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Syracuse forward Benny Williams will return to Syracuse for his junior season, his dad, Ben, told syracuse.com. Williams, who averaged 7.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in a turbulent sophomore year, was recruited by head coach Adrian Autry from St. Andrew’s Episcopal High School in Bowie, Maryland as a five-star recruit.

Williams started at small forward in each game of the season until a Jan. 28 road matchup with Virginia Tech. A victim of former head coach Jim Boeheim’s quick hook, Williams had played 20 minutes in the loss against North Carolina the previous game, turning in just four points and two rebounds while committing three fouls. He took a personal day for Syracuse’s game against then-No. 6 Virginia after getting benched against the Hokies, returning the following day to practice.

He, along with the rest of the forwards on the Orange, drew ire from Boeheim for their lack of willingness to get inside the paint and rebound, though Williams ended up grabbing 29 rebounds throughout the Orange’s final four games. Williams came off the bench for Syracuse for the next five games before returning to the starting lineup for the final three regular season games and one Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament matchup against Wake Forest. He had 18 points, 11 rebounds and five steals in the final game of the year.

Williams improved his 3-point shooting from his freshman year, finishing the season going 19-for-48 from beyond the arc. He struggled at times with turnovers (29) and defending the edges of the 2-3 zone, spurring conversations of whether or not he would return for the 2023-24 season. He said after the final game that the decision was going to be up to him and his dad. 

With Judah Mintz and Joe Girard III entering the NBA draft process, and Girard also entering the transfer portal, Williams will likely return as one of Syracuse’s veteran players with the most experience. Symir Torrence has also entered the transfer portal, and Jesse Edwards has yet to give a decision on whether or not he’ll return for next year.