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Adrian Autry smiled when a reporter asked about the “one biggest thing” he changed entering the 2023-24 season on SU basketball’s media day. He likely knew the inquiry was coming.

“That’s a good question,” Autry said.

Appointed as the program’s head coach after Jim Boeheim’s 47 years at the helm, Autry worked quickly. He brought back Judah Mintz after the point guard tested NBA Draft waters. He added four new players from the transfer portal, including former McDonald’s All-American JJ Starling and 7-foot-4 Naheem McLeod. He returned all six players from Syracuse’s 2022 recruiting class which ranked 14th best in the country, according to Sports Illustrated.

But on media day, Autry answered the same way everyone huddled around the lone podium at the Carmelo K. Anthony Center thought he would.

“We’re going to play man-to-man,” Autry said. “I’ve been not shy about that. That’s what we need to do.”

On Friday, Autry’s tenure as head coach started and Syracuse cruised to a 81-68 win over Daemen. Though Mintz did not play due to a minor lower body injury suffered in practice, according to SU Athletics, the Orange looked comfortable from the jump.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s first exhibition contest against Daemen:

Naheem’s Length

Syracuse’s first basket came off of a McLeod dunk. The first block was also McLeod’s. Equipped with a 7-foot-4 frame, McLeod is the tallest-ever player in SU men’s basketball history and his dominance down low was evident early.

Finding an open lane from the free throw line, Daemen’s Joey Atkins drove left and put up a running hook. McLeod swatted the attempt off the backboard. When Atkins looked to his left, searching for a goaltending call from the nearest official, McLeod stared at Atkins and smiled. A couple of possessions later, Nick MacDonald drove into the paint, missing badly on a floater. Though McLeod didn’t block the shot, his intimidating close-out did enough to force a miss.

Later in the first half, McLeod ripped down an offensive rebound and immediately held the ball high above his head, signaling a clear out. Taking two pound dribbles into the chest of Atkins, McLeod spun to his right and cashed in on a lefty hook.

During Daemen’s final possession of the first half, Dylan Fasoyiro received the ball off a backdoor cut but McLeod was there. He barely jumped before smothering the attempt.

Pushing the Pace

Autry made it clear he wanted Syracuse to play quicker this season. He said it once during media day then referred to it again after SU basketball’s “Monroe Madness” event in Rochester.

With just over four minutes remaining in the opening half, Starling recovered possession off of a Benny Williams block. Pushing down the open court, he went from left to right, slicing through the Daemen defense for an easy layup on the other end.

With time ticking down on the opening half, McLeod erased Fasoyiro’s attempt and Starling took off. Sprinting down the middle of the court, he spotted an open Taylor on the left wing for an uncontested jumper as the first half buzzer sounded. Taylor canned the shot, putting Syracuse up 49-27.

Midway through the second half, following a Daemen miss, Copeland streaked down the left sideline with his head up. Cutting to his right, he picked out a wide-open Kyle Cuffe Jr. in the corner. Ahead of the opposition’s trailing defense, Copeland rifled a pass into Cuffe Jr.’s shooting pocket for a triple.

A New Defensive Look After 47 Years

There were missed assignments and a couple of silly fouls but, just like Autry preached, Syracuse displayed the depth and athleticism necessary to assemble an effective man-to-man defense.

Starling had no trouble staying in front of his man and forced Daemen’s Justin Glover into a travel early in the second half. Chris Bell and Justin Taylor did well to get around screens and, for the most part, SU’s bigs switched and contained their new assignments comfortably off of ball screens.

When Andrew Mason got into the paint, attempting to feed Fasoyiro in the second half, Starling shifted over from the right corner to help out and picked off the pass.

Later on, matched up against Daemen’s smaller, quicker Payton Shumpert, McLeod was easily beaten off the dribble. Yet Copeland came to his aid, walling up on help defense to force Shumpert into an off-balance floater.

As SU introduced its substitutes, its defense didn’t miss a beat. All five players communicated, pointing and yelling. They bent into disciplined stances, keeping their off-hand in the passing lanes at all times.

JJ Starling Can Do It All

Starting in the point guard position for an injured Mintz, Starling played aggressive yet composed. He didn’t force things, but pushed the pace. He found open shooters on either wing while displaying his attacking ability on a couple drives to the hoop.

During one of SU’s first possessions, a stagnant-looking offensive set isolated Starling with his immediate defender. But, he had no trouble driving right for easy layup. And midway through the second half, Starling showed off his defensive pride, rising up to contest a driving shot after a Copeland turnover.

With under five minutes remaining in the contest, Starling corralled the rebound and sped forward. Realizing he didn’t have any options amid a collection of collapsing defense, Starling whipped around and found a trailing Cuffe Jr. for a transition 3 which he drained

Starling capped off his first game in the JMA Wireless Dome as a member of the Orange by converting another swift drive to the rack. Then, Starling immediately crouched down in a defensive stance to set up in SU’s press.

Published on October 27, 2023 at 9:43 pm

Contact Tyler: trschiff@syr.edu | @theTylerSchiff