Syracuse basketball, which has missed the past four NCAA Tournaments and just endured its fewest number of wins in a season dating back to the 1969-70 campaign, needs to crush things in the transfer portal this off-season.
The Orange (14-19 overall) lost to SMU in the ACC Tournament's second round earlier this week, ending a brutal stanza for second-year head coach Adrian Autry and his program.
Autry will return in 2025-26, and he believes that the 'Cuse, given its top-flight general manager, Alex Kline, will fare better during the upcoming transfer portal window, which will run from March 24 to April 22.
The Transfer Portal will be FILLED with Opportunity 🚨 These 5 college basketball programs must dominate the 2025 offseason || 👉 [READ] https://t.co/eOvfDJcWoZ pic.twitter.com/x5LVGOeOXU
— Jamie Shaw (@JamieShaw5) March 13, 2025
Of the Orange's 12 scholarship players in 2024-25, five have exhausted their eligibility. As many as seven guys on this past season's roster could come back, but it's likely at least a few players will hit the portal.
The 'Cuse has a four-member 2025 class at the high school level. In 2025-26, college basketball teams are expected to have roster limits of 15 players but also have 15 scholarships available to offer.
My point here is that the Orange staff will have several scholarships available to offer college transfers once the spring transfer portal window opens soon. And that number could increase if some 2024-25 players decide to transfer out.
From my perspective, these are Syracuse basketball's biggest needs in the portal this off-season.
This is likely an unrealistic assumption, but let's assume for a second that all 2024-25 players come back, and then we add in the 2025 signees. This is what the Orange's 2025-26 roster would entail:
Guards
Junior J.J. Starling
Redshirt sophomore Chance Westry
Freshman Elijah Moore
Redshirt junior Kyle Cuffe Jr.
2025 signee Kiyan Anthony
2025 signee Luke Fennell
Wings/Small Forwards
Junior Chris Bell
2025 signee Aaron Womack
Power Forwards
Freshman Donnie Freeman
Freshman Petar Majstorovic
2025 signee Sadiq White Jr.
Centers
None
Some context. Starling can play the one or the two. The same goes for Fennell. Moore, Cuffe and Anthony are more traditional shooting guards. I have no expectation that Westry will even be back in 2025-26, although he can play the one, the two or the three.
Bell is a traditional small forward. Womack can play the two or the three. White can play the three or the four, while both Freeman and Majstorovic could suit up at either power forward or center in a "small-ball" line-up.
The biggest need for Syracuse basketball in 2025-26 is to find an experienced, talented center via the portal, although that will likely prove expensive in terms of NIL funds. When it comes to a center, the Orange needs one who excels both in paint scoring and rim protection on defense, where the 'Cuse mightily struggled this past term.
I feel like the second largest priority for the Orange in the portal is to find a veteran, true point guard, one who can create his own shot, facilitates well for others, and is proficient on the defensive end.
Beyond that, the 'Cuse could use more effective 3-point shooting in 2025-26. We'll have to see whether guys such as Bell and/or Freeman return. Anthony and Womack are hailed by experts as excellent shooters, but they're also both incoming freshmen.
One other thing: in addition to needing to vastly improve on defense, Syracuse basketball players have to significantly cut down on their turnovers. That should be kept in mind as the 'Cuse coaching staff mines the portal this coming off-season.