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Adrian Autry on Year One goals at Syracuse: “We want to get back to our standard.”

Adrian Autry has yet to coach a game as Syracuse’s head coach, but he’s already completely focused on bringing the Orange back to national relevance.

When asked Monday on the College Hoops Today Podcast what his goals were for his first season as Jim Boeheim’s successor, Autry — who’s served as an assistant on Syracuse’s staff since 2011 and the Orange’s associate head coach since 2016 — answered emphatically.

“Getting back to our standard,” Autry said. “Winning. Playing exciting basketball. Getting up and down. Sharing the basketball. The standard is 20 wins, 21 wins. Playing together and playing the style of basketball that we’re working on now.”

That style may not completely resemble what Syracuse fans are used to over the past 40 years.

Autry also said Monday on the College Hoops Today Podcast — with a laugh — that the Orange may play less of Boeheim’s vintage 2-3 zone defense moving forward.

“The zone has obviously been an iconic defense for Syracuse,” Autry said. “But in today’s game, the game has evolved and I think you have to be more versatile. We’ll be able to mix it up and play both — man-to-man and zone.”

The Orange are a combined 33-32 over the past two seasons and have missed the last two NCAA Tournaments.

Reinforcements are needed and Autry knows it.

Two of Syracuse’s top three scorers — Joe Girard and Jesse Edwards — entered the transfer portal while Judah Mintz is an early entrant for the 2023 NBA Draft. Edwards announced his commitment to West Virginia on Sunday.

Securing a commitment from Notre Dame transfer J.J. Starling (11.2 points) adds perimeter insurance if Mintz doesn’t return to school, but more firepower will need to be added if the Orange are going to compete for an NCAA Tournament berth in 2024.

“We need another big and another guard,” Autry said.

Syracuse hasn’t missed three straight NCAA Tournaments since the early 1970s.

Leftovers