In recent seasons, as Syracuse basketball has struggled, the Orange's center position group hasn't been all that great. Sure, William Kyle III was terrific this past term, and Jesse Edwards had a strong stanza a few years back.
By and large, though, the center spot has been more of a liability than a strength for the 'Cuse of late, if I'm being honest. While it remains to be seen how the Orange's centers will fare in the 2026-27 campaign, the first under new head coach Gerry McNamara, SU has blended veterans with promising prospects related to the program's quartet of centers for next season.
The fourth center arrived on Tuesday evening, as 2026 prospect Iker Martinez pledged to Syracuse basketball. The 7-foot Martinez, originally from Mexico, has most recently been playing for the California-based ELEV8 Academy, and I spoke to his head coach about Martinez's skill-set and decision to head to the Hill.
Here are the Orange's four centers for 2026-27:
•Iker Martinez, a 2026 center from Mexico
•Abdramane Siby, a 2026 center from Mali
•Junior power forward/center Tasman Goodrick, a three-star transfer from Siena
•Redshirt sophomore center Luke Wilson, a four-star transfer from Appalachian State
Syracuse basketball's four centers for next season possess a lot of potential.
Wilson is likely to be the starting center when the 2026-27 campaign gets underway. Who will be the primary backup isn't entirely clear to me. Goodrick, who followed McNamara from Siena to the 'Cuse, was off to a fast start in 2025-26 before getting injured.
Siby is a highly ranked international prospect, as I noted in a recent column. He will have to adjust to the college game. The same thing goes for Martinez. What seems relatively apparent, though, is that McNamara and his staff have recruited centers who get after it on the defensive end and protect the rim well.
The incoming SU centers are high-energy guys who compete hard in games and in practices, and they want to win above everything else. They're gritty and tough, perhaps with a slight chip on their collective shoulders.
Case in point, Martinez's head coach at the ELEV8 Academy, Cory DeSanti, said that his center from this past season "has an elite motor and attitude, and all he does is put his head down and work."
The Orange centers have a lot of length. Both Martinez and Siby stand 7-feet tall, while Wilson is 6-foot-9 and Goodrick is 6-foot-10. That's ideal for the 2-3 zone, my friends.
It's possible that some of these centers could also suit up at power forward, and that kind of positional versatility will come in handy as McNamara constructs his line-up combinations for 2026-27.
Oh, and former Syracuse basketball big man Arinze Onuaku is now an assistant coach at the 'Cuse. He played on some of SU's best teams ever, and I believe that Onuaku will do a stellar job coaching up the Orange's centers this coming season.
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