Top 5 Keys For Syracuse Basketball to Dance in 2023-24
It’s a new era. Jim Boeheim is no longer the head coach of SU hoops (still doesn’t seem real while writing that) for the first time in decades and in steps Adrian Autry, a former guard in the program who represents amazing recruiting ability, people skills, a work ethic and unmatched intensity to carve his own way in the program’s future and history. 
Syracuse desperately needs to reach an NCAA Tournament soon for so many reasons; to take pressure off Autry in following a legend, to ease the fan base and the thought of a mediocre program and average recruiting in many eyes as of late, Syracuse’s standing with NIL and the transfer portal, where they stand in the ACC and so much more. How do they get there? The five keys below.
1. Fast start. This is true in every sport at every level. And it’s really true now when every year in college sports you have no idea what a roster will look like with NIL and the transfer portal taking so much space on top of actual recruiting. Syracuse has nine out of 10 to start the year in terms of a non-conference schedule before ACC play. You need those top tier wins for the March resume. Oregon, Tennessee and LSU are a part of it. The Orange setting the tone early would be huge.
2. Guard play. Judah Mintz is back and primed for a huge year. JJ Starling, the Baldwinsville native, comes home and adds a ton of versatility and quickness. Both will be huge on offense, setting the tone in the halfcourt, scoring from everywhere and setting up teammates. Defensively, both are quick in the 2-3 Zone and MAN defense. That’s right, both should be in play this season under Red Autry. Both guards need to improve on their shooting from the mid-range and out, which is a big part of being a Syracuse guard. The ceiling for both, however, is extremely high.
3. Benny and Bell’s next steps. Benny Williams and Chris Bell. These two fit the Syracuse forward profile and showed glimpses last season that their future is bright. It was just a matter of being able to keep them in the program in today’s wacky college sports world. Long, lean and athletic, both can spread the floor on both ends and create opportunities. The name of the game? Consistency. Both players combined for about 14 points and six rebounds last year. Both are stronger now and have added more to the skill set. Double that? Double trouble for the ACC opponents and beyond.
4. Protect the fortress down low. Jesse Edwards is gone. Insert the enormous Naheem McLeod, a transfer from Florida State. 7’4 and 270 pounds. Syracuse lost Jesse Edwards, who made an impact at both ends, especially defensively. Insert McLeod, who knows the conference well and is even bigger. If he can rebound and block shots and create transition the other way, Syracuse may have its most impactful center since Fab Melo.
5. Adrian “Red” Autry. Saved the best for last, and perhaps the most obvious. The quicker Autry can get this team to connect, the better. He, like all other coaches in any part of the country, has many mountains to climb to get a program right through recruiting, NIL, the transfer portal, skill sets and newness for some and extra responsibilities for others who have been in the program. Autry, so far, has had boots on the ground, developed his own identity, gotten recruits and visits and current players to stay, like Bell and Willilams and Mintz. It’s a mixed bag on The Hill, but a bag you should like as a Syracuse fan. In Red you should trust. He’s the right man for the job until proven otherwise. He has huge shoes to fill but he knows and welcomes that.
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