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In the ever-evolving world of modern college basketball, Syracuse’s 2024-25 roster — like most Power Five teams today — will look drastically different.

The Orange have lost six players to the transfer portal but gained a high-profile center: 6-foot-11 Eddie Lampkin Jr. from Colorado. Rumors continue to swirl around point guard Judah Mintz and whether he’ll stay for a third season. Yet, most signs — including a report from syracuse.com’s Mike Waters on April 4 — indicate Mintz will declare for the NBA Draft.

To grade SU’s offseason so far is tough. This exercise is based on Syracuse’s early action in the portal and what sorts of transfers it should aggressively shop based on the program’s shortcomings in 2023-24.

Here’s a look at what SU needs to do in the seven months before tip-off beckons in November:

Projected Starters: Judah Mintz/Portal Player TBD, J.J. Starling, Chris Bell, Donovan Freeman (freshman, No. 23 nationally on 247Sports), Eddie Lampkin Jr.

Other Notable Pieces: Naheem McLeod, Chance Westry, Kyle Cuffe Jr., Elijah Moore (freshman, No. 54 nationally on 247Sports)

What Syracuse needs

On paper, Syracuse has seemingly fixed its most glaring issue from last season: frontcourt depth. The arrivals of Lampkin Jr., McDonald’s All-American Donovan Freeman and 7-foot-2 redshirt freshman William Patterson give head coach Adrian Autry at least four frontcourt options to utilize.

Compare this to 2023-24, where Autry was forced to play Maliq Brown as an out-of-position center for most of the year. Naheem McLeod suffered a season-ending lower leg injury on Jan. 10 and 6-foot-11 backup Peter Carey offered sparse help.

Undersized sophomore guards Justin Taylor and Quadir Copeland split minutes as pseudo-power forwards. While Copeland experienced occasional offensive success, he and Taylor struggled immensely containing taller defensive assignments. Brown played upward of 30 minutes nearly every game. Rebounding battles were lost. Second-chance opportunities for opposing teams ran rampant.

Syracuse’s new-look frontcourt is promising. But it lacks experience — a problem far deeper than SU’s big men.

Scour last year’s successful Atlantic Coast Conference teams. Regular-season title winners North Carolina featured five graduate students and ACC Champions NC State started four. Syracuse, meanwhile, consistently fielded an entire lineup of sophomores. And as of Wednesday, the program lost its most senior member in 6-foot-11 center Mounir Hima.

McLeod returns from injury as a senior and Lampkin Jr. is in his fifth season. J.J. Starling, Chris Bell and Mintz — if he returns — will all be juniors. So long as Autry adds a few more seasoned veterans, the Orange can gradually begin their crawl back to postseason contention.

Analyzing early interest

Roddy Gayle Jr. (Ohio State): As the No. 30 overall ranked transfer, according to 247Sports, Gayle Jr. is a strong and athletic slasher. This past season with the Buckeyes, the sophomore averaged 13.5 points and 3.1 assists per game. Though Gayle Jr. shot 44.9% clip from the field, he mustered a mediocre 28.2% rate from 3.

Once a consensus four-star recruit out of high school, the Niagara, New York, native received an offer from Syracuse. Now-Siena head coach Gerry McNamara was his lead recruiter.

Primarily serving as a shooting guard at Ohio State, SU could form a prolific, score-first backcourt by pairing Gayle Jr. with Starling if Mintz leaves.

Dakota Leffew (Mount St. Mary’s): Another attack-minded guard, Leffew holds a similar playstyle to Gayle Jr.: fast and twitchy with sneaky bounce. During his senior year at Mount St. Mary’s, Leffew averaged 17.6 points, 3.9 assists and just over four rebounds.

A near-polished three-level scorer, Leffew is dangerous off the dribble and holds impressive range. He shot 36.5% from beyond the arc in 2023-24 and 43% overall.

Mount St. Mary’s head coach Dan Engelstad’s reported departure for Syracuse as its new assistant likely makes Leffew a sure signing.

Jaquan Carlos (Hofstra): Carlos led Hofstra in assists (6.3 per game) and placed third in scoring (10.4 per game) across 33 starts last season. The 6-foot guard is a nifty passer and isn’t scared to take his defender on for a mid-range jumper.

Like Gayle Jr. and Leffew, Carlos’ shot is mechanically sound but slightly under-par statistically. The rising senior averaged a 34.4% clip from 3.

Darlinstone Dubar (Hofstra): The beneficiary of many Carlos passes through their three years together, Dubar is a tenacious rebounder and aggressive inside finisher. This past season, the junior averaged 17.8 points — almost an eight-point jump from his sophomore year — and 6.8 boards.

Though Dubar primarily operates inside the paint, he made a career-high 183 3s at a 39.9% rate. Standing at 6-foot-8 and 211 pounds, Dubar could be a suitable, more experienced replacement for Brown.

Jyare Davis (Delaware): Davis began his career at Providence before transferring to Delaware for the 2021-22 season. In his first year with the Hens, Davis earned Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Year honors and was the CAA Tournament MVP.

This past season, Davis averaged 17.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. His career-high came on Jan. 18 when he tallied 29 against Stony Brook on a perfect 12-for-12 showing at the charity stripe. According to On3’s Joseph Tipton, Davis will take an official visit to Syracuse on the weekend of April 13.

BJ Freeman (Milwaukee): An exciting 6-foot-6 combo guard, BJ Freeman’s length and considerable hang time make him an effective scorer at the rim. He’s also an elite catch-and-shoot marksman, 21.1 points on 41.4% shooting last season.

Named to the 2024 Horizon League All-Tournament Team, BJ Freeman finished his junior campaign with 103 points across four games: a new conference record.

… And if more leave?

Syracuse’s transfer priorities shift drastically if Mintz moves on. The 6-foot-4 point guard averaged a team-high 18.8 points, which ranked third in the ACC behind North Carolina’s RJ Davis and Clemson’s PJ Hall. The sophomore also became the seventh fastest SU player ever to reach 1,000 points and earned All-ACC Second-Team honors.

Aside from Mintz, not many on Syracuse’s current roster are expected to leave. But finding his replacement is daunting. It explains why Autry’s early interest in transfers resides heavily in athletic scoring guards like Gayle Jr., Leffew and Carlos.

Now — just three weeks out from the portal period ending on May 1, and given Engelstad’s sudden hiring — Leffew’s move to SU makes him the probable choice. Yet, time remains and options remain plentiful.

Harvard transfer guard Malik Mack, a Maryland native and former high school teammate of Freeman’s at St. John’s College in Washington D.C., provides an interesting fit. And Autry’s evergreen connections to DMV area recruits make Mack a realistic option. The lefty stands 6-foot-1 and is the reigning Ivy League Freshman of the Year. His playstyle fits the bill of Mintz, along with the aforementioned names.

But rumors remain rumors until SU’s current floor general announces his future plans. If a try at the professional game is realized and Mintz enters the draft? Expect Autry to act fast and scoop up an equally dazzling point guard.

Published on April 11, 2024 at 1:35 am

Contact Tyler: trschiff@syr.edu | @theTylerSchiff