Reports indicate a new portal candidate emerges for the Orange

And could Syracuse bring in a new player via Route 20?

Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images

With the Syracuse Orange missing out on guard Dakota Leffew over the weekend, we haven’t heard much about Adrian Autry connecting with any other potential transfers despite having three open scholarships.

There is a report from this Minnesota website which has connected the Orange with Jackson State guard Ken Evans, Jr. The 6’4” guard was the 23-24 SWAC Player of the Year after averaging 18.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. Evans shot 40.8% from the field, 39.2% from 3, and he’d have two more seasons of eligibility remaining.

Evans is reportedly drawing interest from schools including St. John’s, Louisville and Ole Miss, but his recruiting has been under the radar compared to other transfers. It’s possible that as other guards find homes, this will change but so far the report and a social media post from incoming Syracuse Eddie Lampkin are the clues that something could be brewing here.

I still think the Orange need another scorer on next year’s squad and Evans would fit that bill. He brings a lot of offensive upside, but would he and JJ Starling be able to defend well enough to share the backcourt, or is Evans open to a role as a 2nd unit scorer?

Another late portal entry of note is Colgate point guard Braeden Smith. The Seattle native was the Patriot League Player of the Year last season after he averaged 12.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game. The 6’ point guard had 14 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists in the game against Syracuse last season and he’d give the Orange quite a duo at the point with Jaquan Carlos.

Tomorrow is the deadline for entry into the portal so we’ll keep eyes out for more transfer news.