Syracuse basketball reaches out to 4-star guard transfer Bryce Pope, averages 18 PPG

Syracuse basketball has reached out to UC San Diego redshirt senior guard Bryce Pope, who is in the transfer portal, according to a report from top recruiting analyst Mike McAllister of 247Sports.

Per 247Sports, the 6-foot-3, 185-pound Pope entered the portal on March 26. The current transfer-portal cycle opened on Monday, March 18, and it will run for 45 days.

To date, at least five players on the 'Cuse 2023-24 roster have hit the portal. Orange coaches have reached out to at least nine players who are in the portal this off-season, according to national recruiting analysts and reports.

Pope, who is from San Diego, has scheduled upcoming visits to Maryland and Stanford, per McAllister. Pope is also visiting Southern California in the near future, per On3 national reporter Joe Tipton.

Since entering the portal, Pope has reportedly heard from a ton of college squads, including Texas, N.C. State, Creighton, Florida State, Louisville, UCLA, USC, Arkansas, LSU, Seton Hall, Maryland, Stanford, California, Virginia Tech and Notre Dame, among many others.

Syracuse basketball has reached out to UC San Diego redshirt senior guard Bryce Pope.

In the 2023-24 season, Big West Conference member UC San Diego went 21-12 overall. Per ESPN data, Pope appeared in all 33 games. He averaged 35.6 minutes, 18.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.0 steals per contest, while hitting on 41.8 percent from the field, 33.2 percent from beyond the arc, and 81.7 percent from the free-throw line.

For his stellar 2023-24 season, Pope received inclusion on the All-Big West first team. Pope was a member of the 2019 recruiting class who starred for Torrey Pines High School in San Diego, and in 2019, he was named Avocado West League MVP and CIF player of the year.

When I wrote this column on Monday evening, in its national transfer rankings, On3 placed Pope as four stars, No. 135 overall and No. 24 at point guard.

Orange 2023-24 players who have entered the portal include sophomore big man Maliq Brown, sophomore center Peter Carey, sophomore guard/wing Quadir Copeland, sophomore guard/wing Justin Taylor, and junior forward Benny Williams, who was dismissed from the program in early February.

Sophomore point guard Judah Mintz isn’t likely to return either. The same goes for fourth-year junior center Mounir Hima.

The ‘Cuse has two incoming freshmen in 2024 five-star power forward Donnie Freeman from Washington, D.C., and 2024 four-star shooting guard Elijah Moore from New York City.

Colorado senior center Eddie Lampkin Jr., a four-star transfer this off-season, said last week that he would commit to the ‘Cuse.

Besides Pope (and obviously Lampkin), Syracuse basketball coaches have reportedly reached out to Ohio State sophomore wing Roddy Gayle Jr., Hofstra junior guard/small forward Darlinstone Dubar, Hofstra junior point guard Jaquan Carlos, Minnesota sophomore forward Pharrel Payne, Milwaukee junior wing BJ Freeman, Mount St. Mary's senior guard Dakota Leffew and UNC Greensboro senior forward Mikeal Brown-Jones.