Notre Dame Transfer JJ Starling Commits to Syracuse

The Orange has landed a former McDonald's All American.

Mike McAllister | Mar 14, 2023

Notre Dame Transfer JJ Starling Commits to Syracuse /

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Syracuse basketball has started the Adrian Autry era with a bang. The Orange has landed a commitment from 6-4 Notre Dame transfer guard JJ Starling, according to ESPN. Starling is a local product originally starring at Baldwinsville High School before transferring to La Lumiere School. He picked the Irish out of high school over Syracuse, Alabama, Miami, Duke, Maryland and a host of others.

"My relationship with coach Autry is very strong," Starling said via ESPN. "That is a guy I know I can trust and he isn't sugarcoating anything. He is going to allow his players to play with freedom and also instill confidence whenever they need it. We are going to push the ball in transition and play to the best of our abilities with the utmost confidence. I will most likely be a point guard and shooting guard, but I am willing to play whatever role is necessary for us to win games.

"Being able to play on one of the biggest stages in college basketball is definitely noteworthy. Also, being able to have my parents and other relatives come out to games and support me sounds amazing, especially when they rarely were able to do so through my career."

Starling was one of the top guards in the 2022 recruiting class, earning a five star rating from 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN. He was also a McDonald's All American.

During his freshman season at Notre Dame, Starling showed flashes of greatness as he adjusted to the college game. He played in 28 games, starting 24. Starling averaged 11.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.7 steals in 29.6 minutes per game. That earned him a spot on the ACC's All Freshman Team. He was joined by Syracuse freshman guard Judah Mintz on that team, and the two could potentially pair up if Mintz elected to return to the Orange for a second season.

Starling is officially the first player (transfer, high school or JUCO) to commit to new Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry. This is a big get for the Orange's 2023-24 roster.

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Published Mar 14, 2023

MIKE MCALLISTER

Title: Publisher All Syracuse Education: Roberts Wesleyan College Location: Syracuse, New York Expertise: Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting. EXPERIENCE Mike McAllister has been covering Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting for more than a decade. Mike's career started with his own free blog as a way to vent following sporting events. Shortly thereafter, a network of basketball sites called Coast 2 Coast Hoops asked him to run their Syracuse site. That site was called Nation of Orange, and Mike quickly established it as a go-to for Syracuse fans. After running Nation of Orange for several months, a position with the Syracuse site on the Scout network became available. After one year as the recruiting expert with Cuse Nation, he was named the publisher. Mike oversaw the transition from Scout to 247Sports, and ran the site on that network for years. Presented with the opportunity to join one of the biggest names in the sports journalism industry, Sports Illustrated, Mike jumped at the chance. All Syracuse was started from scratch by Mike and the Fan Nation team. It has now become a staple for Orange fans of various sports. Mike has broken news on recruiting, Syracuse basketball and football team information and has established himself as the top recruiting inside in the market. He has appeared on local radio shows, television broadcasts, national radio shows and much more. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Information Management from Roberts Wesleyan College.