The lefty has continued to grow in his first season in Central New York.
When Syracuse University guard Nate Kingz hit the game-winning layup on Saturday afternoon against Southern Methodist University (SMU) at the JMA Wireless Dome, it represented more than just a big shot in a much-needed victory.
It represented continued growth in Kingz's game and showed his evolution as a player.
An excellent three-point shooter who transferred in from Oregon State, Kingz struggled with his jumper early in the campaign. Then, he found that, and now, he's showcasing his ability to get to the basket as well.
Kingz credits conversations with coaches throughout the year as helping bring out the variety in his game.
"I'd probably say just, you know, conversating with coaches and figuring out ways to get downhill or get open and stuff like that. So just having those regular conversations, because early in the season, I didn't express it too much. But yeah, ever since then, it's been good."
About Kingz
A senior from Oregon, Kingz is averaging 11.7 ppg this season to go along with 3.9 rebounds.
After not scoring in double-figures at all from Dec. 31-Jan. 13 (four games), he's been in double-figures in seven of his last nine contests. He had 28 against Notre Dame on Jan. 31 and had 27 against Cal on Wednesday night.
He's shooting 36.7 percent from three and 48 percent from the floor.
What his teammates are saying
After the game on Saturday, Kiyan Anthony spoke about the thought process on the game's final play, saying that the team wanted to get Kingz moving to his left where he's particularly effective. You can see those comments in the video player at the top of this post.
What's next
The Orange are headed for a brutal stretch: They will play at No. 4 Duke on Feb. 16 (Monday) before coming back home on Feb. 21 (Saturday) against No. 11 North Carolina. UNC just announced that star Caleb Wilson will be out for weeks with injury, making things slightly easier on Red Autry's team. The Orange were beaten by UNC just last week.
Syracuse has five regular season games left. They will use those five games and the ACC Tournament to try to buoy their distant NCAA Tournament hopes. The Orange haven't been to March Madness since 2020-21.
If they are going to have a chance this year, it seems almost positive that they'll need to beat at least one of Duke or UNC.
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