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Quadir Copeland momentarily disappeared under a sea of frenzy before he locked eyes with his older brother Daiquan. A lone hand shot up among the clamoring fans, directed at Daiquan, but the deafening noise rendered any attempted speech between the two incoherent.

After a few steps forward, though, Daiquan could make out Copeland’s animated mouthing — “I told them. I told them,” Daiquan deduced.

Then, a sudden wave of emotion because all of Daiquan’s inklings about the younger one came to fruition. Swirling pessimism and doubt around the lack of reliability in Copeland’s flashy play no longer stood on stable ground. Because he produced when it mattered with his buzzer-beating game-winner.

He did tell them.

“I’m still playing it back. It still feels like a fairytale story,” Daiquan said. “For him to be the one to hit that shot, it was just amazing.”

Honing his skills at Kingsessing Park in southwest Philadelphia, Copeland’s initial — and only — role was to pass to Daiquan. Then, as a pre-teen, a flashy game culminated in wins. Everyone wanted to play with him. Pinpoint bounce-lobs, tomahawk jams and graceful finger-rolls propelled him throughout his high school years to Syracuse, where he’s now in his sophomore year.

Consistent scoring has since joined his offensive arsenal, spearheading a leap of over 6.5 points per game since last season. He notched a career-high 22 in Syracuse’s 81-73 win over Pittsburgh on Dec. 30, helping him earn an Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week award. Then, he knocked down that buzzer-beating 3 to defeat Miami 72-69 Saturday.

“I can only see him getting better, more comfortable,” said Antron, Copeland’s father. “You’re only going to see better things from Quadir.”

Whatever Copeland does, it has to be entertaining. He’s a showman and has the personality to go with it. A motormouth, equipped with a contagious grin. The undisputed glue of the team. No one really knows where the loud identity of his play stemmed from, but the consensus is that he was born with it.

The move he crafted down the stretch of Syracuse’s victory over Pittsburgh looked impossible to replicate. A makeshift pirouette off of his backfoot shook a lone Panther defender and resulted in an uncontested 360-degree layup.

Copeland practices those types of finishes regularly, explaining he works on the unorthodox by himself or with team managers. Occasionally, Copeland irks head coach Adrian Autry during warmups. While everyone else attempts mid-range jumpshots and 3-pointers to warm up, Copeland shoots floaters over the backboard.

Cole Ross | Digital Design Editor

That’s why Daiquan disagreed with the commentator’s synopsis of that Pitt play — “I’m still not sure how this goes in,” Ryan Burr said on the CW. Daiquan said Copeland’s done that same move in organized and pickup games since 10th grade.

Antron told both sons to do “different stuff,” to “freestyle,” and Copeland took that to heart. Competing in Philadelphia, a city famed for its innovative basketball nature, his unique playstyle generated vast recognition.

“Who’s doing 360 layups in a game? Nobody but him,” longtime trainer Julian Dunkley said. “Nobody would even think that’s OK but him. That’s why he’s special, because he doesn’t think about what’s normal.”

When Dunkley first saw Copeland play during an introductory training session, he immediately knew Copeland was “special.” Dunkley was amazed by Copeland’s point guard abilities and his extra flair. The pair worked out of gyms, empty churches and other vacated facilities around Philadelphia and New Jersey.

Dunkley brought Copeland to open-run opportunities everywhere, pitting him against the best competition. Dunkley remembered one play at the famed Gauchos Gym in New York City where Copeland put the ball between his legs on a fast break before flushing a reverse jam.

“He was always worth the price of admission,” Dunkley said.

Morphing Copeland into a better decision-maker was next. Fans at Gettysburg (PA), Life Center Academy (NJ) and IMG (FL) clamored over the fancy dimes but they often translated into turnovers — teammates wouldn’t expect a sudden look-away pass through tight windows, Daiquan said. Copeland constantly worked through tape with Dunkley while learning to manage game situations better and make the right play.

The collective goal was never to stifle Copeland’s creativity, but rather to teach him how to harness it.

“It can be vanilla sometimes. It doesn’t have to always be an ice cream sundae, sprinkles and everything on it,” Life Center head coach Keith Brown remembered telling Copeland.

At Syracuse, there have been plenty of highlight-reel plays, including a thunderous put-back jam at Georgetown and a nifty behind-the-back feed against LSU. But he’s completed the more regular plays, too. Autry has given Copeland ball-handling responsibility alongside starting guards Judah Mintz and J.J. Starling. He also ranks second on the team in rebounding and third in steals.

Last year was tough, he said. A short leash under Jim Boeheim garnered barely any action. He cried after the 2022 Empire Classic, when he urged Daiquan to attend, but never entered the game. Copeland didn’t understand. He had done everything asked of him in practice. His confidence shrunk to new lows making him afraid to make mistakes. Outside chatter closed in and rumors surfaced about how “this flashy stuff you do is not going to work in college,” Copeland said.

But a call with Autry kickstarted the offseason. Copeland wanted to return to SU, but needed a fair chance to show what he could do. Once Autry granted the request, it was about “getting back to the old Quadir.” He resumed workouts with Dunkley, focusing on shooting and ball-handling. Emphasis was placed on improving mental fortitude and staying balanced.

“I knew the abilities I have, but at first, I didn’t know if it could fully click,” Copeland said. “Anything in the dark is gonna come to light sooner or later. It’s just about patience, timing with everything.”

Inevitably, Copeland found his stride and swagger — not that it had ever ceased. He gained Autry’s trust through his dependable guard play, carving out a multi-faceted sixth-man role. He won’t take it for granted, nor let anyone strip him of it.

“All I needed was a chance,” Copeland said.

Quadir Copeland scored 11 points against Miami on Jan. 20, including a game-winning buzzer beater 3. Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer

That’s why there was no hesitation against the Hurricanes. It didn’t matter that he was 1-for-8 from the field with just five prior 3-point makes on the season. Copeland launched as soon as possible and welcomed the ensuing euphoria.

The catch-and-shoot: one of basketball’s most vanilla movements. But given the right toppings — a win on the line amid a dwindling game clock — it suits Copeland to a tee. He’s always wanted that shot.

“What I did know was that Quadir was special,” Daiquan said. “And you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

Published on January 25, 2024 at 12:19 am

Contact Tyler: trschiff@syr.edu | @theTylerSchiff