Adrian Autry’s backcourt vision became reality against Stonehill
J.J. Starling and Naithan George combined for 42 points and shot 52% in Syracuse’s win over Stonehill Monday. Eli Schwartz | Asst. Photo Editor
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Adrian Autry has a vision. He wants his offense to play fast and his backcourt to display energy, connectivity and intensity on both sides of the ball. He’s stressed his guards’ need to make good decisions inside and to be leaders in all facets of the game.
Autry’s vision hadn’t come to life before Syracuse took on Stonehill Monday. There’d been glimpses of J.J. Starling being the “rock” Autry refers to him as. Naithan George, Starling’s backcourt partner, had most recently neared Autry’s vision with a season-high 22 points against Northeastern on Saturday. But even after a win, George knew they weren’t quite there yet.
“Glad we got a dub, but next game we gotta dominate to build that momentum for ACC play,” George said. “We just gotta execute.”
On Monday, Syracuse had one last chance for its backcourt to turn flashes into consistency before the margin for error narrows in Atlantic Coast Conference play. Against Stonehill, Autry’s vision finally became a reality.
George and Starling guided the Orange (9-4, 0-0 ACC) to a 77-48 win over the Skyhawks (3-10, 0-0 Northeast), each scoring 20-plus points while shooting a combined 52% (15-for-29). The duo also added seven of SU’s 11 assists and, alongside Nate Kingz, who occasionally played the 2, scored 55 of the Orange’s 77 points.
“When you talk about our backcourt, that’s how we envision it,” Autry said postgame.
Autry started his postgame press conference with congratulations to Starling, who he brought to central New York to lead Syracuse’s offense in 2023 after one season at Notre Dame. Starling entered Monday needing just seven points to reach the 1,000-point mark in his career. He got there with ease.
Next, Autry mentioned George, who he said is finally finding his confidence and making the right decisions that result in game-changing plays. Autry said George has shown he has a better feel for Syracuse’s offensive scheme in recent games and is becoming the point guard they’d hoped for following his transfer from Georgia Tech this offseason.
But just over a week ago, both guards were on the other side of the spectrum. Syracuse was reeling from an upset loss to Hofstra, a complete travesty after taking down then-No. 13 Tennessee just 11 days prior. And unlike Monday, the guards provided little to no boost then.
George was held scoreless across a season-low 22 minutes for the first time in his career. Starling scored a team-high 15 points, but just two came in the second half — when SU needed him most.
“I guess you can say I’m still adjusting,” George said after the loss.
“It just comes down to we’re not doing what we need to do,” Starling added.
There was clearly lots to be done. It started with confidence. Starling said he’s his best self when he’s confident, when he’s just telling himself, “screw it.” George similarly echoed that sentiment, saying his game depended on decisiveness and belief in his own ability, being in attack mode and finding ways to execute.
Fast forward nine days, and Starling and George were flexing toward each other as they lifted SU to its largest win since an 80-50 victory over Drexel on Nov. 15. Both players knew they could no longer hold back.
“I just had that mentality of staying aggressive and not thinking,” Starling said. “I realized I play better when I’m not thinking, overanalyzing each play. Just going out there and playing free.”
Within three minutes, Starling had already scored seven points, becoming SU’s 67th player to reach the 1,000-point mark. George joined in, adding a 3 and tough layup to give Syracuse a 12-2 lead, which forced Stonehill head coach Chris Kraus to call a timeout.
Twelve minutes later, the Orange’s lead had grown to 27-19, with Starling and George alone matching the Skyhawks’ total. Hermann Koffi missed the mark on a 3, which Akir Souare pushed ahead to George.
George bolted inside, drawing contact from Stonehill guard Trenton Ruth for the bucket and the foul. As momentum took George backward toward Starling, the two faced each other with a smirk on their faces.
“I thought (the guards) did a really good job of getting into the paint, playing off two feet and actually finishing,” Autry said, mentioning SU’s gameplan to attack inside.
Starling and George followed with six of SU’s final 10 points in the first half, helping the Orange to a 39-27 lead. Over the last three games, though, Syracuse had lost the second half, causing concern that its 12-point lead would slip.
Instead, the two guards kept the intensity on, ensuring SU’s lead would remain.
Sadiq White hammered home an alley-oop dunk, assisted by George, to start the second half. But Syracuse fell into a rut, letting Stonehill cut its deficit to six, its closest since SU led 8-2.
Down the stretch of the second half, Syracuse’s lead grew, though, mostly coming from the hands of White and William Kyle III inside. The two combined for 13 second-half points, 14 rebounds and three massive blocks that kept Stonehill at bay.
Starling and George had done their job. All they could do was let their teammates finish what they started.
Syracuse is a better basketball team when Starling and George are on their game. Against Stonehill, the backcourt played the way Autry’s been demanding all season.
For the first time, his vision wasn’t theoretical. It was reality.
