Syracuse adds more help in the backcourt.
Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The offseason makeover continues for the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team as coach Adrian Autry landed his third transfer portal acquisition — former Hofstra guard Jaquan Carlos.
Carlos — a six-foot point guard who played 87 career games across three seasons with Hofstra — announced on Wednesday via Instagram that he will be committing to the Orange for the 2024-25 season. With the departures of both Judah Mintz and Quadir Copeland to the transfer portal, Carlos will look to carve out a sizable role and help fill in Syracuse’s hole at guard.
This past season, Carlos averaged 10.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game as the full-time starting point guard for Hofstra. He shot 41% from the field, 34% from three and 89% from the foul line. Carlos also landed on the Colonial Athletic Association All-Defensive Team. On3 ranked Carlos No. 238 on its list of the best transfer portal players available.
Carlos will look to fill in Autry’s rotation more as a pure playmaker and floor general. He averaged a career-high in assists and ranked first in the CAA in assists per game last season. Mintz was the only player on last year’s Syracuse team to average three or more APG, meaning Carlos should provide more of a distributing element to Syracuse’s offense.
Defensively, Carlos is average-sized for a collegiate point guard but certainly joins the Orange with a reputation for being a pesky defender along the perimeter. Likewise, he should be able to provide defensive energy and force enough turnovers to generate fast-break opportunities for Syracuse.
Carlos’ role could shift depending on how the rest of the Orange’s offseason plays out. Outside of Carlos, Syracuse’s only returning guard who can dribble consistency and initiate the offense is starter J.J. Starling. Kyle Cuffe Jr. should be back on the team, but he used last season mainly as an off-ball guard with a limited role on offense. Carlos could see some time next to Starling on the court, but with the roster still under construction, we’ll have to see what the final depth chart looks like at guard.
Regardless, Carlos will certainly play a critical role in some capacity for the Orange next season.
In addition to Carlos, Autry also landed transfer portal commitments from former Delaware forward Jyare Davis and former Colorado center Eddie Lampkin Jr.
