Thorpe’s Syracuse career lasted only six games as he departs for “personal reasons.”
Out of nowhere, just 24 hours before the Syracuse Orange take on the No. 2 Kansas Jayhawks in Miami, the team announced that Geno Thorpe has departed the program.
Thorpe, a graduate transfer, was brought in to solidify Syracuse’s depth at guard. Jim Boeheim hoped that if anybody went down, he’d be able to step in seamlessly. Then days before the Orange vs. White Scrimmage in the preseason, he suffered an ankle injury and missed the first preseason game. Since then he’d been focusing on recovering and getting his burst back, something Boeheim was looking for.
Thorpe transferred from USF, using his remaining year of eligibility to join the Orange. He selected Syracuse over Pittsburgh and Seton Hall. He started this season 14-of-38, 10-of-24 outside the arc.
Now he walks away from the program, averaging a hair over 14 minutes and six points per game. The Orange started the season 6-0, emphasizing three-guard lineups to move Tyus Battle closer to the rim on defense. Thorpe was a big part of that, and now only Frank Howard, Howard Washington and Battle remain as rotation guards.
Thorpe previously left the Penn State basketball program in 2015, saying that the school was “not the right fit.” He said he had no problem with head coach Pat Chambers, though he has been described as a fiery personality to play under, much like Boeheim.
Syracuse’s first significant matchup against Maryland only afforded him four minutes of action.
For now, there is no other comment from Syracuse Athletics other than Thorpe left for “personal reasons.”
Syracuse and Kansas tip-off at 5:30 p.m. ET tomorrow. We’ll update as (if) we know more.
