Calvin Russell, hooping his whole life, says it was no-brainer to join Syracuse basketball

If Syracuse basketball is blowing out Florida State on Tuesday night, and wing Calvin Russell III gets into the game, the 'Cuse fan base is going to explode, and rightfully so.

After months of anxiousness last fall, amid constant - and rather annoying - flip chatter from analysts, Orange fanatics in hoops (and football) can rest easy, as the 6-foot-5, 190-pound Russell has enrolled early at SU for the spring semester that began on Monday. He has also joined the Syracuse basketball program, practiced on Monday and will be available to play on Tuesday evening as the 'Cuse welcomes the Seminoles to the JMA Wireless Dome.

Yes, it's true that Russell, the Miami native, is Syracuse football's highest-ranked signee in more than two decades. He's a five-star wide receiver and a top-25 national prospect in the 2026 class, per 247Sports.

However, the two-sport star out of the powerhouse Miami Northwestern Senior High School has actually been playing basketball longer than he's played football. While Russell may have "walk-on" status with Syracuse basketball, as I've noted in numerous columns over the past six months or so, he can hoop with the best of them.

In an interview posted on X before Tuesday night's Atlantic Coast Conference clash with FSU, Syracuse Athletics host Sean Dorcellus (an all-around great guy) briefly chatted with Russell about his getting to the Hill for the spring semester while also adjusting to joining the Syracuse basketball team and preparing to help turn Syracuse football around after a rough 2025 season.

Syracuse Orange two-sport star Calvin Russell III is going to be a huge fan favorite.

Russell says it has been a fairly easy adjustment to come on board with 'Cuse hoops. I've been told many times that, as he was being pursued by Syracuse football coaches, he also developed a strong bond with head coach Adrian Autry and the Orange basketball staff.

Russell noted that other guys on the Syracuse basketball squad have been welcoming. He added that he's been playing basketball his whole life - "since out of the womb" - and hoops came along before football. Why would he not want to keep doing what he's been doing his whole life at a different, greater level? Russell said.

His mom, Chanivia Broussard, was a four-year basketball player with the Miami Hurricanes, scoring 1,482 career points. She was inducted into the Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 2018, per SU Athletics.

In his interview with Dorcellus, Russell said one of his nicknames is "GUMP," which stands for "great under major pressure." That's awesome. He adds that he will never fold under pressure; we might bend, but never break, Russell says.

On the football field, Russell, come the 2026 season, will be joined by other former Miami Northwestern stars at Syracuse. Their focus? Trust in the process, put on for the home team in a different state, turn things around and win a lot of games. No excuses, Russell says.

It will be fascinating to see his development with Syracuse basketball and, of course, SU football later on this year. When Russell verbally pledged to Syracuse football last July, on his birthday, I first reported that he would also join Syracuse basketball when he stepped onto the SU campus.

The flip talk permeated social media and Syracuse Orange chat forums last fall, but that's all in the past. Russell is on the Hill. And he'll be in uniform for Syracuse basketball on Tuesday night.

How freaking cool is that?