Much to the dismay of some Syracuse basketball fans - although I'm not in this camp - SU athletics director John Wildhack said a few days ago that second-year head coach Adrian Autry will return for the 2025-26 season.
The Orange, which beat Virginia this past Saturday evening on senior night at the JMA Wireless Dome, finished the 2024-25 regular season at 13-18, the fewest number of victories for the program dating back to the late 1960s.
Still, Autry is getting a third year, something that I'm fine with, given the 'Cuse has a top-10 national class in 2025 at the prep level. The Orange, its head coach and Wildhack acknowledged, will have to fare well in the transfer portal this coming off-season, and we'll have to see which current players return in 2025-26.
Per a story from Chris Carlson of Syracuse.com, multiple 'Cuse players came to Autry's defense after the squad defeated the Cavaliers, 84-70, in the 2024-25 regular-season finale. That pleases me. A lot.
Syracuse basketball players say they're glad that head coach Adrian Autry will return next season.
Eddie Lampkin Jr., the graduate student center who was a double-double machine for much of 2024-25, said of Autry coming back next stanza, "It’s a blessing. He deserves another year and I know he’s going to do the right thing."
Senior wing Lucas Taylor, who along with Lampkin was part of a four-member transfer class into the 'Cuse program ahead of 2024-25, added: "I love Coach Red. We all believe in him as a coach, so we didn’t even really think about him not coming back. We believe in what he is doing and saying. ... It’s like, 'Yeah, he better be back.'"
Senior point guard Jaquan Carlos, another transfer into the Orange last off-season, struggled some in 2024-25, although he's put forth some solid performances of late. Given that he was brought in, largely, to try and replace former Syracuse basketball star Judah Mintz, a lot of 'Cuse fans have criticized Carlos - sometimes unfairly, in my opinion - throughout the current campaign.
"The people that are inside know he is a great coach and a great guy," Carlos said of Autry. "We all got his back. We want the best for him. I know he gets a lot of the blame, but he’s not the one playing. I think the gameplans have been great. He gets a lot of blame. That’s how the world works. But at the end of the day he can’t go out and play for us. He can’t get blamed for everything."
Carlos continued: "We stuck together. I’ve got his back. He’s got mine. I know he wants the best for us."