Syracuse’s last Sweet 16 team: Where are they now?
Syracuse's last Sweet 16 team was in the 2020-21 season. Standouts like Buddy Boeheim and Joe Girard III, among others, have since furthered their careers elsewhere. Collage by Avery Magee | Asst. Photo Editor
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Syracuse is amid its longest NCAA Tournament drought since 1967-72. During Jim Boeheim’s 47-year tenure, SU only missed back-to-back tournaments three times and never missed three straight. The Orange’s current drought is four. The first half of that came during Boeheim’s final two seasons, and their most recent shortcomings have come under Adrian Autry.
SU’s last March Madness appearance came in 2021 when it made the Sweet 16 as the No. 11 seed. On the bubble heading down the stretch, the Orange beat North Carolina and Clemson to close the regular season, then defeated NC State in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament Second Round. However, their run ended the next day on a Virginia buzzer-beater.
The loss left Syracuse’s NCAA Tournament hopes in jeopardy. However, the Orange snuck into the field and caused some chaos. They blew past No. 6 seed San Diego State in the first round 78-62 before scraping by No. 3 seed West Virginia 75-72 to seal their first second-weekend appearance since 2018. Though SU’s Cinderella run ended when No. 1 seed Houston beat it 62-46.
Here’s a look at Syracuse’s key figures from its last run to the Sweet 16, and what they’ve accomplished since:
Buddy Boeheim, junior forward
Buddy Boeheim was the catalyst for Syracuse’s run to the Sweet 16. The then-junior caught fire in the opening weekend, erupting for 30 points against SDSU while knocking down seven 3-pointers in the upset win. Buddy’s hot play continued in the next round against WVU, drilling six 3s and netting 25 points.
Following the run, he spent one more season with Syracuse before embarking on his professional career. Buddy went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft and signed a two-way contract with the Detroit Pistons. Across two seasons in Detroit, he mostly played with the Motor City Cruise, the Pistons’ G League affiliate.
He averaged 17.2 points per game in 2023-24 and shot 43% from 3 on over eight attempts per game. Buddy’s play led to him signing a standard contract with the Pistons on Feb. 22, 2024. He made 10 appearances that season but was waived in June.
Currently, Buddy’s averaging 10.6 points per game for the Oklahoma City Blue, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s G League affiliate.
Quincy Guerrier, sophomore forward
Quincy Guerrier’s breakout sophomore season coincided with Syracuse’s tournament run. He became its second-leading scorer (13.7 points per game) and started all 28 games. Following the season, he decided to test the NBA Draft waters and entered his name into the transfer portal. Guerrier ultimately transferred to Oregon.
The Montreal native failed to reach the same heights he did at SU. He never averaged more than 27 minutes per game and averaged over 10 points just once across his final three seasons with Oregon and then Illinois.
Guerrier went undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft and signed with the Toronto Raptors’ Summer League team. On Oct. 28, 2024, he joined Raptors 905 — the G League affiliate — on which he’s made 26 appearances, totaling 9.1 points per game.
Alan Griffin, junior forward
A key offseason addition from Illinois, Alan Griffin played an important role for Syracuse throughout the 2020-21 season as its third-leading scorer. Though, his impact was minimal in SU’s three tournament games, scoring just five points and making one of his nine field-goal attempts. The most minutes he played was 15 against San Diego State after registering at least 20 in all but one of Syracuse’s regular-season games.
Griffin then declared for the NBA Draft but wasn’t selected. He spent time with the Rio Grande Vipers — the Houston Rockets’ G League team — but was waived after four games. In December 2021, he signed with the Westchester Knicks. Griffin has played sparingly since then, most recently appearing for the Milwaukee Bucks’ Summer League team in 2023.
Marek Dolezaj, senior forward
Marek Dolezaj was Syracuse’s most experienced player, making 131 career appearances. Three years prior, he helped the Orange make the Sweet 16. Dolezaj was never a high-volume scorer for SU, though his 6-foot-10 frame made him a crucial part of the Orange’s vaunted 2-3 zone.
Syracuse’s loss to Houston ended Dolezaj’s college career. Unlike his peers, the Slovakia native explored professional options in Europe. Dolezaj has played for several clubs in Ukraine, Greece, Germany and now, Iceland. Since 2023, he’s played with Keflavík and helped the club win the Icelandic Basketball Cup and Super Cup while averaging 10.6 points per game.
Joe Girard III, sophomore guard
Joe Girard III was the starting point guard for Syracuse during this run. He was SU’s leading distributor with 98 assists and added a scoring boost on the perimeter, knocking down 50 3s. The next two seasons were his most successful with the Orange, drilling 177 total triples and averaging 16.4 points per game as a senior in 2022-23.
He tested the 2023 NBA Draft waters and entered the transfer portal, eventually committing to Clemson for his final season of eligibility.
Girard had a successful stint with the Tigers. He averaged 15.1 points per game and helped Clemson to its first Elite Eight appearance since 1980. Following his departure, Girard signed with Nevėžis Kėdainiai in the Lithuanian Basketball League, where he’s leading it with 21 points per game and converting nearly 45% of his 3s.
Kadary Richmond, freshman guard
Kadary Richmond started his career at Syracuse, and until this weekend, he was an active collegiate player with St. Johns. As the Red Storm’s starting point guard, Richmond helped lead a resurgent season under Rick Pitino, guiding St. John’s to a No. 2 seed before a Round of 32 upset loss to No. 10 seed Arkansas.
Before then, Richmond’s time with the Orange was brief. He spent one season in Syracuse, starting three games while backing up Girard. Though limited to 21 minutes per game, Richmond made his mark as a high-energy defender off the bench. Seeking a larger role, he transferred to Seton Hall, where he spent the next three seasons and earned All-Big East honors in 2023-24 before finishing his collegiate career at St. John’s.
Jesse Edwards, sophomore center
Jesse Edwards’ impact as a sophomore was minimal. He appeared in only 18 games and averaged less than two points per contest. However, in Syracuse’s blowout loss to Houston, Edwards was a bright spot, finishing with a plus-10 plus/minus in 19 minutes.
What followed were two extremely productive seasons as SU’s starting center. During Edwards’ junior year, he increased his scoring tenfold to 12.0. The following season, he averaged a double-double (14.5 points, 10.3 rebounds).
Edwards then left SU due to a lack of name, image and likeness compensation, according to a report from syracuse.com | The Post Standard, and transferred to West Virginia for his final season of eligibility. After one season in Morgantown, Edwards went undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft. He was picked up on a two-way contract by the Minnesota Timberwolves and has spent most of his time with the Iowa Wolves in the G League, averaging 10.3 points per game in 14 appearances.
