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Syracuse forward Quincy Guerrier will enter his name into the transfer portal while still testing the pre-NBA draft process, he announced Friday night via Twitter.

The Daily Orange confirmed March 29 that Guerrier had planned to test the pre-draft waters, but he still hadn’t constructed a concrete plan at the time because of the uncertain timeline surrounding events such as the NBA Combine.

“This decision has definitely not been an easy one,” Guerrier said in a graphic he tweeted, “and I cannot thank my family at Syracuse enough for their support the past two years.”

In his sophomore season at Syracuse, Guerrier averaged 13.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while starting at the power forward spot, as Bourama Sidibe was injured for most of the year. He finished with a 49.3 field goal percentage and shot 31.1% from beyond the arc after making just 3-of-24 3-pointers the previous year — a rise fueled by offseason shot adjustments.

That allowed him to transition from the Orange’s sixth-man to a regular in their starting lineup, helping lead their run to the Sweet 16. He had seven double-doubles by the end of January and scored a career-high 27 points against Buffalo on Dec. 19. During that time, he started to appear in various mock drafts, but he fell out of most after scoring single-digits in five of Syracuse’s final 10 games.

“I want to thank Quincy Guerrier for all he has done for our program in the time he has been at Syracuse University,” Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said in a statement. “I wish him the best.”

Guerrier is one of seven players Syracuse will lose from its 2020-21 roster that finished 18-10 overall and 9-7 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Woody Newton (Oklahoma State), Kadary Richmond (Seton Hall), Robert Braswell (Charlotte) and John Bol Ajak (unannounced) all entered the transfer portal, while Alan Griffin declared for the draft and signed with an agent. Marek Dolezaj also announced he wouldn’t use his extra year of eligibility and return for a fifth season.

Ibrahim Appiah, Guerrier’s high school coach at Thetford Academy, said March 29 that the two hadn’t yet talked about Guerrier entering the portal if he didn’t continue with the draft. Guerrier had just landed after Syracuse’s season-ending loss to Houston in the NCAA Tournament, and he didn’t want to make a decision based on emotions or what other players did.

“We’re going to assess what needs to be assessed,” Appiah said, “but as far as even going anywhere else, it’s not even our thought process right now. The thought process right now is (to) focus on testing the waters.”

Over the last month, that’s changed. Guerrier said in his Twitter graphic that he’s “spent time reflecting.” And it’s led him to the transfer portal — where two of his three possible replacements on SU’s current roster emerged from, too — in search of a possible destination to help him take final steps toward the NBA draft if he doesn’t sign with an agent this year.

Published on April 30, 2021 at 7:33 pm

Contact Andrew: arcrane@syr.edu | @CraneAndrew