Symir Torrence always held Syracuse close to his heart. When the guard committed to Marquette in 2019, he was going 750 miles away from home. That stint would be brief, because after his second season, Torrence decided to make a change.
“Two days after the NCAA Tournament, after Syracuse lost to Houston, I had contacted Buddy [Boeheim] and I said straight up I was interested,” Symir said. “I wanted to come back home, I was interested. If they had a spot for me, I would take it right away. Soon enough, that’s exactly what happened, and I was grateful.”
Torrence announced his transfer to Syracuse prior to the 2021-2022 season. In that year, the guard averaged 13 minutes per contest where he contributed nearly three points on a nightly basis. Even in limited fashion, it still felt great for the guard to be home.
“I like being in the city, I love being in the city, and that’s why I came back,” Symir said. “My dad used to own a store on Salina Street. It was a corner store where everybody used to go, and I usually was there all the time after school or practice.”
Symir is not the only member of the Torrence family to hold the store and the city close to his heart. There are six Torrence children, three girls and three boys. All three girls, Javona and Janaysia Torrence, with Jasmine Davis, played basketball. Meanwhile, Symir’s younger brother in Syair Torrence dominates the gridiron.
Syair Torrence is a high school junior who plays wide receiver at Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse. The receiver had seven touchdown receptions this past season, and he committed to Syracuse for 2024 this past fall. For Syair, the decision was quite easy.
“I want to put this city on my back and represent it because it isn’t being talked about at all,” Syair said. “Everybody really wanted me to go to Syracuse. They didn’t want to force me to go, but they wanted me to make my own decision.”
Syair’s decision certainly made the Torrence family happy, and that includes current Syracuse guard Symir Torrence.
“Just going through it with him reminded me of my moment,” Symir said. “Every kid from Syracuse dreams of coming to SU and I’m just happy for him. I can’t wait for him to get started here.”
As one Torrence brother passes the torch to another, even in different sports, the two continue to try and help SU athletics succeed.