Syracuse men’s basketball: Orange land guard Nate Kingz from Oregon State

Lefty shooter mode engaged

The Syracuse Orange have another commitment out of the transfer portal.

Oregon State guard Nate Kingz announced his decision to play for the Orange next season after a visit this week, per his Instagram.

The 6 foot 5 Kingz averaged 11.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per game for the Beavers last season, draining 58 threes on 44.6% from beyond the arc. That number tied the smooth-shooting lefty for the eleventh most triples in the WCC, shooting the highest percentage of anybody who made multiple outside shots in that conference.

He made three or more threes in nine games, which is two more times than any individual player on Syracuse this season (Chris Bell had seven).

Kingz, a Salem, Oregon native, started his college career at Division II Westmont, where he won conference rookie of the year in 2021-22. Then, he transferred to the College of Southern Idaho, helping lead his team to a 29-2 record and a trip to the NJCAA National Tournament.

That JUCO season landed him at Oregon State, but a torn ACL kept him out for the entire 2023-24 season. When he returned to the floor in 2024-25 as a redshirt junior, he was excellent with the Beavers, helping lead them to just their third 20-win season of the 21st century along with a fascinating group of teammates with interesting profiles themselves.

Kingz becomes the second pickup of the cycle for the Orange, joining William Kyle. He will have two years of eligibility remaining thanks to the JUCO ruling, and joins SU as the eighth scholarship player.

He was formerly known as Nate Meithof, but changed his name in the offseason before 2024-25, according to a sideline report from CBS Sports. Kingz bounced around foster homes as a kid, but wants to forge his own legacy with his own name.

I’ll have a full scouting report on all of Syracuse’s transfer pickups later in the month. Here’s a look at Kingz in action