A top priority for Syracuse basketball coaches this offseason is finding a starting center, whether through the transfer portal, which remains open through April 21, or other recruiting means.
To that end, the Orange staff has reportedly made contact with various transfer centers since the portal opened on April 7. One of them, per reports, is George Mason junior power forward/center Riley Allenspach, who hails from Charlotte, N.C.
The 6-foot-11, 250-pound Allenspach, this week, has been in touch with schools such as the Orange, Clemson, Kansas State, Indiana, Saint Louis, Cincinnati and South Carolina. According to analysts, Clemson and Cincinnati could be the teams to beat for Allenspach, so I'll keep tabs on whether the 'Cuse emerges as a significant player for him.
Syracuse basketball is on the hunt for a starting center this offseason.
As a junior at Atlantic 10 Conference member George Mason, which went 23-10 overall this past term and played in the NIT, Allenspach averaged 24.9 minutes, 13.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game while making 56.6 percent from the field, 31.3 percent from beyond the arc and 68.0 percent from the free-throw line.
For his play in the 2025-26 campaign, Allenspach was named to the All-Atlantic 10 second team. Per a media release from George Mason, he connected on nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc during conference competition.
In national transfer rankings from 247Sports, Allenspach is rated four stars, No. 102 overall and No. 12 at center, at the time of this writing. Via national transfer ratings from the industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking, he is four stars, No. 148 overall and No. 16 at center.
Before George Mason, Allenspach suited up at Samford in the Southern Conference. As a prep recruit, Allenspach was a four-star prospect in the 2023 class who attended the Providence Day School in Charlotte, N.C.
New Orange head coach Gerry McNamara and his staff are in the process of constructing their 2026-27 roster. Freshman forward Sadiq White Jr. and freshman guard Kiyan Anthony are both returning, while to date, Syracuse basketball has landed two transfers from Siena and a European wing in the 2026 cycle.