Syracuse Basketball: A massive development as two key players will return next season

With the transfer portal officially opening this past Monday, Syracuse basketball has seen multiple players for the 2024-25 season enter the portal.

However, on Tuesday afternoon, the Orange shared some exciting news about the 2025-26 season. According to a press release from SU Athletics, junior guard J.J. Starling and freshman power forward Donnie Freeman “have declared their intention to return to Syracuse next season.”

Due to injuries, both the 6-foot-4 Starling and the 6-foot-9 Freeman were sidelined at times during the 2024-25 season, which saw the ‘Cuse finish with a 14-19 record and miss the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive year.

In the previous season, Starling missed seven games, while Freeman, a consensus five-star recruit in the 2024 class, played in only 14 games. Despite their time away, they were the top two scorers on Syracuse’s 2024-25 roster.

Syracuse basketball’s top two players will be back next season.

Starling, a native of Central New York, earned an honorable mention for the 2024-25 All-ACC teams. He averaged 34.5 minutes, 17.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game while shooting 40.7% from the field, 26.8% from three-point range, and 68.5% from the free-throw line.

Freeman, who came to Syracuse from Washington, D.C., would have been a strong contender for the ACC’s All-Rookie team had he not been sidelined by injury. He averaged 25.4 minutes, 13.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game, shooting 50.4% from the field, 33.3% from beyond the arc, and 79.6% from the free-throw line.

During the 2024-25 season, Syracuse had 12 scholarship players, with five exhausting their eligibility. Four players have announced they are entering the transfer portal: redshirt sophomore guard/wing Chance Westry, redshirt junior guard Kyle Cuffe Jr., junior small forward Chris Bell, and freshman guard Elijah Moore.

The only player still undecided regarding his future is freshman big man Petar Majstorovic, though it’s likely he will return next season.

Looking ahead, Syracuse’s 2025 recruiting class includes four-star shooting guard Kiyan Anthony, four-star forward Sadiq White Jr., four-star combo guard Luke Fennell, and three-star wing Aaron Womack.

With several scholarships available for 2025-26, Syracuse’s coaching staff will likely focus on recruiting a true point guard from the portal, as well as a small forward who can shoot from long range and a center.