RUN IT BACK

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very day, J.J. Starling and Donnie Freeman worked out together at the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center. However, as the days passed, the number of teammates around them dwindled as they entered the transfer portal.

Freeman said he and Starling discussed their futures while training. Head coach Adrian Autry, meanwhile, communicated with his star players daily.

It culminated in their return to Autry and the Orange — making the decision together.

“The next message was just, ‘All right, let’s go out and get some guys to build something great,’” Starling said.

While leading Syracuse in scoring last year, Starling and Freeman played just seven games together as SU fell to its worst season since the 1968-69 campaign. Starling missed seven games with a broken left hand before returning on Jan. 4 against Florida State, which turned out to be Freeman’s last game due to a right toe injury.

Now, for Starling’s senior and Freeman’s sophomore year, the two are at the forefront of a pivotal season as Syracuse attempts to snap its four-year NCAA Tournament drought.

“Whenever you can get players the status of a J.J. and Donnie to say they want to come back, and they believe in you, it means a lot,” Autry said. “It means that we’re all on the same bus, moving in the same direction.”

Donnie Freeman and J.J. Starling walk toward the free throw line in Syracuse’s exhibition versus Buffalo. Both Freeman and Starling scored over 13 points per game last season but return to SU due to injury-riddled campaigns. Leonardo Eriman | Photo Editor

As the wheels turned toward the 2025-26 season, Starling and Freeman became an extension of Syracuse’s staff. Starling said he felt like a “recruiting coach,” as SU’s coaches asked for the duo’s opinions on transfer portal options. The pair studied how the options would fit with their playing styles, even speaking with them directly.

Of 5,607 total men’s basketball players in the nation, around 2,700 entered the transfer portal between March 24 and April 22. Autry understands that’s how today’s college sports world works, where opportunities are abundant after each season.

With Starling and Freeman’s help, SU netted six players in the portal. Paired with five freshmen, it created an entirely new-look roster around Starling and Freeman.

As one of the most coveted players in his recruiting class paired with standout freshman numbers — averaging 13.4 points and 7.9 rebounds, albeit in a small sample size — Freeman could’ve piqued any coach’s interest in the portal. The 6-foot-9 forward said there was “a little bit” of outside programs trying to poach him, but he added that he made it clear early on he wanted nothing to do with teams besides SU.

If not for the injury that wiped his season away after 14 games, Freeman could’ve been deciding between the Orange and entering the NBA Draft. But he says that after he got hurt, he never considered testing the NBA waters.

“I had a small sample size, so I knew before I wanted to take that step, I wanted to be ready,” Freeman said. “So I knew I wanted to come back and finish up what I had to do.”

Freeman’s mother, Darshelle Freeman, said her son is back to 100%, the healthiest he’s been since high school. Freeman was labeled as “day-to-day” by Autry for nearly a month before he was ruled out for the season on Feb. 8, which Darshelle attributed to doctors not being able to perform an MRI for several weeks because of swelling.

Once Freeman received his MRI results, Darshelle said he, with doctors and “everyone else,” decided to undergo surgery. Darshelle noted her son had a toe injury, and he had to have a screw inserted during his procedure.

Per Darshelle, Freeman had previous issues with his right foot for several years and was playing through pain for “a very long time.” She added that his family didn’t know exactly what he was dealing with until his MRI, which revealed he’d been playing with the same underlying issue for years.

“He’s been playing kind of 75% for a very long time,” Darshelle said. “So now that he’s fully healthy, he’s really excited.”

Starling already went through the tumultuous process of the transfer portal. The Syracuse native originally chose Notre Dame out of high school before returning home for the 2023-24 season. He’s known Autry since he was 7 years old. Starling is now the only player left from Autry’s first year.

As a sophomore, Starling played next to Judah Mintz, where he said he experienced many highs and lows, but mostly lows. Autry and now-Siena head coach Gerry McNamara implored him to stick with it, telling Starling they were there to support him.

The reinforcement helped Starling post a career year as Syracuse’s No. 1 option last season. Despite missing seven games, Starling tallied 17.8 points per game while earning All-Atlantic Coast Honorable Mention honors. When it came time to make a decision, he wasn’t going to leave home again.

“I’m big on trust,” Starling said at ACC Media Day. “(Autry) believed in me even in moments when I didn’t believe in myself.”

Freeman holds a similar sentiment. He said he feels comfortable at SU and trusts everyone around him, noting those were the biggest deciding factors in returning. A Washington, D.C., native, Freeman built a strong relationship with Autry through their DMV ties, Darshelle said; Freeman grew up playing AAU basketball for Team Takeover, where Autry coached earlier in his career.

She explained Autry was the first college coach to reach out in his recruitment, and if he wasn’t at Syracuse, Freeman may have chosen another program. As he heads into his second season playing for Autry, Freeman is taking everything “day by day” and seeing where it takes him.

If Freeman stayed healthy last year, Darshelle said jumping to the NBA would’ve been “a more serious conversation.” This year, if he remains on the court and plays just as well or improves on his freshman campaign, the NBA would seem like a logical next step.

For Starling, this is his final year of eligibility. He’s been through Syracuse’s darkest hour. With Freeman at his side, it’s Starling’s last chance to return the Orange to their rightful spot on a national stage.

And Syracuse will go as far as Starling and Freeman take it.

Photograph by Leonardo Eriman | Photo Editor

Published on October 30, 2025 at 12:03 am