Andrew White of Nebraska will play his final year of college basketball in Syracuse, giving them one of the most lethal backcourts in the ACC.
Andrew White has endured a difficult college basketball career. He started in Kansas, but barely saw playing time there, then transferred to Nebraska. As an undergraduate transfer, he was forced to sit out in 2014-15, but last season, he showed the Cornhusker faithful what he was capable of. White averaged 16.6 points per game, and shot 48.8% from the field, and 41.2% from three-point range.
White is entering his final year in the NCAA, and will play it in Syracuse for Jim Boeheim’s penultimate season. CBS Sports was the first to report it:
BREAKING: Nebraska grad transfer Andrew White told @CBSSports that he has committed to Syracuse. Immediately eligible.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) August 28, 2016
White later confirmed it himself:
Excited to join Syracuse Basketball🍊🍊 pic.twitter.com/Idiri7bm6H
— Andrew J. White III (@AndrewWhite03) August 28, 2016
Boeheim may be leaving soon, but he has proven this offseason that he is as savvy of a recruiter as ever. Syracuse stole Tyus Battle from Michigan back in July, while Andrew White is the second graduate transfer to join the program along with John Gillon.
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While Syracuse made it to the Final Four last year, they saw the departures of Trevor Cooney, Malachi Richardson, and Michael Gbinije. The latter two were especially important in Syracuse’s unlikely run, but they look to have replaced their production already. Cooney and Richardson are both guards, so the backcourt needed to be addressed.
As luck would have it, both Gillon and White shore up that part of the court. And with Tyler Lydon already on the team, it looks like the backcourt will be a strength for Syracuse again. White’s strong shooting numbers make him valuable both as a starter or off the bench. Elsewhere for Syracuse, Battle can also log minutes at the two, although he’ll likely slot in at the three. Tyler Roberson and DaJuan Coleman will likely comprise the frontcourt.
Duke and North Carolina may be the perennial ACC powerhouses, but the depth in that conference is tremendous. Syracuse’s new additions will put them right in the mix with the ACC’s elite, as they try to prove that their run last year was no fluke.