Jonathan E. "JJ" Starling (born March 16, 2004) is an American college basketball player for the Syracuse Orange of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). He previously played for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

JJ Starling
No. 2 – Syracuse Orange
PositionPoint guard / shooting guard
LeagueAtlantic Coast Conference
Personal information
Born (2004-03-16) March 16, 2004 (age 20)
Syracuse, New York, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight206 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school
College
Career highlights and awards

Early life and high school career

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Starling grew up in Baldwinsville, New York and initially attended Charles W. Baker High School. As a sophomore, he averaged 28.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game and set the school's scoring record during his sophomore season.[1] Following the end of the school year, Starling transferred to La Lumiere School in La Porte, Indiana.[2] As a senior, Starling played in the Jordan Brand Classic and the McDonald's All-American Game.[3][4]

Recruiting

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Starling was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2022 class, according to major recruiting services. On October 12, 2021, he committed to playing college basketball for Notre Dame over offers from Duke, Northwestern, Stanford, and Syracuse.[5][6] He was the highest-rated player to commit to Notre Dame since Demetrius Jackson in 2013.[7]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
JJ Starling
PG / SG
Baldwinsville, NY La Lumiere School (IN) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Oct 12, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 91
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 22  247Sports: 22  ESPN: 19
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Notre Dame 2022 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  • "2022 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  • "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 20, 2022.

College career

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Starling enrolled at Notre Dame shortly after graduating high school and took part in the Fighting Irish's summer practices.[8][9] He entered his freshman season as a potential first-round selection in the 2023 NBA draft.[10][11] Starling averaged 11.2 points per game and was named the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) All-Freshman team. At the end of the season, he entered the NCAA transfer portal while also announcing that he would not be entering the 2023 NBA draft.[12]

Starling committed to transfer to Syracuse.[13]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022–23 Notre Dame 28 24 29.7 .421 .299 .638 2.8 1.1 .7 .3 11.2
2023–24 Syracuse 32 32 34.4 .458 .324 .714 3.2 1.9 .8 .2 13.3
Career 60 56 32.2 .442 .314 .675 3.0 1.5 .8 .2 12.3

References

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  1. ^ "Baldwinsville sophomore J.J. Starling breaks school's scoring record". The Post-Standard. January 10, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  2. ^ "Syracuse basketball target J.J. Starling leaving Baldwinsville for prep school in Indiana". The Post-Standard. July 10, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  3. ^ "Former Baldwinsville star JJ Starling named to 2022 Jordan Brand Classic". The Post-Standard. February 24, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  4. ^ "La Lumiere's JJ Starling a McDonald's All-American". The Times of Northwest Indiana. January 25, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  5. ^ "Baldwinsville's JJ Starling picks Notre Dame over Syracuse, Duke, others". The Post-Standard. October 12, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  6. ^ McAllister, Mike (October 12, 2021). "JJ Starling Commits to Notre Dame Over Syracuse, Others". SI.com. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  7. ^ Borzello, Jeff; Biancardi, Paul (October 12, 2021). "Notre Dame men's basketball lands JJ Starling, highest-ranked prospect since 2013". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  8. ^ James, Tyler (July 24, 2022). "Five-star guard JJ Starling smiling through summer transition to Notre Dame". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  9. ^ Byrne, Pete (July 25, 2022). "Freshman JJ Starling ready to step in for Irish basketball". WSBT.com. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  10. ^ Medcalf, Myron (October 28, 2022). "From Oklahoma to Southern Indiana, 32 teams that will surprise this season". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  11. ^ "NBA Draft Scouting Report: Notre Dame's JJ Starling". SI.com. September 27, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  12. ^ Crawford, Brad (March 13, 2023). "JJ Starling enters transfer portal: Notre Dame basketball freshman guard, former 5-star recruit leaving Irish". 247Sports. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  13. ^ Givony, Jonathan (March 14, 2023). "J.J. Starling says he'll join Syracuse in transfer from Notre Dame". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
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