Syracuse men’s basketball adds hometown guard amid transfer losses

After a handful of players opted to leave the program through the transfer portal, Syracuse men’s basketball welcomes their first transfer with the addition of Syracuse native Symir Torrence from Marquette University.

A 2019 graduate of Vermont Academy and formerly of Syracuse Academy of Science, the 6’3’’ point guard chose ‘Cuse after the departure of guard Kadary Richmond. Head coach Jim Boeheim recruited the former four-star player and No. 1 New York prospect in 2019, and his familiarity with the coaching staff helped his decision.

After entering the transfer portal on March 18, Torrence received interest from South Carolina, Wake Forest, Washington, South Florida, Albany, Siena and Massachusetts, but he opted to join a backcourt with his former AAU teammates, Buddy Boeheim and Joe Girard III. The trio of guards shared the court for Albany City Rocks EYBL.

In the 2021 season for Marquette, Torrence started in the team’s first three games but posted just 4.7 points per game and came off the bench for the remainder of the season. He finished with 2.4 points per game on 31.1% shooting from the floor and 13.9% from three in 13.1 minutes per game.

Marquette dropped its final game of the season on March 10, in a Big East Tournament loss to eventual conference champion Georgetown. An underwhelming 13-14 finish saw seven-year head coach Steve Wojciechowski replaced by formed Texas head coach Shaka Smart, who attempted to re-recruit Torrence, but a lack of playing time pushed him away from the program.

Torrence announced his move back to Syracuse on Wednesday afternoon. After the NCAA finalizes a rule allowing first-time transfers immediate instatement, he will have three years of athletic eligibility remaining.

Torrence is the first to join the Orange since the departure of Richmond, John Bol Ajak, Robert Braswell and Quincy Guerrier. The latter, Guerrier, is testing his NBA draft stock before determining whether or not to rejoin the team. With the transfer portal open and roster spots available, more players are expected to join the Orange in the coming weeks.