Symir Torrence always held Syracuse in his heart. When the security guard campaigned for Marquette in 2019, he was 750 miles from home. That time was to be short because after his sophomore season, Torrence decided to make a move.
“I contacted Buddy two days after the NCAA tournament, after Syracuse lost to Houston [Boeheim] and I said straight out that I was interested,” Symir said. “I wanted to go back home, I was interested. If they had a seat for me, I would take it immediately. Soon that was exactly what happened, and I was grateful.”
Torrence announced his move to Syracuse ahead of the 2021-2022 season. This year, the Guardian spent an average of 13 minutes per contest, where he contributed nearly three points each night. Even on a limited scale, the guard still felt great 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 father used to own a shop on Salina Street. It was a corner shop that everyone used to go to and I was usually there all the time after school or practice.”
Symir isn’t the only member of the Torrence family who cares deeply about the store and the city. There are six Torrence children, three girls and three boys. All three girls, Javona and Janaysia Torrence, played basketball together with Jasmine Davis. Meanwhile, Symir’s younger brother dominates the gridiron in Syair Torrence.
Syair Torrence is a high school junior who plays wide receiver at the Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse. The receiver had seven touchdown receptions last season and signed to Syracuse for 2024 last fall. For Syair, the decision was easy.
“I want to put this city on my back and represent it because it’s not talked about at all,” Syair said. “Everyone 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 has certainly made the Torrence family happy and that includes current Syracuse guard Symir Torrence.
“Just going through with him reminded me of my moment,” Symir said. “Every boy from Syracuse dreams of coming to SU and I’m just happy for him. I can’t wait for him to start here.”
While one Torrence brother passes the torch to another, even in different sports, the two continue to try to help SU Athletics thrive.
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