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Kyle Cuffe Jr. transferred to Syracuse this offseason, and the previous Kansas basketball participant has excessive expectations heading into his redshirt freshman season.
The start of Kyle Cuffe Jr.’s collegiate profession has been something however what he anticipated.
A 4-star level guard out of Blair Academy in New Jersey, Cuffe dedicated to Kansas basketball in hopes of turning into the subsequent nice Kansas basketball guard beneath Invoice Self. After redshirting in 2021-22 when the Jayhawks took dwelling the nationwide championship, Cuffe appeared in simply two contests final 12 months earlier than tearing his MCL and PCL in a workforce follow.
The son of former St. John’s standout Kyle Cuffe — who was coached by now-Kansas assistant coach Norm Roberts when he was on the Johnnies — has but to attain some extent in faculty basketball. He knew that alternatives can be restricted for him within the open market as a consequence of his harm historical past and unknown expertise, however he guess on himself and it labored in the long term.
Within the offseason, Cuffe entered the switch portal and dedicated to a brand new age of Syracuse basketball. Jim Boeheim is out as head coach after 47 years with this system, and Adrian Autry will look to rebuild what was once one of many high powerhouses within the NCAA.
Cuffe has had one of the difficult paths to the highest thus far. However contemplating he redshirted consecutive seasons, he enters 2023-24 as a tutorial junior with 4 years of school ball remaining. He feels the 2 years taught him extra about basketball than he ever realized.
“I really feel prefer it modified me into the individual I’m in the present day,” Cuffe proclaimed. “Going via it taught me a variety of classes,” Cuffe stated. “Simply issues like internally, what I acquired to do. What I gotta give attention to now. What issues I have to let go in my life.”
He spoke in regards to the issues he realized from being part of KU’s program.
“Principally simply little issues on the best way to win. It doesn’t all the time need to be the large issues however simply figuring out your function and accepting your function,” Cuffe advised media. “Having all people on the identical web page is what acquired us there. Principally carry Syracuse again to the highest,” Cuffe stated. “Again to the place they’re imagined to be.”
“It was so enjoyable simply having the ability to be on the workforce with folks like Christian Braun, Ochai Agbaji, Dave McCormack, even Remy Martin too and a guard that’s there proper now Dajuan Harris,” he continued. “Jalen Wilson’s within the league proper now. These are the gamers I appeared as much as simply because they’re older and so they formed the way in which I have a look at the sport.”
Getting onto the court docket this season is not going to be any simpler for Cuffe than it was at Kansas. He sits behind Judah Mintz on the depth chart, the most effective factors guards within the nation, and can battle with Likelihood Westry for minutes with the second unit. To make issues worse, Cuffe missed the workforce’s summer season exercises as a consequence of a damaged hand he sustained in June. Nonetheless, figuring out Cuffe and his persistent work ethic, the Kansas basketball switch will discover his means onto the court docket a technique or one other.
The Orange open their season with a house recreation towards New Hampshire at 6:00 p.m. CT tonight.
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