The Decision: Joseph Girard III
New York state’s leading scorer decides between Duke, Michigan, Syracuse, Penn State, Notre Dame, and Boston College.
GLENS FALLS — On a cool night in Glens Falls, Joseph Girard III sat with his parents Joseph Jr and Arleen Girard as well as Chip Corlew, Glens Falls’ Athletic Director, to make his final college decision. The New York State Gatorade Player of the Year and New York state leading scorer limited his offers to Duke, Syracuse, Boston College, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Michigan.
Tonight Joe Girard III finally said in a video, “If you want to be the best, you’ve got to play against the best, and play with the best. That’s why I’m going to play in the best conference in the country. The ACC. With the best venue in the country and the best fans.” Then Joe grabbed the mic to say, “That being said I’ll be staying home like I did in high school and committing to Coach Boeheim at the University of Syracuse.”
#Cuse @UpstateCourier pic.twitter.com/jPmckUcAYw
— LJ LaFiura (@L_J_LaFiura) October 14, 2018
Later on Joe said “For me one of the biggest things was comfort, I felt most comfortable at Syracuse because of how close the fans here are. It will be easy for them to come to the games, and it will really be something special there, especially with all of these fans behind me.”
Joseph Girard Jr was very proud saying, “I played, but not at the same level as Joe is. So to watch your son have success and enjoy it as much as I did, it means a lot to me.” Arleen Girard also said “It’s been a wonderful experience. Joe has had a great recruiting process, but now I’m sure he’s glad to be done with it.”
The decision can partially attributed to the relationship that Joe and Coach Boeheim have developed over the years through Joe playing for Albany’s City Rocks AAU team. According to Joe Jr Coach Boeheim even went as far as to say, “No one knows you better than me.”
Another great day to #BeOrange 🍊 pic.twitter.com/d0NVjGDpdk
— Syracuse Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) October 14, 2018
The entire city of Glens Falls can’t wait to see Joe start with the Orange next year. “I can be tough, and a leader as a freshman. I’ll be able to shoot, score and have a high IQ in the zone,” Joe stated. “They have something special going on there and I want to be a part of it.”