WATCH: Former Syracuse Forward Elijah Hughes Hits Half-Court Buzzer Beater
Former Syracuse star Elijah Hughes had a highlight reel play Friday night reminiscent of his days in Orange. Hughes is playing for the Salt Lake City Stars in the NBA G-League, and drilled a shot beyond half court at the end of the first half. Here is the play:
When Hughes was at Syracuse, he had a full-court shot to end the half against Duke. You can see that play in the video at the top of the page.
Earlier in the day, Syracuse women's basketball star Emily Engstler hit a half-court shot to beat the buzzer at the end of the third quarter in the ACC Tournament Quarterfinals against Florida State. Syracuse would go on to win a game winning layup by Kamilla Cardoso as time expired.
Hughes was selected by the Utah Jazz in the 2020 NBA Draft. He spent a bit of time on the Jazz roster before suffering an injury. In six NBA games, Hughes averaged 2.7 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.5 assists in a little over six minutes. Now he is in the G-League looking to get a call-up. In four G-League games, Hughes is averaging 14.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists.
Out of high school, Hughes signed with East Carolina. After a strong freshman campaign, he transferred to Syracuse. He spent three years with the Orange, playing two full seasons after sitting out a year due to NCAA transfer rules. During those two season, Hughes averaged 16.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. That includes the 2019-20 season when Hughes led the ACC in scoring.
That year was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic. In Hughes last game for Syracuse, Hughes scored 27 points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished out two assists and had two steals in an 81-53 win over North Carolina in the ACC Tournament.
