The Syracuse Orange men's basketball program held its local media day on Friday. Syracuse coach Gerry McNamara spoke for over 25 minutes as the first-year head man takes the helm for the program's 127th season.
Of the myriad storylines surrounding Syracuse basketball, McNamara's return to his alma mater is at the forefront. The program legend takes over during a time of high stakes as challenges present themselves both in the external college athletics landscape and internal Syracuse basketball domain.
The Syracuse program has experienced a five year NCAA Tournament drought and will look to end that streak in 2027.
"I wouldn't say pressure but we all want to get there for ourselves," sophomore Sadiq White said of making the NCAA Tournament. "Especially for the fans because we feed off their energy. They come support us day in and day out, good season or not. They're still there. They might not always like it but they're always there."
Syracuse will look to capitalize on the reinvigoration of the fanbase as excitement of McNamara's returns abounds.
With that aside, here are some news and notes from the media day as basketball season is set to begin this week:
State of the program
McNamara was asked about first-year Chancellor Michael Haynie and first-year Athletic Director Bryan B. Blair's messaging on the next two to three years being a critical time in college athletics and what that means for Syracuse. It was the first question.
McNamara agreed with the sentiment that it's a critical time for the program.
"I think the most important thing for us is to focus on what we can control and that's how we prepare every day," McNamara said. "I think every kid that I've recruited or brought with me from Siena understands what's at stake here – where the program is, where it needs to go, the tradition, the history, what the fanbase is looking for, the community, what they deserve, that's been at the forefront.
"The first conversation I had here is we're going to put a product on the floor that the community can be proud of. If we do that, put the program in the right direction, it's the way they work that's going to put us in the position we're talking about."
Outside shooting
One of the questions surrounding this year's Syracuse team is whether it will have enough perimeter shooting on the offensive end. McNamara says Kiyan Anthony and Sadiq White have taken a huge jump in their shooting, that Gavin Doty can really shoot it and so too can Aiden Tobiason.
"Mark Morano, I'm on record saying he's one of those ones," McNamara said.
He also mentioned Tasman Goodrick and Francis Folefac as forwards who have improved their shot, while mentioning Ryan Moesch as another guy who's capable from outside.
Syracuse's 7-foot center Abdramane Siby, however, has the yellow light from outside.
"Siby thinks he can step out and shoot it really consistent," McNamara said. "We'll keep that at 10 seconds and under in the shotclock early in the season."
Syracuse players add bulk
Siby has added significant muscle to his frame since stepping on to Syracuse campus this summer. McNamara divulged that the Bamako, Mali native has added 16 pounds since working with strength and conditioning coach Matt June.
Sadiq White has also bulked up. The best athlete on this Syracuse team is now up to 207 pounds, up from 195 pounds as a freshman. White was a defensive presence for Syracuse last season and he wants to help the team more on the offensive end this season. Part of that is being stronger and playing through contact.
"Just being stronger, getting to my spots," White said of his offensive approach. "Don't get knocked off my spot offensively. Get downhill, play off of two feet and then just being able to knock down that outside shot. Just being prepared."
Teammates have also noticed White's shooting development. He was a respectable 7-19 from three as a freshman.
"[Sadiq] is super aggressive. One of the bounciest guys I've ever seen in my life," Appalachian State transfer Luke Wilson said. "He's coming out shooting this year too so I love that for him."
Kiyan Anthony also added weight to his frame this offseason with noticeably improved upper body strength. He's up to 198 pounds, which is up 13 pounds from his listed freshman weight.
Recruiting philosophy
McNamara shared a bit of how he thinks about acquiring talent and building a team. His goal? Get good players first and figure it out later. He can make the coaching adjustments and adapt to his personnel. It's important not to overlook good players just because they might not be an exact match to the system.
"You gotta be able to adjust to what you have," McNamara said. "You can't just always fit everybody into the same system. You have to be able to adjust for what their individual skillsets are. I think great coaches always adapt. They change a little bit to accommodate who they have in their program."
This Syracuse team goes big up front. So too does college basketball these days, with Michigan winning the National Championship with the 7-foot-3 Aday Mara, 6-foot-9 Yaxel Lendeborg and 6-foot-9 Morez Johnson Jr. The rest of the Final Four (UConn, Illinois and Arizona) was big up front as well as the Fighting Illini and Wildcats also boasted centers over 7-feet.
"Look at the Final Four. You look at the size of the bodies and the size of the teams in the Final Four. It's a pretty common theme this past year of really kind of two bigs in a system, both physical, both have the weight. We're kind of in between that. We still have kind of length and athleticism, not necessarily brute force. But the strength is at the forefront," McNamara said.
