As warm weather and summer break loom, it is hard to believe that Syracuse men's basketball's roster is totally set. New head coach Gerry McNamara rebuilt a roster that was full of talent but lacked cohesiveness and consistency in a disappointing final campaign under Adrian Autry.
Syracuse unquestionably raised the defensive floor for this squad, adding stalwarts like Garwey Dual and Luke Wilson. McNamara added some familiar names from his Siena tenure with Gavin Doty, Tasman Goodrick and Francis Folefac making the trek west on I-90. Former Siena commit Ryan Moesch will join the Orange as well. Aiden Tobiason is a quality addition from Temple. McNamara and his staff are still adding as well, signing Iker Martinez, a 7-foot center from the West Coast.
However, there is one major question mark left for this roster. With just one scholarship spot still open on the roster, it is becoming a pressing need. Ironically, it is the spot that McNamara held down for his four years as a player.
The Orange relied heavily on Naithan George to act as a distributor this past season, as he led the team in assists. He transferred to Pittsburgh last month. Of the players McNamara has brought in, Dual, figures to be the likely successor for the point guard role. However, he has not really shown that he can handle the full-time responsibilities yet in his college career.
Dual has yet to start more than 22 games in a season. That came two seasons ago with Seton Hall. He played in 30 games, but only averaged 25 minutes per game. He was in a similar situation this past season with McNeese, starting just 17 games, but playing 26 minutes per game in his 34 appearances.
If there is one silver lining, it is that Dual can facilitate the offense. He averaged 4.4 assists per game despite only playing rotational minutes. His per 40-minute averages were 6.6 assists to just 2.5 turnovers. To expect him to suddenly step in and play 35-plus minutes at Syracuse feels risky, but the upside is there for Dual in a larger role.
Depth is also an issue if Dual gets into foul trouble or suffers an injury. Tobiason and Doty are best suited as off-ball guards. They can bring it up, but neither is a great distributor. Relying on Moesch to play meaningful minutes as a true freshman also feels unlikely. He is probably the closest player on this current roster to a true point guard, capable of thriving in pick-and-roll sets and making reads off screens.
Perhaps McNamara could make a late portal addition, but it is far from a guarantee. The top point guards and combo guards available in the portal, according to 247 Sports, are Myles Rice, Mihailo Petrovic, Jeremiah Johnson, and Daquan Davis. Rice has been linked to a return to Indiana after a disappointing season with Maryland. Petrovic is a Serbian international but played fewer than 6 minutes per game at Illinois this past season. Davis barely played for Providence.
Johnson is coming off a strong season at Campbell and could be a good rotational guard with Dual. He is a better shooter, but Dual is a better passer and ball handler. However, Johnson has no ties to the program and has been linked to Iowa.
More likely than not, this is going to be the final roster for the Orange. McNamara found ways to work magic with a limited bench and a lack of floor spacing at Siena. That type of approach likely won't work in the ACC the same way it did in the MAAC.
The ceiling for this squad feels much lower than it was in past years, but the floor is unquestionably higher. McNamara has built a roster capable of playing gritty defense and attacking the paint. It feels like a team ready to contend in the era that McNamara competed in. It will be interesting to see if the Orange can make that style work in 2026.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/syracuse as One major question left to be answered for Syracuse's 2026-27 roster .
