Syracuse Basketball: Quadir Copeland among latest former SU players to find new home

This off-season, at least seven Syracuse basketball players from the team's 2023-24 roster have decided to enter the transfer portal, while sophomore point guard Judah Mintz is headed to this summer's NBA Draft.

Multiple guys who are transferring out of the 'Cuse program have found new collegiate homes thus far.

One of the latest developments involved sophomore guard/wing Quadir Copeland. The 6-foot-6, 200-pound Copeland, who hails from Philadelphia, is transferred to Southland Conference member McNeese State, which is located in Lake Charles, La.

News of Copeland's transfer to McNeese State was first disclosed by On3 national reporter Joe Tipton. I'm wishing Quadir nothing but success with the Cowboys, a program led by head coach Will Wade, who previously was the boss at LSU, VCU and Chattanooga.

This past season, during the 2023-24 stanza, McNeese State was fabulous, going 30-4 overall and earning a No. 12 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The Cowboys fell in the round of 64 to No. 5 seed Gonzaga.

Let's review the new college homes of several former Syracuse basketball players.

As the Orange went 20-12 overall in 2023-24 under first-year head coach Adrian Autry, Copeland appeared in all 32 games and was a key contributor for the 'Cuse.

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, per ESPN data.

Copeland would finish No. 2 in the voting for the Atlantic Coast Conference sixth man of the year. This off-season, in national transfer rankings, multiple recruiting services have rated Copeland as four stars and in the top 200 overall.

Here are the players on the Orange's 2023-24 roster who have hit the portal, along with where they're committed, if they've found a new collegiate destination:
Sophomore guard/wing Quadir Copeland, transfer portal (committed to McNeese State)
Sophomore guard/wing Justin Taylor, transfer portal (committed to James Madison)
Sophomore big man Maliq Brown, transfer portal (committed to Duke)
Sophomore center Peter Carey, transfer portal (committed to Siena)
Junior forward Benny Williams, transfer portal (committed to UCF)
Junior center Mounir Hima, transfer portal
Freshman center William Patterson, transfer portal
*Sophomore point guard Judah Mintz, 2024 NBA Draft*

Conversely, five 2023-24 players are expected to return, and the Syracuse basketball 2024 recruiting class includes two high school senior commits and three college transfers. This means that the 'Cuse staff still has three open scholarships available for the 2024-25 term.