McNamara fields a roster with height but also features some burly bigs down low with Luke Wilson (6-foot-10, 255 lbs), Siby (7-foot, 220 lbs), Folefac (6-foot-7, 245 lbs), Goodrick (6-foot-10, 240 lbs), White (6-foot-8, 207 lbs) and Iker Martinez (7-foot, 220 lbs).
High school recruiting philosophy
McNamara alluded to roster uncertainty as the most challenging part of college basketball coaching. He thinks high school recruits have paid an unfair price. If transfer rules change in college sports where only one transfer is allowed without penalty, that's where high school recruiting — and therefore talent development — could become valuable again.
"It's hard to forecast what is going to happen to us in April. It's the most difficult part of our job," McNamara said. "I think what's going to happen with the 5-in-5, if the rule is changed where you're only allowed to transfer one time penalty free, I think you're going to start to see the high school recruiting evaluation start to go back up again. Teams are going to start to get players hopefully for a few more years. The development is going to continue to be a thing. It's what it needs to be."
Given the value of experienced players in college basketball, McNamara thinks there's added importance in getting high school players who can contribute to the program right away as freshmen.
"For us right now we're targeting guys in high school who we know can come in right away and impact our program. Because it's important right now," McNamara said. "There are a lot of high school kids who are getting criminally under-recruited because of the transfer portal because guys want to get old fast. It's unfortunate, they're not getting as many opportunities as they used to. It's the environment that we created for them."
The Orange recently received a commitment from five-star class of 2027 recruit Moussa Kamissoko. A consensus top-20 recruit, Kamissoko goes 6-foot-8 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan and could help Syracuse right away as a freshman.
On-court leaders
With so many new faces at Syracuse this season, which guys will lead this group on-court?
McNamara looks to the three guys who played for him at Siena to lead. That trio knows what he expects, while McNamara also acknowledged that leadership can sometimes change throughout a season.
"I'm very lucky that I brought three guys here from my previous spot," McNamara said of Gavin Doty, Folefac and Goodrick. "They understand me the most. They've been around me the longest. And what I'll say, I've said it before, I ask for two things: respect and maturity. You give those two things to me I'll never have to talk at you, I can talk to you. And that's what I've gotten. I've been really happy with the communication level of our group, the professionalism of our group."
McNamara doesn't want his players coming into practice feeling like it's an obligation. He wants his players to feel like it's the best part of their day. Through that, he said, players have ownership and develop leadership. He thinks that leadership can change throughout the season as playing time fluctuates.
"A lot of times through a season a guy might not play as much as he wants. What does he do? He draws back a little bit," McNamara said. "So it's got to be someone else that maybe played that night to pick him back up knowing we might need you the next game.
"The one thing I know is that I've got a group of guys that when I'm walking off the court and going up to my office and they're walking off the court going into the locker room that I've got enough people with strong enough opinions walking into that locker room that they're going to hold it together."
Local star comes home
After playing two season at Siena under McNamara, Doty followed his head coach to hometown Syracuse.
Doty comes from a big sports family. He credits his mom for her early coaching influence on him in basketball. His mom also coached him in soccer and lacrosse while his dad coached him in hockey. Doty, who will wear No. 4 at Syracuse, is effusive in remarks when describing what it means.
"It means everything," Doty said. "I have been to so many Syracuse games and just to be here now is really a blessing for me and I know I'm going to do everything in my power to get us back."
Doty says he's been watching the Syracuse program since he was four years old. When asked to name the most memorable Syracuse games, he named John Gillon's half court buzzer beater to beat Duke in 2017. He also recalled Tyler Ennis's 35-foot heave against Pittsburgh in 2014 to keep the team's undefeated record and No. 1 ranking intact. If you would like to feel old: Doty was seven years old when Ennis hit that shot.
It it perhaps trite to say that loyalty might not exist in many places in college basketball these days. But it does live here. Doty doesn't want to play for another college coach after McNamara.
"I wouldn't want to play for anybody else," Doty said. "I plan on playing my whole career for him whether that's another year and then the NBA or three more years, whatever it is. I plan on playing for him my whole college career."
Kiyan Anthony returns
The son of Syracuse basketball's most iconic alumni has returned for a sophomore season. Anthony acknowledges that if McNamara wasn't hired at Syracuse he likely would've transferred. The two of them had a "very serious, very direct" conversation as soon as McNamara was hired.
"I kind of waited to see if G-Mac would get the job," Anthony said of his decision. "He called me the day he got the job we sat on the phone for like two hours. The next day I flew back to Syracuse, met in his office. At that point it was a no-brainer for me. I feel like if G-Mac didn't get the job I probably would've transferred."
