Syracuse Orange
2022-23 record: 17-15, 10-10 in the ACC
Head Coach: Adrian Autry
Tenure at Syracuse: 1st season
Career coaching record: N/A
Home court: JMA Wireless Dome
Projected starters: G Judah Mintz, G J.J. Starling, C Naheem McLeod, F Benny Williams, F Chris Bell
Projected bench: G Chris Gatty, G Quadir Copeland, G Niko Ruffin, G Anthony Clayton, G Chance Westry, G Justin Taylor, G Kyle Cuffe Jr., F Chaz Owens, F Maliq Brown, C Peter Carey, C Mounir Hima, C William Patterson
Overview: For the first time in 47 years, there will be a different man patrolling the sidelines for Syracuse. After a storied career for the Orange, Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim retired from collegiate basketball after the 2022-23 season. Filling his enormous shoes will be newcomer Adrian Autry. The head-coach debutante has been on the team’s staff since 2011, after suiting up for Syracuse himself in his college days. While it is his first position at the helm of any squad, Autry brings the potential to shake up the playing style from the Boeheim Era and put a fresh spin on Orange basketball.
On top of a new head coach, Syracuse boasts a number of roster changes. With two of the team’s top three scorers — Joseph Girard III and Jesse Edwards — gone to Clemson and West Virginia, respectively, the Orange used the transfer portal to fill out their squad. Headlined by J.J. Starling from Notre Dame and Naheem McLeod from Florida State, the newcomers to the Syracuse roster will bring a wealth of experience to boost Autry’s young roster.
Amidst the changes facing the Orange this season, they retain one key piece of the puzzle — the man at the point. Returning sophomore Judah Mintz was one of the standouts for Syracuse last year, earning Honorable Mention All-ACC and ACC All-Freshman Team recognition. The Fort Washington, Md., native garnered 16.3 points and 4.6 assists per game in his first year on the college stage, shooting .443 from the field overall. While Mintz tested the waters of the 2023 NBA Draft process, he ultimately withdrew his name and returned to the school in upstate New York. On a team going through a plethora of new personnel and changes alike, Mintz’s consistency as a role player and leader will be key to the Orange’s success.
Team ceiling: Despite all the moving pieces Syracuse will have to figure out, the team has the potential to do something special. If the transfers and freshmen are able to gel with the Orange veterans and last year’s role players are consistent, the team could use their breadth of talent to earn a top four finish in the ACC.
Team floor: In keeping with last season’s Syracuse squad, which finished eighth in the ACC, the 2023-24 campaign could be another year where the Orange sit at the middle of the conference pack. If the team struggles to find cohesion amidst roster changes and a new coach, Syracuse could finish in the bottom half of the league, potentially seeing the bottom four of the ACC.
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Mackenzie Sheehy is a Trinity sophomore and Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle's 119th volume.