Syracuse’s Adrian Autry shares his thoughts for the upcoming season
Syracuse’s Adrian Autry shares his thoughts for the upcoming season
The second-year coach spoke with the media about his 2024-2025 campaign plans.
During Friday’s Syracuse Men’s Basketball media day, head coach Adrian “Red” Autry had the chance to speak in front of the reporters. Throughout the twenty minutes, Autry answered at least one of everybody’s questions and did so in a calm manner.
New season, more changes
In his many days as the coach, the North Carolina native showed college basketball how his coaching style was much different than his predecessor, Jim Boeheim. Even though it is only Autry’s second season, he has big shoes to fill, as Boeheim was the head coach for 47 years.
In his first year, Autry’s Orange finished with an overall record of 20-12 and finished 6th in the ACC. Unfortunately, SU experienced a tough loss in its first game of the ACC tournament to N.C. State, a team that would go on to make the Final Four.
This past offseason came with its wins and losses for Autry. He gained a few notable transfers in Eddie Lampkin, Lucas Taylor, Jaquan Carlos, and Jyare Davis.
However, some notable faces departed into new chapters, like Judah Mintz, Malik Brown, Quadir Copeland, and Justin Taylor. These four all had high roles in the 2023-24 campaign, and Autry hopes that some of the new guys can fill in their shoes.
Expectations this season
For this upcoming season, Autry wants to give some of his guys off the bench some valuable minutes. Last season, there were games where only eight players stepped on the floor for The Orange. After acquiring a few new faces, including Freshmen Elijah Moore and Donnie Freeman, Autry hopes the rotation will be a bit more fluid compared to his first year.
“That’s always the plan. I think this year, this roster is deeper.” Autry responded when asked about his rotation plans. “Last year’s roster was deep, but sometimes injuries happen. You just never know what is going to happen as far as that.”
Unfortunately, injuries are a part of the game of basketball. Center Naheem McLeod missed the majority of last season with a foot fracture that required surgery. With a fully healthy roster, Autry seems ready to go when deciding who should be on the court at what time.