Syracuse, N.Y. – JJ Starling’s basketball journey should read like a heartwarmingly familiar college hoops tale.
Local kid searches for happiness elsewhere but returns to play in front of friends and family for the hometown school.
But Starling’s career is so much more complicated than that.
“There’s a lot of things that factor into JJ’s experience,” Syracuse assistant coach Allen Griffin said.
Starling, who declined a request to be interviewed for this story, left his hometown after his sophomore year at Baldwinsville’s Baker High School. He attended La Lumiere (Ind.), a prep basketball powerhouse for two years.
Despite the recruiting efforts of the Syracuse coaching staff, he decided to play for Notre Dame.
After his freshman season, following Notre Dame coach Mike Brey’s decision to retire from college coaching, Starling returned to Syracuse where he has spent the last three seasons.
That’s where the fairy tale ends, however.
Starling, who will make his final appearance at the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday as Syracuse hosts Pittsburgh, will end his college career with over 1,500 career points — more than 1,000 in a Syracuse uniform — and no NCAA Tournament appearances.
“I can tell you there’s definitely been moments of frustration,” Pat Holmes, who coached Starling for two years at Lu Lumiere Prep. “He holds himself to such a high standard. I know he wanted to get Syracuse basketball back to where it was. He wanted to sit with his teammates on Selection Sunday.”
In his three years playing for Syracuse, Starling has appeared in 86 games and started all of them. Syracuse has gone 45-41 in those games.
“I know it weighs on him, especially being back home,” Holmes said. “All he wants to do is win.”
Starling will take part in SU’s Senior Day festivities prior to the Orange’s game against Pittsburgh, along with fellow seniors William Kyle, Bryce Zephir and Nate Kingz.
Unlike his three teammates, who are each in their first year at Syracuse, Starling has been a three-year starter for the Orange.
In an era where the player who spends his entire career at one school is becoming a rarity — there are only three such players in the ACC this year — Starling has been a fixture at Syracuse.
But those around him say being the hometown kid on a team that has failed to make the NCAA Tournament in his three years has been tough on Starling.
“The pressures that kid deals with everyday are a lot,” Griffin said.
The pressure actually began in Starling’s freshman year at Notre Dame. A McDonald’s All-American, he stepped into a vacancy created by Blake Wesley’s decision to leave for the NBA after just one year. Starling was thrust into a lineup consisting of several fifth-year seniors.
“It was a tricky year for JJ,” former Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said. “All the other guys had master’s degrees and now we’ve got another young phenom. It was hard to manage that.”
Starling suffered injuries to his shoulder and his knee that season. Then Brey announced his decision to step down.
“I feel bad that I left him,” Brey said.
It was in January of that 2022-23 season when Brey informed Starling of his decision.
“I said, ‘JJ, you do know you’re going back to Syracuse?’ ” Brey said.
“Yes, Coach,” Starling responded.
He returned to Syracuse as the basketball program transitioned from Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim to his long-time assistant Adrian Autry, who would be a first-time head coach.
“He’s been loyal,” Griffin said. “Today’s world is so transactional, but he trusted in coach Autry and he’s stuck with him.”
Autry showed the same loyalty to Starling despite the 6-foot-4 guard’s injuries and struggles with his jump shot.
In his first year at Syracuse, Starling averaged 13.3 points per game while sharing the backcourt with point guard Judah Mintz. The next year, Starling’s scoring average jumped to 17.8 points as he became SU’s go-to guy, especially with freshman forward Donnie Freeman missing the last 19 games due to a foot injury.
This year, Starling’s scoring has decreased. He’s averaging 11.6 points per game.
But the one nagging constant throughout his three years at Syracuse has been the lack of a consistent jump shot. He has made between 27 and 32% of his 3-point shots in those three seasons.
Brey said he believes the shoulder and knee injuries that Starling suffered in his freshman year at Notre Dame have continued to hamper Starling’s shooting.
“When he was on the AAU circuit with the (Albany) City Rocks, he shot the sh— out of the ball," Brey said. “He had the shoulder injury and his stroke changed a little bit. Then he had the knee.”
Holmes backed up Brey’s assessment.
“I know JJ’s not one to make excuses, but you can tell the shot’s not the same,” Holmes said. “I can tell you there’s definitely been moments of frustration.”
After Starling’s junior year, Autry made him and Freeman the foundational pillars for this year’s roster. Starling and Freeman were part of Autry’s efforts to attract players through the transfer portal. They were part of Zoom calls and official visits. They went to dinners when recruits came to town.
“He played a major role on this team on and off the court,” Griffin said.
It’s difficult to know what Starling thinks of his college career and his circuitous road away from home and then back again.
As Syracuse’s losses mounted this season, Starling withdrew from talking to the media. He did so after only a few games and only at the urging of team officials.
He has kept his feelings regarding his final home game on Saturday to himself. Griffin, though, said Starling deserves a celebratory send-off from Syracuse fans.
“He holds himself to such a high standard,” Griffin said. “He wants to lead. He wants to win. I think the Syracuse basketball community should give him his flowers because it’s not easy.”
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