Syracuse basketball isn't done with its offseason roster construction, head coach Gerry McNamara told CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein in a podcast interview that aired on Tuesday.
"We're not fully done yet," McNamara, the Orange's first-year head coach, said. "We've got a couple of pieces to add."
If it were up to me, the 'Cuse would eye another point guard as well as a 3-point specialist on the wing. The transfer portal in men's college basketball closed on April 21, although players didn't have to commit to a new school on that date. They just had to be in the portal.
So far, SU's roster for the upcoming 2026-27 campaign includes 13 players. Four players, including Noah Lobdell and Calvin Russell III, are coming back from the team's 2025-26 season, when Syracuse basketball went 15-17 overall. McNamara and his assistants have brought in six college transfers and three commits at the prep level.
Syracuse basketball head coach Gerry McNamara remains in pursuit of players for next season.
That leaves two open scholarships (programs can have roster limits of 15 guys). It's difficult to gauge who the Orange might target. For one, we don't know what SU's roster budget is for 2026-27, and we also don't know what the 'Cuse has spent on its current roster members.
Plus, as McNamara alluded to in his interview with Rothstein, college coaches are waiting for further guidance as to whether the proposed 5-for-5 eligibility rule, if enacted, might impact players whose eligibility will be exhausted this spring.
For the final two spots, assuming Syracuse basketball wants to roll with 15 players in 2026-27, McNamara and his assistants can look at transfers, high school seniors, junior-college players or international prospects, among other avenues.
As I noted above, the Orange should look to add more depth at point guard and another 3-point threat. SU's starting point in the upcoming season is likely to be four-star transfer Garwey Dual, a junior at McNeese State. Backing him up is 2026 four-star prospect and Central New York native Ryan Moesch.
I'd feel a bit better about the Orange roster if it had another point guard. Just my take. To that end, it remains to be seen how good a 3-point shooting team Syracuse basketball will be in 2026-27. Mark Morano Mahmutovic, a 2026 four-star wing from Slovenia, can light it up from the perimeter.
Other 'Cuse players are okay from deep. But you can never have enough shooters, right?
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