Redshirt sophomore guard Chance Westry made his long-awaited Syracuse debut during Tuesday night’s lopsided loss at Tennessee. With 2:46 remaining and Syracuse trailing 86-61, Westry checked into the game, marking his first appearance in nearly two years.
“Chance has been working. He’s gotten himself in better shape,” head coach Adrian Autry said postgame. “He probably can’t go for long stretches yet.”
Westry joined Syracuse in the summer of 2023 after transferring from Auburn, where his freshman season was cut short by a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery. Unfortunately, a preseason injury to his other knee sidelined him for the entirety of Syracuse’s 2023-24 campaign.
Cleared for basketball activities over the summer, Westry returned to the court for summer sessions but faced another setback due to an illness in the preseason. Now back in action, the versatile 6-foot-6 guard—capable of playing point guard, shooting guard, and small forward—recorded an assist to Elijah Moore during his brief stint on the floor at Tennessee.
The timing of Westry’s return comes as Syracuse deals with a significant loss: starting shooting guard and leading scorer JJ Starling is out indefinitely with a broken left hand. Without Starling, the Orange are left thin at the guard positions, particularly behind starting point guard Jaquan Carlos.
“We don’t have a ton of ball-handlers now,” Autry noted. “That’s why getting Chance up to speed is critical for us moving forward.”
