SYRACUSE, N.Y. — In a matter of days the Syracuse Orange locked up two of the biggest names in the NCAA transfer portal, potentially completing what has been an excellent rebuild of the roster by new head coach Red Autry.
Replacing Jim Boeheim was never going to be an easy task, but Autry landed reinforcements in Florida State center Naheem McLeod and Kansas guard Kyle Cuffe Jr., who announced his commitment on Thursday.
McLeod and Cuffe join JJ Starling (Notre Dame) and Chance Westry (Auburn) as portal pickups for the Orange, and they both serve valuable roles: McLeod as a rim protector to replace Jesse Edwards who departed for West Virginia, and Cuffe as a developmental guard with upside.
Locked on Syracuse host Owen Valentine was pleasantly surprised to hear about Cuffe's commitment, but he wonders what it means for the rest of the offseason, and for star guard Judah Mintz, who remains in the NBA draft process.
"Right now your lineup is set, your roster is set," Valentine said. "Until you hear some more news from Judah Mintz."
Mintz exploded in his first year at Syracuse, averaging 16.3 points and 4.6 assists per game - enough to pursue an opportunity at the NBA draft combine, where he then performed well. That may ultimately lead to him staying in the NBA draft process, which would obviously be a tough loss for Syracuse.
The additions of Starling, Westry and now Cuffe give the Orange enough depth to handle the loss of Mintz, however, and while McLeod isn't as gifted of a scorer as Edwards he gives Autry a big body to protect the rim and alter shots from the myriad of talented guards in the ACC.
Autry still has a huge shadow to fill as the first new head coach at Syracuse since Gerald Ford was President, but his last week is a very promising sign of things to come.