Taking the Good with the Bad: Virginia Tech-Syracuse Scouting Notes
Jacob LeRea shares his in-person thoughts of an ugly game between Virginia Tech and Syracuse and the meaning within the margins, with thoughts on some 2026 NBA Draft prospects.
One of the perks of being a student at one of college basketball’s most historically famed programs, Syracuse University, is the talent I’ve been able to witness live throughout my four years. I had last Wednesday’s matchup against the Virginia Tech Hokies circled for a while now, as I’d get to see Neoklis Avdalas on full display. While it wasn’t the best outing for Avdalas and most of the game’s premier prospects, it provided valuable insight into how some of these prospects deal with adversity when execution fails.
Now, for those worried about potential bias, let me be clear: my relationship with Syracuse basketball is kind of a love-hate thing. I’ll always root for them, but lately, there’s been more to frown upon than smile. In other words, it’s toxic. If anything, I’ll be more critical with my evaluations of these guys, considering I’ve seen them all at their best and worst.
Neoklis Avdalas - Virginia Tech - 6’9 215-pound Freshman Guard
Neoklis Avdalas was this game’s headline act, and probably the prospect I was third most excited about seeing in person this year (behind Nate Ament and Caleb Wilson). Unfortunately, I caught the Greek freshman in a lackluster performance.
Avdalas arrived to layup lines about halfway through warmups (for whatever weird reason). Upon first glance, Avdalas is much bulkier than he appears on film. I also got an up-close look at his shooting mechanics, which were much smoother than anticipated.
After converting a tough lay on the first possession of the game, Avdalas went cold in the first half. Syracuse forced Avdalas to play at a fast pace, something he’s struggled with throughout the year. He was visibly uncomfortable this half, smoking several bunnies he usually converts and missing open threes. Still, what stood out to me right away was how smooth a ball-handler he is. Avdalas does a terrific job keeping his handle tight, shielding the ball, and keeping a low center of gravity, all the more impressive considering his 6’9” frame. Despite his shotmaking struggles in this half, he kept Tech’s offense flowing and made all the right passes.
Avdalas notably ramped up his aggression in the second half, with both good and bad results. His defensive performance throughout the game was solid, especially in the second half. Many of my concerns with Avdalas have been based on his lack of physicality, but he absorbed contact much better than I anticipated. Avdalas did a great job forcing Syracuse’s shot-makers into awkward angles, showing sharp footwork. While only recording one steal, Avdalas closed off gaps at a nice rate, disrupting the flow of the Syracuse offense.
Offensively, Avdalas kept breaking down the defense by consistently breaking into the paint. While his shots weren’t falling off paint touches, he was still able to positively affect the offense, making a ton of advanced reads, from corner skip passes to finding baseline cutters. He’s got a special skill to get two feet in the paint and process the game at an intense speed. Once again, he was visibly shaken when he sped up, but he limited the damage, committing only one bad pass the entire game, which led to his only turnover. Avdalas effectively drew fouls, but his free-throw woes continued to haunt him, missing two critical ones down the stretch. The shotmaking was somewhat disappointing, especially at the rim and off the bounce, but that’s been a common theme for him this season. Despite what the stat sheet may say, Avdalas still found ways to affect the game in a positive manner—a key for projecting his NBA future.
Donnie Freeman - Syracuse - 6’9 205-pound Sophomore Forward
The Donnie Freeman experience has been an absolute roller coaster—both as a fan and a scout. Last week’s outing against designated ACC bottom-feeder Boston College was a rough one, where Donnie recorded seven turnovers. Freeman offset those turnovers with some clutch time buckets. This time around, there was no excuse for Freeman, playing his worst basketball to date.
Let’s start with the positives. Freeman’s three-point stroke has become significantly smoother. While only going 2-for-6 from beyond the arc, the majority of those shots were clean looks. Both of those threes came within the first half, establishing a nice rhythm for the Syracuse offense early on. His rebounding continues to be tantalizing, as he continually chases after boards. He did a nice job of leveraging his length against some hefty Virginia Tech frontcourt pieces to end possessions. Rebounding’s one of the most translatable skills for an NBA prospect and remains a central selling point in Freeman’s game. Speaking of battling against the Hokies’ frontcourt pieces, Freeman was sufficient playing one-on-one defense in the post. He refused to get pushed off his spots, absorbed contact, and forced some tough lays. Unfortunately, that’s where the positives end.
