Syracuse’s depth was on display in its season opener. That could be the case again Saturday when Orange hosts Delaware State in non-conference action.
The Orange had 10 players log double-digit minutes in Monday’s 85-47 season-opening win over Binghamton. Of course, Syracuse coach Adrian Autry had two main reasons for using most of his roster.
First, Syracuse guard JJ Starling — the team’s leading scorer — left after three minutes with a lower-body injury. Additionally, the team jumped out to a 10-0 lead and maintained a comfortable advantage throughout the contest, allowing Autry to showcase his depth in the opening game of a crucial campaign for the third-year coach.
“It’s a good thing to have the roster we have,” said Autry, who is just 35-31 since taking over for legendary coach Jim Boeheim.
Donnie Freeman scored 20 points, while William Kyle III scored 16 on 8-of-9 shooting. Kiyan Anthony, the son of Syracuse legend Carmelo Anthony, added 15 points coming off the bench in his debut.
“It’s refreshing to not have that burden on your back and feel like you have to score, you have to do everything, knowing you have great teammates around you,” said Freeman, who averaged 13.4 points in 14 games during an injury-plagued first year in 2024-25.
Starling, who averaged 17.8 points per game last season, is listed as day-to-day. The team hasn’t revealed much about his injury this week.
Delaware State fell to Temple 83-65 in its season opener on Wednesday.
Zion Bethea led the team with 20 points and eight rebounds, while Ponce James chipped in with 16 points and five assists. Ademar Santos had a strong impact coming off the bench with 15 points.
The Hornets are coming off a 16-14 season in 2024-25, the school’s first winning campaign since going 15-14 in 2011-12.
“When I came here, the culture wasn’t about winning,” fifth-year coach Stan Waterman said. “We had to change everything: mentality, work ethic, discipline. Winning had to become an expectation, not just a hope.”
–Field level media
