JJ Starling’s college run isn’t over after all.
The 6-foot-4 guard from Baldwinsville has committed to Buffalo for a fifth season, according to a report first from Matt Zenitz and Chris Hummer of 247sports.com and later confirmed by a person familiar with Starling’s situation.
Starling’s path has already zigzagged through two programs. He spent one season at Notre Dame before finishing the next three at Syracuse, where he appeared to be done with college basketball.
Then came the California lawsuit, Glancey vs. NCAA, which he joined last month alongside former Santa Clara player Sophie Glancey as the named plaintiff.
That case is at the center of the ongoing 5-in-5 debate, with the athletes involved - all basketball players - pushing for another season of college sports. They are grouped together because they did not enter the transfer portal last spring, believing their eligibility had already run out. Along with the extra season, they were also seeking a new transfer window.
A temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction in the case made 73 athletes, including Starling, eligible to play college basketball in 2026-27. The long-term outcome won’t be decided until hearings scheduled for Sept. 29 and Dec. 3.
Starling’s final season at Syracuse was uneven. He averaged 10.9 points in 30 games, shooting 41.9% from the field, 28.9% from 3-point range and 54.8% at the free throw line. As Syracuse’s disappointing season wound down, he struggled, and the 10.9 points marked a college career low.
Now he gets a shot to change the storyline in a new place.
Buffalo head coach George Halcovage III took over in 2023 after working as an assistant to Villanova’s Jay Wright. The Bulls went 17-15 last season and finished 7-11 in the MAC.
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