Adrian Autry talks recruiting, his new GM and Chris Bell; what about the treadmills?

Verona, NY – Syracuse basketball coaches have been scouring the summer prep classes in large numbers for potential players.

The transfer portal has changed the way some programs recruit today, with some coaches now paying little attention to high school players and instead focusing on rebuilding rosters each year through the portal.

SU coach Adrian Autry said Thursday he doubts most programs – except for “certain schools” – will continue to field large high school classes.

“I think everyone will have an opportunity to get the (high school) guys they think can make an impact right away,” he said. “And whoever doesn’t get that probably has an opportunity to go into the portal. But I think 5-6 freshmen will be gone at once.”

Do major events like the Nike EYBL Peach Jam attract the same frenzied attention as in the past, before the transfer portal? Sneaker circuit competitions dominated the recruiting landscape before the portal era.

“That still exists, but you don’t see the head coaches as much anymore,” Autry said. “They’re not there, but there are so many different ways to see these guys now. There are live streams and stuff like that, so you don’t necessarily have to be there all the time. I think with the amount of time we’re allowed to spend with our teams now in the summer … you want to spend some time with your team.”

Matt Park, the voice of the Orange, hosted the SU Coaches Caravan at Turning Stone on Thursday. SU solicits questions from fans and Park throws in his own during those events. Park wondered Thursday what role Autry and each of his assistants play in the recruiting game.

“Coach (Boeheim) allowed you to go out and build relationships, and he was the closer,” Autry said. “My staff is very involved from the beginning to the end of the process. I think we do it better than anyone in the country. If you’re recruited by Syracuse and my staff, you’re recruited by Syracuse. Because they talk to every one of our staff. I think that’s the difference. It’s more of a collaborative effort.”

The topic of Alex Kline and his duties as general manager came to light Thursday. SU hired Kline to communicate with potential NIL donors, evaluate talent and essentially determine how much each potential Orange candidate was worth in NIL dollars.

Autry said in an interview with Syracuse.com last week that the Orange cannot make any mistakes during this process. He was asked to explain in more detail what he meant by that:

“When you go out and buy a house, you want to get the best deal. So you ask around. It’s no different than when we recruit players.

“There are a lot of talented players. That’s what you want to find out, like Coach (Felisha Legette-) Jack said, by looking them in the eyes, gathering information and trying to figure out if that matches what we have now.”

“And the reality is: Can we afford it? Does it make sense? Can we afford it? Those are the things we’re trying to figure out in this process. That’s what I mean by ‘must have’.”

“We can’t have a guy here who’s just here for himself. You have to care about the team rules. You have to care about this team. You have to care about the players on this team. They have to want to be part of something bigger than themselves.”

Syracuse brings back two regular players from last season. Autry spoke to JJ Starling last week and said he believed Starling would play point guard this season. Starling played mostly off-ball at SU last year, where Judah Mintz was. But he was point guard in prep school and on the EYBL tour.

Chris Bell is SU’s other returning starter. Bell hit 42% of his three-point shots last year. Teams know he can shoot. Autry said he has improved since last season:

“He’s really improved his game. He’s putting the ball on the floor a little better. He’s actually attacking the basket and finishing. I think that’s something he’s had to grow into. He’s getting better with the basketball. And he’s gotten bigger and stronger. Obviously we know he can shoot, but he does more than just shoot.”

SU women’s basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack made a passionate appeal to fans to support her team this season. The game has never been more popular, she said. She likes to say that women’s basketball is “hot right now” at these caravan events. The attendance figures prove her right.

Legette-Jack urged fans to come to the dome to support their team. She also called on fans, especially women, to support their team through NIL initiatives.

During her portion of the event on Thursday, she stopped talking about her team and instead addressed a topic that she found quite frustrating:

“I think Coach Autry and I agree that our weight room needs some work,” she said. “We have two treadmills that haven’t worked for about five months. We’ve been trying to get treadmills. We’ve been trying to get it. We need help, man. Really. I’m the odd one out that stands out and says things that are probably uncomfortable, but I just have to ask. If anybody has a treadmill that our kids can use…”

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