Adrian Autry has never been one for clichés, but he’s got a few buzzwords that have become staples inside the Syracuse locker room. “Level five energy” is one of them - five guys on the floor, all locked in, all giving max effort.
Then there’s the “juicing station,” his nickname for the bench. Why?
Because they bring the juice. Simple as that.
But when Syracuse is in the thick of a game, Autry dials up the intensity. That’s when the court becomes “the ring.”
He wants his team to fight like they’re toe-to-toe with a heavyweight - think Tyson, think Mayweather. No flinching.
No backing down.
“We want to fight,” Autry said.
And every fighter needs their gloves - and if they win, some hardware to show for it.
That’s where Autry’s latest tradition comes in. In his third season leading Syracuse, he’s introduced the “Fighter of the Game” - a postgame honor that goes to the player (or coach) who best embodies the grit, toughness, and energy he demands.
The winner walks away with custom boxing gloves, stitched with their number and Syracuse’s team mantra: “The Orange Standard.” Along with the gloves comes a thick, gold chain that looks more like a championship belt than jewelry - a fitting prize for a team that wants to out-tough everyone they play.
Through the first four games of the season, the honor went to guys like Naithan George, Nate Kingz, William Kyle III, and the bench unit as a whole. But after Syracuse’s statement win over No.
13 Tennessee, the coaching staff flipped the script. This time, it wasn’t a player who earned the gloves - it was Coach Autry himself.
The moment was captured in a now-viral video on the team’s social media. Autry was set to announce the Fighter of the Game, but before he could speak, Syracuse’s director of strength and conditioning, Rob Harris, stepped in. He placed the championship chain around Autry’s neck as the team erupted, mobbing their coach in celebration.
“They look forward to it, they buy into it,” Autry said after the game. “And it’s a real cool thing to get rewarded.”
But this isn’t about who scores the most points. Autry knows the box score stars will get their shine.
What he wants to highlight are the guys who do the dirty work - the ones diving for loose balls, setting hard screens, playing defense like their life depends on it. The ones who, as he puts it, “aren’t usually written about.”
The idea for the award came during the preseason, part of a broader shift in identity for the Orange. Autry spent his first two years rebuilding from the tail end of Jim Boeheim’s legendary run.
That meant reshaping the roster with players who fit his vision - long, athletic, defense-first competitors. He brought in William Kyle III from the portal, added high-upside freshman Sadiq White, and got returning guard J.J.
Starling to buy in more on the defensive end.
The transformation extended to the weight room, too. Syracuse brought in Rob Harris to replace longtime strength coach Ryan Cabiles.
Harris didn’t waste time changing the culture. Over the summer, the team ran late-night conditioning sessions from the Carmelo K.
Anthony Center to the Dome. They sprinted hills at J.S.
Coyne Field. They trained not just to get stronger, but to get mentally tougher.
“It’s like a mental game,” Harris said back in October. “Sometimes I’ll give them a time that I know they can’t hit, just to see if they’ll keep fighting to get there.”
Freshman guard Kiyan Anthony - already known for his offensive skillset - has embraced the physicality. According to him, practices are intense enough that teammates “damn near fight each other every day.”
But it’s all love afterward. That edge, that toughness, is exactly what Syracuse has lacked in recent years.
Now, it’s becoming their identity.
Anthony also revealed that the “Fighter of the Game” concept isn’t just for game nights. It’s a daily award in practice, given to the guy who brings the most energy. So when the Orange knocked off Tennessee and snapped a three-game skid, the team decided it was time to reward the man behind the scenes - the one who never stopped believing, never stopped pushing.
William Kyle III, one of the team’s vocal leaders, said it best: “Coach was the most deserving of that prize.” He credited Autry’s relentless preparation - the film sessions, the game plans - and said it was on the players to finally execute.
Sadiq White echoed the sentiment. “We fed off his energy from start to finish.”
White, just a few games into his college career, already sees the Fighter of the Game as more than just a gimmick. To him, it’s a symbol of the brotherhood this team is building.
Against Tennessee, Syracuse took some big punches - but they never hit the mat. They kept swinging, and they landed the final blow.
“In anything in life, you got to be able to fight,” Autry said. “Good times, bad times, you got to keep fighting.”
Right now, Syracuse isn’t just talking about toughness - they’re living it. And for the first time in a long time, the Orange are starting to look like a team that’s ready to go all 12 rounds.