Syracuse Basketball: 4-star transfer Quadir Copeland hears from 2022 champs, others

Syracuse basketball sophomore guard/wing Quadir Copeland, who entered the transfer portal in late March, has heard from a handful of high-major programs of late, according to an expert.

Dushawn London, a national analyst with 247Sports, said in a recent post on X that since he entered the portal, the 6-foot-6, 200-pound Copeland has heard from college squads including Kansas State, McNeese State, Memphis, Mississippi State, N.C. State and Kansas, among others.

Kansas is a Big 12 Conference powerhouse that won the national championship in 2022. N.C. State, in the 2024 NCAA Tournament that just wrapped up, went on a magical run to the Final Four as a No. 11 seed after winning five games in five days to capture the ACC Tournament title.

Per 247Sports, Copeland entered the portal on March 29. He is one of at least five players from the 'Cuse 2023-24 roster who have hit the portal, with the others being sophomore guard/wing Justin Taylor, sophomore center Peter Carey, sophomore big man Maliq Brown and junior forward Benny Williams, who was dismissed from the program in early February.

Conversely, since the transfer portal opened on Monday, March 18, running for 45 days, the Orange has secured a commitment from Colorado senior center Eddie Lampkin Jr., a four-star prospect, while showing interest in various other college players who are in the portal.

Quadir Copeland put forth a solid sophomore year for Syracuse basketball.

When I wrote this article on Wednesday, in national transfer rankings, Rivals.com had Copeland as four stars and No. 90 overall, while On3 rated him as four stars and No. 160 nationally.

This past term, the Orange went 20-12 overall, winning 20 regular-season games for the first time in a decade under first-year head coach Adrian Autry.

In his sophomore stanza, according to ESPN data, Copeland appeared in all 32 affairs. He averaged 22.3 minutes, 9.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.0 turnovers per contest, while connecting on 47.8 percent from the field, 25.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 68.3 percent from the free-throw line.

As 2023-24 carried on, Copeland more and more found himself a key cog in Autry's rotation. Copeland would finish No. 2 in the voting for the Atlantic Coast Conference's sixth man of the year.

Personally, the two Syracuse basketball players who I was most surprised to see enter the portal were Copeland and Brown, but I don't have inside information as to their respective decisions and discussions they had with the 'Cuse coaching staff.

From a backcourt perspective, sophomore point guard Judah Mintz also isn't likely to return in the 2024-25 campaign. Orange guards who are expected to be on the team's roster next season include sophomore J.J. Starling, sophomore Chance Westry, redshirt sophomore Kyle Cuffe Jr. and 2024 four-star commit Elijah Moore.

Additionally, I anticipate that Syracuse basketball coaches will look to add another guard or two ahead of 2024-25, whether via the portal or at the high school level.