committed to Southeastern Conference member Auburn, and not the Orange, while in high school.

Westry’s decision to transfer to the ‘Cuse provided a boost to the Syracuse basketball backcourt, given that freshman point guard Judah Mintz is testing the 2023 NBA Draft waters while maintaining his college eligibility.

Beyond Mintz’s future decision, senior shooting guard Joe Girard is down to two finalists, Clemson and LSU, and senior guard Symir Torrence has elected to transfer from the Orange to Binghamton.

Experts like the fit between Syracuse basketball and Auburn transfer Chance Westry.

Even with those departures, Syracuse basketball does have freshman wing Justin Taylor and freshman guard/wing Quadir Copeland on its current roster.

Plus, in March, Central New York native J.J. Starling, a talented combo guard, said he would transfer from Notre Dame after his freshman term to the Hill.

Regarding Chance Westry, how many minutes he plays in the upcoming 2023-24 campaign will depend in part on if Mintz returns to the ‘Cuse for his sophomore stanza. But Westry has a bright future with Syracuse basketball, 247Sports’ director of scouting Adam Finkelstein recently said.

Finkelstein, one of the best in the business, says that he thinks Chance Westry “will be a great fit for Syracuse.”

Westry didn’t play much for Auburn in 2022-23 due to injury. He is expected to take a redshirt for this past term and will have four years of eligibility remaining.

"Here’s what Finkelstein recently had to say about Westry’s fit with the Orange. “He has the type of positional size that Syracuse has typically valued in the backcourt. And if (head coach) Red Autry decides to stick with the program’s trademark zone, then Westry should be a defensive weapon. … Offensively, he has upside as a big lead guard and should get opportunities to play with the ball in his hands similar to the way Judah Mintz did this year. Of course, Mintz’s status for next season will have a lot to do with how significant the immediate opportunity is. But whether it is this year or next, Westry looks poised to replace Mintz as the team’s primary lead guard.”"

Autry, who replaced the Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim in early March as the team’s head coach, did recently say that he is likely to play both zone and man-to-man defenses in the future, by the way.

After word broke in late March that Chance Westry would enter the NCAA’s transfer portal, Syracuse basketball coaches reached out to this former Orange target. Reports indicated that he received interest from other squads including St. John’s, Penn State, Creighton and Seton Hall.

Westry, who is from Harrisburg, Pa., was offered a scholarship by the ‘Cuse in the summer of 2019. He took an official visit to the Orange and had Syracuse basketball in his initial top 10 before committing to Auburn.

Chance Westry was a four-star prospect in the 2022 class. Most recruiting services rated him as a top-40 national prospect in this cycle coming out of the powerhouse AZ Compass Prep School in Chandler, Ariz.

As a senior in the 2021-22 season, Chance Westry helped lead AZ Compass Prep to the prestigious 2022 GEICO Nationals.