Syracuse Basketball: Chance Westry, health-wise, seems good to go; that's huge for SU

Ultra-athletic and versatile player Chance Westry hasn't appeared in a game yet for Syracuse basketball, but he appears to be good to go for the upcoming season, which is terrific news for the Orange.

On Thursday, On3 national reporter Joe Tipton said via his X page that the 6-foot-6, 190-pound guard/wing has been fully cleared for basketball-related activities ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. This encouraging development was also detailed in an article by Nick Kosko of On3.

Now, my fingers are crossed that Westry remains fully healthy throughout 2024-25, given the injuries that he's had to deal with so far in his college career.

It's also to be determined how much run Westry will receive this coming term in the rotation of head coach Adrian Autry. One thing I feel fairly confident in saying, though, is that with Westry available and in thinking about the potential impact he could make, I believe the "ceiling" for the 'Cuse in 2024-25 can be much higher.

The versatility of Chance Westry on both ends of the floor is big-time for Syracuse basketball.

Westry, a native of Harrisburg, Pa., was a former long-time recruiting target of the Orange as a four-star, top-40 national prospect in the 2022 class. He didn't play much as a freshman at Auburn due to an injury, and then Westry transferred to Syracuse basketball.

However, before 2023-24 commenced, he unfortunately suffered a lower-body injury and didn't compete in any games for the 'Cuse in his sophomore year.

With Westry fully cleared for basketball-related activities, this provides Autry and his top-flight staff with a dynamic player who gets after it defensively and can guard multiple positions. On offense, I could envision Westry spending time at point guard and shooting guard, as well as at small forward out on the wing.

If I had to venture a guess, I'd say that the Orange's likely starting line-up at the onset of 2024-25 will consist of point guard Jaquan Carlos, a transfer from Hofstra; guard J.J. Starling; small forward Chris Bell; power forward Donnie Freeman; and center Eddie Lampkin Jr., a transfer from Colorado.

Westry, however, could certainly be in line for the first reserve off of Autry's bench, filling in at either guard spot or at small forward.

Speaking of the 'Cuse backcourt, Westry's availability bolsters the team's depth at the guard position group. Syracuse basketball, for 2024-25, has six guards within its line-up: Westry, Carlos, Starling, Kyle Cuffe Jr., Elijah Moore and Lucas Taylor, a transfer from Georgia State.

Given that injuries happen in sports, from my perspective, you can never possess too much depth. On the face of it, six guards on the Orange roster may seem like a lot, but to reiterate, Westry can play small forward, and perhaps so, too, can Taylor due to his length and strong frame.

More than anything else, I just sincerely hope that Westry is able to play the entire 2024-25 season, without having to contend with any more injuries. He's had a rough go so far at the college level, and a fully healthy Chance Westry is monumental for the team's prospects to return to the Big Dance after a three-year absence.