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Timing in basketball is everything, especially for role players. Opportunities are limited and every shot or decision can be put under a microscope. So, it’s important to make your chances count. Just ask Kyle Cuffe Jr.

Early on this season, Cuffe barely saw the floor and the chances for him to make an impact were few and far between. He didn’t play in four of Syracuse’s first five games. When he did appear, the minutes were sparse. He totaled under 10 in all but one of his first six appearances.

“You never know if it’s going to be your time or not, but the things that you can control (are) your energy and how hard you’re gonna work … If it’s against me and you to get to a loose ball, I’m gonna get to it first,” Cuffe said.

Cuffe stayed patient and his role has increased over the past month. Looking at Cuffe’s numbers on paper, nothing is eye-catching. He averages 5.7 points per game on 34.8% shooting overall and 28.9% from 3. Cuffe doesn’t play anywhere near starter minutes at 13.7 per game. He couldn’t care less. For him, those stats are arbitrary. The most important thing is not that he’s playing, but he’s playing more.

The turning point for Cuffe came after Syracuse’s loss to Georgetown on Dec. 14, where he played just four minutes. In seven of SU’s eight games since, Cuffe’s played at least 14 minutes and reached double figures five times. On Dec. 31 against Wake Forest, he set career highs in points (14) and minutes (36).

Even when Cuffe wasn’t playing consistently, Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry couldn’t ignore him. The second-year head coach noticed how hard Cuffe practiced and the work he put in individually. No matter if he was playing or not, Cuffe stayed the course. It’s a trait Autry doesn’t see much in college players today.

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“A lot of times in today’s world, players don’t get to that point, and that’s why I’m proud of a guy like Kyle Cuffe,” Autry said after SU’s win over Boston College on Jan. 11. “It wasn’t going his way, but he made me play him by the way he approached practice and the way he came to practice every day. When he got the opportunity, he was ready to go.”

Autry’s comments came after a marquee second-half performance from Cuffe against BC. The point guard spent the first 10:20 of the second half on the bench, but Syracuse needed a spark trailing by seven. Cuffe immediately provided one. He was scoreless until he added a quick four points, part of a 10-2 burst to help Syracuse tie the game.

With the game level at 56-56, Cuffe had the ball in his hands. Joshua Beadle went under an Eddie Lampkin Jr. screen and Cuffe confidently stepped into a 3-pointer. A minute later, he was wide open in the corner for another triple. Cuffe held his follow-through, already knowing the result when it left his hand.

They were two of the biggest shots of Cuffe’s collegiate career. He finished with 10 points to help Syracuse win 79-71.

“I just feel like I wasn’t thinking about anything,” Cuffe said postgame, “I was just trying to provide an energy spark for my teammates.”

Most recently, he went 10-for-10 from the free throw line in Syracuse’s comeback win over Notre Dame on Saturday. It’s been the most consistent stretch of Cuffe’s career, one that’s never built much momentum.

Cuffe started at Kansas, where he came in as a four-star recruit after playing at Blair Academy in New Jersey. Two knee injuries in back-to-back years derailed any potential success in Lawrence, and he entered the transfer portal following the 2023 season. He chose Syracuse in May 2023 but broke his hand during a June summer workout, which kept him out for a month.

Kyle Cuffe Jr. is averaging career-bests in points (5.7), rebounds (1.2), assists (0.7) and minutes (12.7) thus far into the 2024-25 season. Aaron Hammer | Staff Photographer

The injury didn’t cause him to miss any games, though it was another bump in the road. Cuffe never established himself in his first year at SU. He only scored over 10 points once and attempted more than five shots in a game three times in 29 appearances. Cuffe went through long stretches where he was an afterthought and seen as just another guy.

For some, the portal could’ve been an option again. The thought never crossed Cuffe’s mind. He was committed to making a name for himself at Syracuse. It’s a mentality instilled in him by his father, Kyle Cuffe Sr., a former St. John’s forward from 2000-04.

“He didn’t come (to Syracuse) to jump ship,” Cuffe Sr. said. “He came here to work and to compete here.”

Cuffe Sr. played before the era of hopping from school to school and wouldn’t let his son fall victim to that. He gave Cuffe one piece of advice heading into the offseason: start your day earlier. Cuffe took that to heart. Each weekday, he set his alarm for 3:45 a.m.

It wasn’t difficult for Cuffe to get up that early. All he needed was one alarm and his day would start. Cuffe stayed with his grandmother in the Bronx to be closer to trainers including Derrick Bell and Durand Scott in New York City. It made it easier than driving in from Toms River, New Jersey, every day.

With Bell, Cuffe lifted weights and did fast-twitch muscle exercises from 4:45-7 a.m. He returned home to eat breakfast — typically scrambled eggs with vegetables mixed in — and rest his body before a basketball-heavy workout with Scott after 10 a.m. Then, he had another session with Scott in the early afternoon. Depending on the day, Cuffe finished with open runs at night or one-on-ones against anyone.

Cuffe exhausted all his options. The main basketball work came during his sessions with Scott, a former forward at the University of Miami and Rice High School (New York), Cuffe Sr.’s alma mater.

Scott emphasized freedom and creativity, especially when he worked with Cuffe on ball handling in the morning. Scott said the drills can get repetitive, so he mixed it up. He instructed Cuffe to do “more authentic moves” rather than having him dribble through cones every time. He used pads so Cuffe could manipulate his body and create balance and stability in his core while dribbling.

Scott gave Cuffe a proverbial blank canvas and let him paint whatever he wanted. Some days, Cuffe’s strokes were broad and defined. Others, they were dark because he might’ve woken up on the wrong side of the bed, Scott joked. No matter what, Cuffe kept painting each day.

“Sometimes it’s tough to put all those things together when you’re preparing for something that you don’t know the future of,” Scott said. “I think he’s rewarding himself this season.”

Consistency was the key to the afternoon workouts, where Cuffe worked on his shooting. There was less movement, focusing more on getting Cuffe in a rhythm. Scott had Cuffe make as many shots as he could during timed intervals. Sometimes it was five minutes, others 10. Cuffe got a point for each shot he made and one subtracted for the ones he missed.

It was a rinse-repeat process for over a month. Cuffe rarely missed a day, and if he did, it’s because he exerted himself too hard the day prior.

It took time for Cuffe to see the fruits of his labor pay off this year. He remained patient and stuck to his guns. As a result, he’s gotten more chances to make his presence known. Cuffe doesn’t do anything flashy on the court, nor does he have to. He’ll never be seen as a star, yet he brings a scrappy urgency.

Players like Cuffe are needed, according to Autry. He said it’s gratifying to see a guy like Cuffe succeed because he knows there aren’t many players willing to tough it out when things aren’t going well. Cuffe did, and he’s benefited immensely as a result.

“You just gotta keep pushing yourself,” Cuffe said. “Things might not look the way you want, but you can always change your narrative. No matter what, no matter how bad it gets, you can always change it.”

Published on January 21, 2025 at 11:12 pm

Contact Zak: zakwolf784254@gmail.com | @ZakWolf22