Anthony returns to Syracuse after an up-and-down freshman season. He got off to a strong start scoring the ball and filling in for JJ Starling at starting shooting guard but saw his playing time wane in ACC play. Anthony averaged 8.0 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 18.7 minutes per game as a freshman. He admitted to losing confidence as the season went on.
"It was never a question to me if I was one of the top players or not. I always knew that and always had the confidence to do so. I think it was more of the situation I was put in last year," Anthony said. "Just a lack of confidence on the court. I feel like it was taken from me last year. So for me to come back and G-Mac reinstall that battery into my bag I feel like it's go time now. We're hitting the ground running. I've been working super hard on my body and my game and I'm looking for it to pay off."
Carmelo's guidance and mentorship of his son hasn't been about getting to the NBA as quickly as possible. Melo has been steadfast in saying Kiyan's journey is his and understands son has his own path to walk. Since his freshman season Kiyan has talked of avoiding outside distraction and focusing on what he can control.
"My dad never really thought one-and-done. He knows it's a journey," Kiyan said. "It's 2026, obviously everybody wants to be one-and-done and get to league as fast as they can. At the end of the day, you have five years in college now. It's a journey. You have to take the steps in the right direction. And I'm just focused on day-by-day, taking those steps in the right direction. My dad has done a great job leading me away from all of that."
Froncourt depth
Early indications from Syracuse practices have Goodrick as a potential surprise player. Goodrick started the first nine games of last season with Siena, only to miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. The 6-foot-10, 240 pound forward is back healthy and earning praise from his teammates. He's being billed as a standout from the summer sessions and early fall practices. Some teammates say he's the best rebounder on the team.
"We've got guys like Tassie who's on the rebound non-stop," Wilson said. "You can't miss a box out."
Changing of the guard
Syracuse will have a new starting backcourt this season. One presumed starter is Temple transfer Tobiason.
Tobiason averaged 15.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists with the Owls last season as a sophomore. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard has a 7-foot-1 wingspan and describes his game as "just making the right plays."
You can imagine Jay Bilas's appreciation at the pair of he and Garwey Dual — a 6-foot-5 point guard with a 7-foot wingspan — up top. That would be a heck of a duo at the top of Syracuse's 2-3 zone when McNamara uses the defense in part (strategically).
McNamara has praised Dual for his defensive ability in two early-season media sessions.
"Honestly Garwey I feel like is one of the best defenders I've ever played with," Anthony added.
Tobiason was a key add at Syracuse thanks to his relationship with Orange assistant coach Ryan Daly.
"Me and Ryan Daly go way back. He knew me ever since I was a (high school) sophomore going into my junior year. He always believed in me," Tobiason said. "As soon I entered the portal he was one of the first coaches to reach out. I talked to him and Coach G and it just felt right."
Different group, new dynamic
The only two guys who were on the team last year have alluded to things being different at Syracuse under McNamara, and this being a more together group. Anthony and White formed a close bond together as freshmen teammates. Anthony says the team is spending more time together off the court than last season.
"Last year I was coming to practice and just going home every day," Anthony said. "Now we're doing team dinners,we're going to each other's houses to watch games. Obviously me and Sadiq already have that connection but for us to implement it to the other guys and to show them the ropes of what the ACC is."
"I feel like coach [McNamara] did a hell of a job just recruiting personalities," White said. "We all get along, everyone wants to be here, everyone wants to win. Everyone comes in here just ready to compete. Every day you just continuously build on that. You love your guys. You love them just for coming out here going to war with and against you every day. That bond just builds and builds over time. I feel like we have a good group, man."
Players say McNamara runs a pro-style system, that he wants his players to be principled on defense and get out in transition when possible. McNamara's half-court offense is much more sophisticated and representative of how modern offenses are run in college basketball. Last year's Syracuse offense was obsolete with one-five ball screens, also relying heavily on isolation sets.
"I think the whole vibe was off last year. Even players walking in with just a slouch, not ready to practice. No urgency to get stuff done. I feel like that passed on throughout the team," Anthony said. "This year we run into practice. We come in we ready to go, everybody's talking, smiling and laughing. Business is business at the end of the day. G-Mac knows what he's doing, man. I feel really confident going into the season."
White backed up that sentiment and was unwavering in his speech when it came to the idea of winning this season. He drove home the point of guys knowing their roles and sticking to it.
"We don't have a bunch of guys who gon' come out here and score 30," White said. "We got guys who are elite rebounders, elite scorers, elite defenders. Play your role and do your job. We're going to win big."
The 2026-27 Syracuse basketball season begins with an exhibition Tuesday night against UConn from Mohegan Sun Arena at 7 p.m. The season-opener is scheduled for Nov. 2 against New Haven in the JMA Wireless Dome.