A common theme for Freeman this season has been making questionable decisions on both ends of the floor, and they were glaringly obvious on Wednesday. Freeman is supremely skilled, but the shot selection is baffling. While he was able to stand his ground defensively, Freeman struggled to outmuscle on offense. This resulted in stagnant offense as Freeman would often get the ball in the post and settle for a contested post fade. He missed many easy buckets, only finishing one layup the entire game. Another common theme for Donnie was his poor offensive spacing. One specific moment that caught my eye occurred after an ATO: William Kyle III found himself with the ball on the elbow, extended. Rather than space out, Freeman posted up as close as possible to Kyle, effectively shrinking the floor. After receiving the ball, Freeman was swarmed by help defenders, put up and missed another contested post fade. Additionally, Freeman found himself late on actions, with the entire coaching staff at one point screaming “DONNIE” after he wasn't in the right spot. The turnovers remained an issue, with three out of four coming off forced passes. What irked me the most with Donnie was his off-ball defense. He was consistently late for his help-side rotations and failed to hedge successfully numerous times, which will be exploited at the next level. The final straw for Donnie was letting up a critical rebound off an Avdalas missed free throw down three with 13 seconds left, ultimately costing Cuse the game.
I’m not totally out on Donnie as a prospect just yet, as I said earlier, he possesses immense talent. His overall decision-making on both ends of the court will have to be refined to solidify himself as a draft pick.
Two Way/Long Term Hits:
Amani Hansberry is super intriguing. He imposes his 6’8”, 240-pound build with force, whether that’s bullying his way into the paint or using his size to force opposition into tough shots. Hansberry does all the connective stuff super well, being a sufficient passer from several areas of the court, finishing easy buckets, and comfortably switching on defense. The cherry on top is his decision-making, as he rarely made mistakes in this game. Everything with him was done in a timely and efficient manner, being an easy draw for NBA teams. Definitely a guy I’ll be doing a deeper dive into in the near future.
I am the self-proclaimed leader of the William Kyle III fan club—just ask my friends. Kyle’s one of the best athletes in the country, with incredible verticality that makes him a destructive above-the-rim force. His weakside defense continued to impress in this game, consistently deterring rim attacks. Most of his offense is derived from easy looks around the rim, although he did have a strong slam after putting the ball on the floor with less than three minutes in the first half. He was less effective in the second half, however, as VT forced Kyle off his spots in the post and away from the rim, requiring quick decisions. Will Kyle is an easy Top 100 guy for me, and there’s no doubt a team will take a flyer on his athletic prowess.
Nate Kingz may not be on a single big board, but I’ll be damned if he doesn’t get his moment in the spotlight. He’s been the Orange’s best player in conference play with an intriguing offensive skillset. Kingz plays with a nice rhythm, thriving scoring off the bounce the past few games. He’s got soft outside touch paired with a quick lefty release. Out of anyone on Cuse, Kingz was the most effective at speeding up Avdalas, practically glued to him at all times. Why he doesn’t play more minutes continues to baffles me, but this is a guy deserving of more praise.
I knew Tobi Lawal was a freak athlete coming into this game, but seeing it live is a different story. The entire student section’s jaws dropped after he threw it down in warmups, jumping higher than anyone I’ve ever seen in person. His whole game is based on using his athleticism to his advantage, whether that’s banging down low or using his incredible leaping ability to deter shots. The quick-twitch ball fakes, combined with his immense strength, allow Lawal to absorb contact effectively. He’s got apparent limitations being an undersized big. Lawal gets visibly shaken when the game speeds up, leading to forced shots and loose balls. He also refuses to take outside shots, no matter how open he is.
Kiyan Anthony struggled against Virginia Tech. Look, Kiyan is an incredible shotmaker. He’s a natural scorer who knocked down some tough movement jumpers and drew a plethora of fouls. His bag runs deep, employing an arsenal of jab steps and ball fakes to create separation. Remind you of anyone? Anyways, my main concerns with Kiyan remained evident in this game: he settles for difficult shots (passed up multiple wide-open threes), and his defense needs a ton of polishing. Teams attack him on defense because he lacks adequate footspeed (again, remind you of anyone?), and he tends to be late on off-ball rotations. Kiyan’s going to need multiple years of college hoops to get both his body and mind ready for the NBA, but there’s probably not a college hooper I’m rooting for more than him.
Christian Gurdak *checks notes* may be the greatest offense rebounder ever. Word-for-word what I wrote down. I’m only kidding (partially), but Gurdak was one of my favorite role players I’ve seen all year. His job and one job only is to create second-chance opportunities, and he excels at it. There was a noticeable difference in VT’s rebounding game when he was off the floor. Keep doing the little things, Christian.
Sadiq White Jr. remains a very intriguing long-term project. Similar to his other games, White Jr. came out guns blazing, full of energy. He’s a hyper athletic rim finisher that stays active on the defensive end, using his athletic tools and length to his advantage. He was extremely servicable guarding Avdalas throughout the game and took him out of a handful of plays. I attribute his mistakes to freshman growing pains, such as over-fouling and moving screens. The overall touch and short-roll passing game’s going to have to drastically improve to be a serious NBA prospect down the line, but he has a legitimate foundation to build on.