For Syracuse basketball to have a successful 2024-25 season, the Orange will "have to play more guys" than it did a campaign ago, head coach Adrian Autry says.
It's almost go time for the 'Cuse, which tips off its upcoming term when Syracuse basketball will host nearby Le Moyne on Monday, Nov. 4, inside the JMA Wireless Dome.
During the 2023-24 stanza, when the Orange went 20-12 overall and won 20 regular-season games for the first time in a decade, Autry and his top-flight staff had 13 scholarship players on their roster. The plan, Autry said prior to 2023-24 commencing, was to use a deep rotation, but that didn't pan out.
Center Naheem McLeod only appeared in 14 games due to an injury. Guard/wing Chance Westry didn't play at all because of an injury. Forward Benny Williams was dismissed from the program this past February. Injuries led to other 2023-24 players either missing games or seeing their ability to meaningfully contribute hampered.
As Syracuse basketball prepares for the onset of 2024-25, second-year boss Autry said at the Orange's recently held annual media day that he thinks "the strength of this team will be in how many guys we can play."
Syracuse basketball head coach Adrian Autry discusses his 2024-25 roster.
During his recent press conference with media members, Autry provided some insights into various players on his 2024-25 roster, which includes five returnees from a season ago, four college transfers, and three incoming freshmen.
One of those transfers, each of whom was rated four stars by at least one recruiting service this off-season, is graduate student center Eddie Lampkin Jr. The 6-foot-11, 265-pound Lampkin transferred to the 'Cuse from Colorado.
Autry says that Lampkin has tremendous basketball IQ, "his leadership has been off the charts," he brings high energy, and he competes to win. "He's all about the team ... I expect a lot out of him."
The head coach noted that his grad student center provides a strong inside presence, scoring well around the basket, but Autry stressed that Lampkin is also a terrific passer and rebounder who has valuable NCAA Tournament experience.
Autry said having McLeod and Westry in the team's 2024-25 line-up after the injuries they dealt with a season ago is "huge." The 7-foot-4, 265-pound McLeod, a senior, is rounding into shape, Autry says, adding that McLeod moves well for a player of his size and length.
For the 6-foot-6, 205-pound Westry, a redshirt sophomore, Autry said that he was playing his best basketball toward the end of the summer, he's a versatile guy who can play multiple positions, and he continues to improve his outside shot.
Autry praised senior Jyare Davis, a 6-foot-7, 220-pound transfer from Delaware who can play either small forward or power forward. The head coach notes that Davis has improved his 3-point shooting since he arrived on the Hill, and he's a physical, versatile player who can score inside and in the mid-range, while rebounding with proficiency and providing experience as well as veteran leadership.
This brings us to freshman forward Donnie Freeman from Washington, D.C. The 6-foot-9, 205-pound Freeman was a consensus five-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting class and ranked as high as No. 6 nationally in this cycle.
Autry says he's been impressed with how Freeman battles, isn't scared of facing older guys, wants to succeed, never quits, is a willing learner and plays through his mistakes, mistakes which come for any freshman adjusting to the collegiate level.
The Orange boss called Freeman a "unique talent ... he can move, he can bang." Autry says Freeman continues to work on figuring out how to use his abilities and skill set against different match-ups he's encountered so far in practices.
Elijah Moore is a freshman guard from New York City who was a four-star, top-60 national prospect in the 2024 class. The 6-foot-4, 176-pound Moore came to the 'Cuse with a strong reputation as a lights-out, long-distance shooter, per analysts and scouts, although Autry gave Moore props for his defensive improvements, his work on his ball-handling and decision-making, his toughness, and his work ethic.
The Orange's likely starting backcourt to commence 2024-25 will feature junior guard J.J. Starling and senior guard Jaquan Carlos, a transfer from Hofstra. Autry says that the 6-foot, 180-pound Carlos is an exceptional passer who boasts excellent court vision, and those traits will benefit the entire squad.
The 6-foot-4, 206-pound Starling, in the second half of 2023-24, came on strong for Syracuse basketball, and that included seeing his 3-point shooting percentage greatly improve. Autry notes that Starling has gotten himself in "tremendous shape" and is poised for a breakout junior season.
Autry praised his quartet of transfers, and the roster as a whole, for everyone buying into the team mentality, perhaps sacrificing some personal gain for the betterment of the program, to get Syracuse basketball back to where it once was - competing for conference titles and deep runs in the Big Dance.
The 'Cuse head coach says he's excited for the upcoming season, adding that the squad has some "great" non-conference opponents and that the Atlantic Coast Conference, in 2024-25, is "loaded."
For the Orange to hear its name called on Selection Sunday come March of 2025, following a three-year absence from March Madness, it's fairly simple, Autry says. Win enough games, "win the right games," both in the non-conference and during league play, he added.