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Elijah Hughes Has Solid NBA Preseason Debut

The former Syracuse star participated in his first professional game on Saturday.
Mike McAllister|
Elijah Hughes Has Solid NBA Preseason Debut
Elijah Hughes Has Solid NBA Preseason Debut

Hours after the Syracuse Orange picked apart Boston College in the ACC opener, a former Syracuse star participated in his first NBA game. The Utah Jazz played their first preseason game of the year, and draft pick Elijah Hughes played 12 minutes off the bench. 

Hughes finished the game with nine points on 4-6 shooting including 1-3 from beyond the arc. He also added two rebounds and an assist. The Jazz won the game over the Phoenix Suns 119 to 105. 

Hughes is trying to make the roster after being selected in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft. He was taken by the New Orleans Pelicans and immediately traded to the Jazz. Hughes was an All ACC performer last year when he led the conference in scoring at over 19 points per game. He also had nearly five rebounds and over three assists per game as one of the better shooters and scorers in college basketball. 

After signing with East Carolina out of high school, Hughes transferred to Syracuse. He sat the entire 2017-18 season before becoming a starter in 2018-19. This past season was where he really shined and became the focal point of the offense. 

While Hughes had one more year of eligibility remaining, he elected to forego his final year in college in order to become a professional. His combination of size, ability to create his own shot, athleticism and outside shooting made him one of the more desirable prospects in the second round. 

Hughes and the Jazz are back in action on Monday when they face the Suns again. 

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Mike McAllister
MIKE MCALLISTER

Title: Publisher All Syracuse Education: Roberts Wesleyan College Location: Syracuse, New York Expertise: Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting.  EXPERIENCE Mike McAllister has been covering Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting for more than a decade. Mike's career started with his own free blog as a way to vent following sporting events. Shortly thereafter, a network of basketball sites called Coast 2 Coast Hoops asked him to run their Syracuse site. That site was called Nation of Orange, and Mike quickly established it as a go-to for Syracuse fans.  After running Nation of Orange for several months, a position with the Syracuse site on the Scout network became available. After one year as the recruiting expert with Cuse Nation, he was named the publisher. Mike oversaw the transition from Scout to 247Sports, and ran the site on that network for years.  Presented with the opportunity to join one of the biggest names in the sports journalism industry, Sports Illustrated, Mike jumped at the chance. All Syracuse was started from scratch by Mike and the Fan Nation team. It has now become a staple for Orange fans of various sports.  Mike has broken news on recruiting, Syracuse basketball and football team information and has established himself as the top recruiting inside in the market. He has appeared on local radio shows, television broadcasts, national radio shows and much more. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Information Management from Roberts Wesleyan College. 

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