Syracuse Basketball: One-year transfers poignant on their time at 'Cuse - beautiful

Sure, this past season was far from ideal for Syracuse basketball.

But as I often like to opine, college basketball is just a game. It's a sport. Yes, it's a big business, too. And the landscape in college athletics continues to evolve. Student-athletes, through NIL and future revenue-sharing, have the opportunity to earn potentially significantly dollars through the use of their name, image and likeness.

While the Orange fan base, myself included, is disappointed and frustrated by the team's 14-19 overall record in the 2024-25 campaign, 'Cuse players gave it everything they had. They didn't throw in the towel, even as the season carried on and it became more and more clear that Syracuse basketball would finish with a losing record and miss the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight occasion.

I certainly understand that some fans are angry, even apathetic, about the Orange program at this juncture. Social media makes it easy for fans, sadly, to personally attack players (and coaches).

I'm bummed about what transpired in 2024-25, yet at the same time, these players are young men and, in some cases, still teen-agers. In any event, in the wake of the team's ACC Tournament second-round exit earlier this week, which ended the squad's lackluster season, players who transferred into Syracuse basketball for their final season of college had some touching things to say.

Syracuse basketball seniors discuss their time on the Hill.

According to media reports and the Orange's post-game press conference following its setback in the ACC Tournament, the team's four incoming transfers all said that they've appreciated their lone campaign in Central New York and were glad they got to play for head coach Adrian Autry and his staff.

The quartet of Syracuse basketball transfers in 2024-25 were senior point guard Jaquan Carlos, graduate student center Eddie Lampkin Jr., senior guard/wing Lucas Taylor and senior forward Jyare Davis.

Lampkin and Carlos both said some beautiful things that were noted in a post on X from the account Cuse Sports Talk. Lampkin, for one, called his time with Syracuse basketball, regardless of the team's record this past season, "a blessing."

Carlos, who said he watched the Orange growing up, added that it "always was a dream" of his to suit up for the 'Cuse. That's a wonderful thing to see.

Taylor and Davis shared similar sentiments in other reports. I get that Syracuse basketball fans are frustrated with the Orange's 2024-25 results, but I still find what these transfers said to be truly poignant.