Things are looking fantastic these days for Syracuse women's basketball and its head coach, former Orange star Felisha Legette-Jack.
On Friday morning, during School Day at the JMA Wireless Dome, the 'Cuse crushed Mercyhurst by a final score of 106-40 to wrap up its non-conference docket at 10-1. Overall, Syracuse women's basketball is now 11-1 and 1-0 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, having won at SMU earlier this month.
In the win over Mercyhurst, there were 10,226 fans in attendance, according to SU Athletics. That figure is the second-highest crowd in Orange program history, which is awesome. Up next, the 'Cuse will host Duke on Sunday, Dec. 28. Away from the court, the Orange has an exciting development that will arrive soon.
Syracuse women's basketball will welcome the No. 1 junior on a visit.
Per 247Sports national analyst Dushawn London, 2027 five-star point guard Kaleena Smith will take an official visit to the Orange on February 8. On that day, Syracuse women's basketball will battle Louisville at the JMA Wireless Dome.
The 5-foot-6 Smith will also officially visit Louisville on January 5 and California on January 29. According to 247Sports, she received a scholarship offer from the 'Cuse on July 22 of this year. Smith's full scholarship offer sheet also includes teams such as Iowa, Tennessee, Michigan State, North Carolina, Michigan, LSU, South Carolina, UCLA, Southern California and UConn.
Visit News: Kaleena Smith, the No. 1 overall prospect in the class of 2027 has locked in three official visit dates, @247Sports has learned.
— Dushawn London (@DushawnLondon1) December 19, 2025
Syracuse: February 8th
Louisville: January 5th
Cal: January 29thhttps://t.co/zfsyxFu7H0 pic.twitter.com/whvbwhSkdj
A standout at the Ontario Christian School in Ontario, Calif., near Los Angeles, Smith is rated No. 1 nationally, No. 1 at point guard and No. 1 in California within the 2027 class, according to all the main recruiting services.
Smith averaged 23.2 points, 8.1 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 4.5 steals per game last season and was named the national sophomore of the year by MaxPreps. So far in 2025-26, she is averaging a ridiculous 34.8 points, 8.3 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 5.7 steals per contest. In the latest top 25 from MaxPreps, Ontario Christian (12-0) is ranked No. 2 around the country.
While it's encouraging that Smith is planning to visit the Hill, landing a top-flight prospect such as her won't be easy, and there are financial considerations these days in terms of direct revenue-sharing and third-party NIL dollars.
Following the Orange's win on Friday morning, Legette-Jack said in part to Syracuse.com, “The climate has changed. It’s all about financial stuff, and they deserve it because these young people are really gifted. ... But I need this community to understand, I cannot continue to just be this face that speaks it out. They’re not even gonna open the door if you don’t have the (revenue) share and you don’t have the NIL money. ... If we can continue to support our program like that, I promise you, I’m not here to just hang out with my mom in my great city. I’m here to win a national championship."