John Bol Ajak to enter transfer portal following end of the season

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Redshirt junior John Bol Ajak told syracuse.com that following the final game of this season, he will enter the transfer portal and seek another school for his final year of eligibility. Previously, Ajak had entered the transfer portal after his redshirt freshman year where he appeared in just 10 games, playing in 51 minutes for Syracuse. He ultimately returned to the Orange and tried to carve out a role for himself in a crowded forward position.

Barring playing time in Syracuse’s final regular season game — he hasn’t seen the court since SU’s loss to Duke — Ajak will finish his career with the Orange playing in 35 total games, totaling 43 rebounds, 26 assists, five blocks and 21 points. Ajak saw his most minutes this season, nearly doubling his usage from last year when he played just 62 minutes and started the first game of his career against Virginia, though he played just four minutes and didn’t record a point.

Ajak originally committed to Syracuse out of Westtown High School in Pennsylvania as a three-star recruit. He had just started playing basketball four years prior when he moved to the United States from South Sudan. Though he wasn’t rated as a Top-100 prospect — or as a Top-200 recruit on some sites — his rating was hindered by a bad junior season and an achilles injury suffered during the prior summer.

He got lost in the shuffle behind a crowded room of forwards and centers featuring Frank Anselem, Marek Dolezaj, Bourama Sidibe and Jesse Edwards after redshirting his freshman year. Ajak will walk at senior day on Saturday alongside Joe Girard III, Edwards and Symir Torrence.