Syracuse Basketball: The Orange's depth chart at center for the 2025-26 season

Syracuse basketball has some big shoes to fill at the center position after getting steady production last season from Eddie Lampkin, who nearly averaged a double-double. Backup Naheem McLeod is also out of eligibility, so the Orange is more or less starting from scratch at that position for the 2025-26 campaign.

Luckily, head coach Adrian Autry has emphasized frontcourt size and athleticism in the transfer portal while trying to solidify the center position. Let’s take a close look at Syracuse’s options at that position for the upcoming season.

Starter: William Kyle

Kyle was the first player Syracuse added in the transfer portal this offseason, and that’s no coincidence. Autry knew he needed to get an athletic rim protector to provide a defensive upgrade at center. Kyle is coming off an unusual season at UCLA, as he played in 32 games but averaged less than 10 minutes per game. He was an afterthought in the rotation, so his stats were disappointing. But prior to landing at UCLA, Kyle had two productive seasons at South Dakota State, earning Summit League Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2024. Obviously, his lack of playing time at UCLA is a sign that he didn’t handle the jump to a power conference as well as expected. However, the Orange doesn’t necessarily need a lot of scoring from Kyle if he can provide defense and rebounding.

Backup: Ibrahim Souare

Syracuse was far from done adding frontcourt players after signing Kyle. Souare was soon signed to give the Orange another athletic big man who can provide a defensive boost. Similar to Kyle, offensive production isn’t the biggest priority with Souare, who averaged just 2.8 points per game with Georgia Tech last season. Syracuse will take whatever it can get from Souare offensively. It’s more important that his 6’9’’ frame and 7’2’’ wingspan can defend the rim and jumpstart the Orange’s transition game. With less experience than Kyle, Souare will surely be the backup center to start the season, but ideally, they will be interchangeable and form a solid tandem.

Third String: Donnie Freeman

Much like last season, there will be times when Freeman is asked to play center. Exactly how many minutes per game he plays there depends on how things play out at other positions. If Syracuse isn’t getting much scoring from Kyle and Souare, moving Freeman to center can give the Orange a viable offensive player at all five positions. Likewise, if Sadiq White hits the ground running, moving Freeman to center will be one way to give White more minutes and get those players on the court together. The fact that Freeman can play a little center adds to the versatility Syracuse’s roster has, even if it remains to be seen how much time he’ll spend at that position this season.

Emergency Option: Tiefing Diawara

Diawara was the last player added to the Syracuse roster for this season. Not much is known about the Mali native who comes to Syracuse by way of Delafield, Wisconsin. But we know he’s a seven-footer with a 7’3’’ wingspan. That makes him the tallest player on the Syracuse roster. However, Diawara should be considered a developmental player for the Orange. He’s likely to need time to turn his raw tools into skills that will transfer to the ACC level. That’s why he should be considered the emergency option at center heading into his freshman season.