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drian Autry assigned some summer reading for his players. He chose “The Energy Bus” by Jon Gordon, requiring Syracuse — a program with a new head coach for the first time since 1976 — to hold weekly, mandatory group discussions.
The book teaches ways to instill positive energy in a team, the “Orange Standard” as Autry might call it.
“It kind of just proved that he’s ready to take on the job,” Justin Taylor said. “We all need to be on the same bus. We all need to bring energy and change the culture and be locked in from the jump.”
The reading was just one small effort in Autry’s first offseason in charge to bring SU back to the level it once was. He made changes in practice and switched from Jim Boeheim’s coveted 2-3 zone to man-to-man. He plans to go deeper into the bench and faster on offense with new additions from the transfer portal.
Still, Autry, who’s more than ready for his new role, also kept a sense of continuity. He returned last year’s freshman class and made multiple recruiting trips over the past several months. The balance of change and continuity is what filled Autry’s summer, one spent toward building a new and improved Syracuse team.
“I think we all know where we want to be as a team, what we want to be as a program,” Autry said of the “Orange Standard” at his introductory press conference on Oct. 13.
In Autry’s first team meeting as head coach back in March, the message was clear. “Be ready,” guard Quadir Copeland said. The standard wasn’t changing and the players needed to buy in. Though SU lost starters like Jesse Edwards (West Virginia) and Joe Girard III (Clemson) to the transfer portal, Autry retained 10 players in total.
Taylor described the team as a little bit “shell-shocked” once the coaching switch happened in March. But their decision to return reflected the confidence and trust the squad has in Autry, Taylor said. Copeland said the past several months haven’t even felt like a transition.
“There was really no pitch,” forward Chris Bell said of the conversations with Autry. “It was ‘Do you really want to be on this train? Do you want to win?’ That’s really what it was for me and I chose to stay here and compete.”
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The same applied to star point guard Judah Mintz, who tested NBA Draft waters before coming back for his sophomore year. In weekly conversations, Autry never tried to persuade him to return, Mintz said. Autry would accept either outcome. When Mintz called to let him know his decision, Autry said elated would be an understatement. Autry had secured potentially one of the top backcourt duos in the country, after Baldwinsville native J.J. Starling transferred from Notre Dame in March.
Autry hit the transfer portal hard. In addition to Starling, Autry brought in center Naheem McLeod (Florida State), guard Chance Westry (Auburn) and guard Kyle Cuffe Jr. (Kansas). And like his conversations with returning players, Autry told the transfers when recruiting they needed to buy in. There wasn’t a pitch, Westry said.
When McLeod entered the portal, he said Syracuse was the second school that contacted him. The difference was that all coaches on SU’s staff talked to him, McLeod had been used to speaking with just one coach. After one visit — the only one — to Syracuse, McLeod committed.
“When (Autry) preached to me that this team is built around me and I fit the play style for here, I was like it’s no doubt that I wanted to stay in the ACC,” McLeod said.
McLeod noticed an immediate difference in practice. At FSU, the practices were longer, contained more drills and more running. Under Autry, it’s more conceptual, taking the time to understand the playstyle Autry plans to implement.
As for the returners, they’ve noticed a change, too. Practices are longer and more detailed. Six a.m. workouts started when Autry took over, Taylor said. Intensity and energy have ramped up, but simultaneously, Autry spends more time to thoroughly explain the concepts and changes he wants.
“It’s always been about the work,” Autry said. “Being in the gym and being more detailed and more organized on what we need to accomplish. We got a lot more things to work on because we have changed our style of play, where in the past, it was just different.”
Mintz said the style of play has changed “dramatically.” The switch from the 2-3 zone to man-to-man defense is the most obvious. Autry hasn’t been “shy” about that.
Bell said Autry has put emphasis on defensive pressure. Cuffe Jr. said it’s a switch they’ve worked on since June and center Mounir Hima said it’s sped up play.
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“We’re trying to get away from the 2-3 but we still have implementations of the 2-3,” Cuffe Jr. said after SU’s exhibition win over Daemen on Oct. 27. “But man-to-man is what the game is today, just being able to guard yours and knowing that you’re going to have help side in the back.”
Offensively, Syracuse wants to push. Bell said speed was a point of emphasis, comparing the Orange’s pace to Kansas’ ability to transition. Mintz said SU’s quickness is the one thing that can make it dangerous this year, especially with depth in the backcourt.
Taylor said Autry wants to “bring the Syracuse bench back” and become a team known for its depth.
“We have a lot of versatility on both sides of the ball and we have talent so we will play more than six or seven guys this year,” Autry said. “We’ll have the ability to put four, sometimes maybe five guys out on the floor that can dribble, pass and shoot.”
As for future depth editions, Autry made various recruiting trips over the offseason such as Peach Jam in Georgia and Adidas 3SSB in South Carolina. So far, four-star forward Donnie Freeman committed to Autry and four-star guard Elijah Moore reaffirmed his decision for the 2024 recruiting class.
Autry and his staff have also hosted recruits, including Kiyan Anthony, the son of Syracuse legend Carmelo Anthony, who was on campus in October.
Moore said it wasn’t a “big deal” when Autry took over. He said people always thought he was going to decommit, but that was never the case.
Moore wasn’t surprised that Autry came to watch him play at Adidas 3SSB in July. The coaching staff tells Moore everytime if they’re coming. Moore said it was an “amazing” feeling to have Autry there.
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The two share frequent conversations about Moore’s arrival next year. Autry wants to make sure Moore is mentally and physically prepared for the next level. Moore needs to work on his defensive positioning and work on his physical build, Autry would tell him.
Moore recalled a dinner he had with Autry in New York over the summer. The message, “be ready,” matched what he said in his first team meeting.
“He was like ‘I just want you to come and know that I need you to play and I need you to be ready. I want you to come in ready to go…. I need you to be ready right away.’
It definitely stuck with me,” Moore said.
Autry said he doesn’t use any tactics to motivate his players, he already knows they’re naturally motivated and ready. He said the team’s ceiling is to be determined, but he feels his squad has plenty of potential. “I’m very confident,” Autry said.
He’s ready to be the driver of his bus. He has fueled it with tactical changes and picked up some new passengers for the ride. All his “stops” — or objectives — during his offseason were part of his route to get Syracuse to a different gear, a different energy.
Still, the destination of being a tournament team — the “Orange Standard” — remains the same. And being on the sideline coaching in SU’s 81-68 exhibition win over Daemen, Autry felt like an experienced driver.
“I kind of felt normal,” Autry said postgame. “I kind of felt normal.”
Photograph by Lars Jendruschewitz
Published on November 2, 2023 at 1:20 am
Contact Cole: colebambini@gmail.com | @ColeBambini
