The Syracuse Orange basketball program is set to have a ton of turnover with legendary head coach Jim Boeheim retiring. Long-time assistant coach Adrian Autry will take over the program. However, it turns out that star point guard Judah Mintz may not be around to see this new-look Orange team.
Mintz thrived in his freshman season in Syracuse, averaging 16.3 points per game along with 4.6 assists on the year. This was enough to be named to the ACC All-Freshman team.
Reports emerged on Monday from Syracuse.com’s Mike Waters that Mintz will at least “test the waters” on potentially declaring for the upcoming 2023 NBA Draft.
“Syracuse freshman Judah Mintz announces that he will test the NBA Draft waters, but will maintain his eligibility in case he decides to return to college for another season,” tweeted Waters on Monday.
Mintz posted a detailed message on Instagram about why he feels like it is the right time to make this decision.
“For as long as I remember, I’ve had the same dream. I’ve dedicated countless hours to the pursuit of that dream. My freshman year at Syracuse was part of that dream. It was an incredible experience. I am thankful for the love and support my teammates and I received from the Syracuse community.
“I’m announcing that I will continue to pursue my dream and enter my name into the 2023 NBA Draft process while maintaining my college eligibility. I’m excited and blessed to have this opportunity and I can not wait to see what is in store for my future.”
This doesn’t exactly mean that Judah Mintz if officially gone to the NBA. He will at the very least gauge the interest around the NBA for him in the coming months.
One factor that is certainly intriguing is Syracuse’s activity in the transfer portal for this upcoming season. Highly regarded freshman guard J.J. Starling announced his decision to transfer to play for the Orange last week. He was listed as the top player thus far in the transfer portal by On3 Sports.
If Mintz does decide to return, Syracuse could be a very intriguing team to watch in the ACC next season.