3-star Albany wing who has pledged to Syracuse. 'Awesome opportunity,' Newman coach says.

Jack Donohue, the sharpshooting 2027 three-star wing from Albany, N.Y., who verbally committed to Syracuse basketball earlier this month, is looking forward to his senior year at The Newman School in Boston.

So is Justin Perron, Donohue's new head coach, who has taken the reins at Newman after spending the past four seasons turning around the program at the St. Mark's School in Southborough, Mass.

The 6-foot-8, 220-pound Donohue had been a standout at the Christian Brothers Academy in Albany, but ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, he transferred to Newman. However, last year, he had to endure open-heart surgery, so the upcoming 2026-27 season will be his first one at Newman where he is fully healthy.

Perron, in a telephone interview with Inside the Loud House over the weekend, said he likes his roster for 2026-27, and he's focused on one game at a time while continuing the "high standard at Newman."

The prep giant was sensational in 2025-26. Led by outgoing seniors such as Quinn Costello (Michigan), Lucas Morillo (Illinois) and Chase Geremia (Penn), among others, Newman went 38–3 overall and captured the New England Basketball League ("NEBL") title, the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council ("NEPSAC") Class AAA crown and, this past March, the program's first national prep championship.

It remains to be seen if Donohue will start in 2026-27 as a senior, or how many minutes he will play, but Perron made it clear that the new Syracuse basketball verbal pledge - the team's first in the high school senior cycle - is working his tail off to be a contributor for Newman.

"His size and shooting ability make him an asset in any gym he walks into," Perron told Inside the Loud House. Perron noted that Donohue "had a huge role for us during the summer." The 2027 wing has been adding strength and muscle mass, and his head coach says that even over the past two months or so, Donohue's body "looks more college-ready."

Syracuse basketball landed its first 2027 verbal commitment earlier this month.

Perron says that he wants players on his roster who are laser-focused on doing whatever it takes to make an impact and win games. The emphasis isn't on who is in the starting rotation, but rather, on guys who play hard, play tough and play the right way.

Even if, for example, Donohue might be having an off shooting night one game, he can make an impact through defense and rebounding, hustle plays, diving on the floor for loose balls, and being a selfless teammate.

"We recruit guys who love the game" and keep fighting and grinding through the good days and the tougher days, Perron says. Donohue fits that mold, his new head coach says, adding: "He leads by example."

Donohue's longstanding relationship with Syracuse basketball first-year head coach Gerry McNamara, assistant Ben Lee and others on the new SU staff dates back to when McNamara was at Siena, a program he guided for two seasons and led to the 2026 NCAA Tournament, where the Saints nearly stunned top-seeded Duke in the round of 64 (the Orange and Siena will play an exhibition this October in Albany).

McNamara, while at Siena, offered a scholarship to Donohue in June 2025. When McNamara was named the Orange's next head coach this past March, he and his staff remained in contact with Donohue, who took an unofficial visit to the 'Cuse in late June, around which time he was offered by SU.

On August 3, Donohue said he would verbally commit to Syracuse men's basketball over offers from schools such as Marist, Florida Atlantic, Penn State, Siena (a re-offer from the new Saints staff), Holy Cross, Tennessee Tech, Penn, Albany, Hampton, Bryant and La Salle.

Donohue is likely to take an official visit to the Orange at some point during the 2026-27 sports season, Inside the Loud House is told. Within the 2027 cycle, the industry-generated 247Sports Composite places him as three stars and No. 273 overall.

However, multiple analysts and scouts have told Inside the Loud House that Donohue, if he were not sidelined for so long last year due to his open-heart surgery, would already be a four-star player and inside the top 100 nationally.

Perron agreed that Donohue's long-time relationship with McNamara and his staff from Siena, including Lee, who is now a 'Cuse assistant coach, was a big reason why Donohue picked the Orange.

Those relationships, and the fact that Syracuse is a home-state team for Donohue and plays in the Atlantic Coast Conference at an impressive venue in the JMA Wireless Dome, led Perron to say: "It's an awesome opportunity for Jack and his family."

Perron told Inside the Loud House that he's been in touch with McNamara and his assistants. The fall recruiting period opens next month, and look for 'Cuse coaches to be at Newman for open gyms.

A few other players on the Newman 2026-27 roster that Perron mentioned to me include:
•2027 four-star power forward Philipe Ndong (plays position-less basketball, high IQ)
•2028 four-star center Luka Kuqo (physical, smart player, rebounds well, can make 3s)
•2029 guard Dario Gonzalez Peña (older brother, Hugo, is a pro player; Dario is physical, tough and always in the gym)

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow