Adrian Autry will rely on JJ Starling to be a leader on this year’s team while eyeing a breakout year for his junior guard. The two have a long established relationship and have trust in one another.
Now in his third season of college basketball, Syracuse Orange men’s basketball guard JJ Starling is prepared to lead this year’s group of orange men. Syracuse’s second-leading scorer a season ago, Starling has now stepped into a leadership position as a junior. He’s had to grow into the vocal part of the role, but leading by example has come natural for him.
“I’m not really a vocal guy but I had to step in and be vocal sometimes,” Starling said. “Leadership for me looks like creating good habits day in and day out. I want to be known as one of the hardest workers on the team. I’m in the gym all the time and making sure that I’m in the coaches’ messages.”
Part of that leadership included intentional work in the summer. Starling’s confidence has grown in the offseason, he says, due to “countless hours in the gym” and studying film. His head coach noted his physical improvement and shooting stroke.
“He’s got himself in tremendous shape,” Adrian Autry said. “I thought he had a great summer. (He’s) playing multiple positions, shooting the basketball like we know he can.”
Although Autry plays a more positionless style of modern basketball, Starling is ready to play both guard positions as needed. He was locked into the shooting guard position last year and while Syracuse will have Jaquan Carlos as its primary point guard this year, Starling is available to play that spot when needed.
“I’m definitely going to play point guard and shooting guard,” Starling said.
Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images
Known as a good shooter in high school, Starling experienced various challenges in his first season of college basketball with Notre Dame. He played on a team made of up veterans as just a freshman, trying to fit in with a seasoned group. He experienced discouraging defeats throughout the year which ultimately ended as Mike Brey’s final season as head coach in South Bend.
Starling also dealt with the struggle of playing through injury, which included playing on a torn meniscus for two months in addition to sprains in both of his shoulders, the latter of which altered his shooting form. As such, his shooting percentages dipped as the season wore on.
Those trials have molded Starling’s mettle and figure to help him as he moves into a leadership role, understanding the challenges teammates might face and the volatile, fickle nature of a college basketball season.
“JJ, who’s been through it, he understands. He was a part of Notre Dame team then he was a part of last year’s (Syracuse) team where we had a winning streak, a losing streak. He’s been through adverse scenarios,” Autry said.
In his first season as a Syracuse player Starling played fair out of the gate but got off to a slow start shooting the ball. Always dangerous to adjust shooting form in-season, former Syracuse associate coach Gerry McNamara ignored that train of thought and instead worked with Starling to correct his form mid-season. The risk ended up being worth the reward. Starling put in additional shooting work and shot 36.3 percent from three in his final 16 games.
“G-Mac, he helped so much last year. I was in the gym with him every day before practice,” Starling shared.
Photo by Lance King/Getty Images
Starling, a Syracuse native who played high school basketball at Baldwinsville, found the best basketball opportunity for him would be closer to home after transferring from Notre Dame in 2023. With one season under his belt in his native Syracuse, the homegrown talent appreciates the opportunity to play where those closest to him can watch him play. He grew up with Autry’s son, Trey, who plays at George Washington. Starling also recognizes the privilege to play for a head coach at this level who he’s known since he was seven years old.
“Nothing beats having over 20,000 people in the dome rooting for you. That atmosphere is just amazing. Being able to play in front of your family and friends, you can’t beat that,” Starling said. “Playing for Red, it’s great. It’s challenging because he’s going to push you to get the best out of you.”
Which brings us to the season ahead, where Starling is flying under the radar. With so many roadblocks to navigate in his first two seasons of college basketball, it’s easy to forget that Starling was once a McDonald’s All American and considered to be a guard with NBA potential. When given an opportunity to speak of his individual goals for the season ahead, Starling declines and instead speaks only of his team in a solemn manner.
“We feel like we’ve got the right group of guys to make it far and make it to the [NCAA] Tournament,” Starling said. “Those are our expectations.”
Autry sees the opportunity in front of Starling, measuring the chance at a breakout campaign — finally, where the stars seem to be aligned for the former top-25 recruit to play to his full potential. Without any obvious interruptions, Starling won’t need to hold himself back. He’s got the green light. Syracuse is ready for him to be the guy.
“I’m excited for him to really breakout and have that big year that everyone expects. This team needs it,” Autry said. “We need him to play well this year for us to be in the hunt for anything we want to do.”