Coming into his third season, Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry has something new in his bag

Media day tends to have good vibes every year for the Syracuse basketball program. It makes sense, as the day is very low stress with it being the only time the team will see the media other than after a game and the optimism of a fresh season is laid out in front of everyone.

Head coach Adrian Autry was in a pretty good mood as he handled questions from the media at the podium, be they about how his roster was constructed, the expectations for returnees Donnie Freeman and J.J. Starling, or the impact of some fresh faces.

Approaching his third season steering the basketball program he played for, Autry was also asked questions about his first two teams, specifically how he wanted his team to play man-to-man defense and how this year’s roster was better prepared to do that than his first two. The players are bigger, stronger, and faster, which should help them match what Autry envisions.

And that vision allowed Autry to be something he may not have truly been previously as the head coach: quietly confident.

Not overbearing, but a cool, quiet sense of knowing

While he hedged his bets with a couple of his answers, those made sense. While acknowledging the team is much deeper from a simple talent perspective than last year’s team, Autry noted that the team will need to stay healthy. It is a fair statement, as the next time he coaches a game against another school with Freeman and Starling in uniform will be one day shy of ten months from the last time.

Autry also acknowledged that the team’s defensive improvement was still something not guaranteed. At the same time, he cited that the buy-in was there from the players, which is the first step toward defensive improvement from any team, much less one that finished the previous season outside KenPom’s top 150 in adjusted defensive efficiency.

The roster gives Autry good reason to feel positive about this coming season

Knowing the hand he has to play this season, though, allows for that confidence to be there. Starling is an established scorer and Freeman was able to improve his understanding of the game while injured the second half of last season. Nait George is an accomplished ACC point guard and Nate Kingz could be a knockdown shooter.

William Kyle III and Ibrahim Souare are a pair of active big men who can backstop the defense. Sadiq White and Kiyan Anthony can be instant impact performers as freshmen, possibly being specialists at opposite ends of the hardwood. Autry cited White’s mentality and tenacity on defense and Anthony’s offensive talent, but expects them both to contribute on both ends of the floor.

Those eight players alone have more talent than last year’s full roster. That makes sense, too, as some of the brainpower added behind the coaching staff allowed for the development of a plan to build a roster more to Autry’s desires than last year’s assemblage.

It's not going to be an easy trip, though

That all makes Autry’s job harder this coming season. While that sounds counterintuitive due to the significantly improved roster, heightened expectations are following that talent around the hardwood. The average expert’s opinion notes the quality of the roster and tacks some weighty words on to it: “talented enough to make the tournament”.

That only makes Autry’s quiet confidence a little more impressive. The road has been bumpy the last two years and melding another new roster will provide another challenge. But the goal remains the same as always and the coach noted it in his words with maybe a hint of defiance.

“I want to make the tournament every year. I’m not here just to be mediocre. This place is where I grew up at, I learned a lot, I raised my family here. I know how much this program means to the community.”

Despite being a generally quiet and soft-spoken person, you could tell Autry meant every word of that answer. Confidence.

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