While it probably was not much of a surprise that the homegrown J.J. Starling is staying in Syracuse, it was a big win when it was officially announced that Donnie Freeman would return to the Orange for his sophomore season.

Starling’s return brings an element of certainty to SU next season, as he led the team in scoring this past season, as well as minutes played and free throws, both made and attempted. The junior will almost certainly return as the starting shooting guard, as the program will look to bring in a starting point guard to complement him in the backcourt.

That shooting guard role is one much more suited for Starling, as he proved this past season that he is much more of a scorer than a set-up man after starting 14 games at the two and a dozen at the point. His return, combined with the arrival of the incoming Kiyan Anthony, almost certainly played a large part in Elijah Moore’s decision to depart the program.

Freeman’s decision to return is a big win for Syracuse. His combination of size and skill, along with his athleticism, make him a tantalizing prospect who has just scratched the surface of the player he can become. That combination makes Freeman’s presence as one of three returning players (expecting Petar Majstorovic will also return) extremely important as a building block for next season as the roster will churn a ton.

While his injury-shortened freshman season featured a mix of peaks and valleys, the better games were more frequent as he gained experience. In his first five games, Freeman shot 42.2 percent from the field, including just 3-of-15 from 3-point range, while averaging 9.8 points and 8.6 rebounds in 25.2 minutes per game.

In the last nine games before injury sidelined him, Freeman’s shooting marks jumped sharply to 54.4 percent overall and 42.9 percent from beyond the arc, including going 9-for-17 from deep in the last six contests. He also averaged 15.3 points and 7.6 rebounds in 25.6 minutes per game in those contests, including logging double-doubles against ACC opponents Notre Dame and Florida State.

Freeman is not a polished player on both ends, but logged the highest defensive rebounding rate on the Orange last season. As with most young players, his play on defense should improve with on-court experience, although a large part of that will depend on developing chemistry with his new teammates who are to be determined.

In any case, these announcements made for a good day for SU. Freeman and Starling are a solid base for the program to work from as they look to fill a lot of roster spots to complement them.

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