Potential 2025-26 Roster

[NineOneSeven]

If Chance is actually good to go that would be a major boost to next season. Granted he has not played for a minute but if he is healthy, he has excellent upside potential. Fingers and toes crossed

Some great satire!

 

[Dinkyspond]

AZ Compass Prep DRAGONS

I didn't look close, I thought it said "Oregon." TY.

 

[Cstate]

I just can’t wrap my head around the fact as of right now there are over 700 portal entries, yet we are already penciling in JJ as our starting 2 guard after what we just witnessed the last 2 seasons? Seems very odd. For some reason we just hate shooters. He cannot shoot and in today’s game it is a must! A team like St John’s steamrolled the regular season, but every analyst said their downfall would be their terrible outside shooting game and it ultimately was.

 

[Fly Rodder]

I just can’t wrap my head around the fact as of right now there are over 700 portal entries, yet we are already penciling in JJ as our starting 2 guard after what we just witnessed the last 2 seasons? Seems very odd. For some reason we just hate shooters. He cannot shoot and in today’s game it is a must! A team like St John’s steamrolled the regular season, but every analyst said their downfall would be their terrible outside shooting game and it ultimately was.

Red is very much committed to him apparently as a senior leader and "scorer". I don't know how this off-season will unfold or even how next season will play out. My gut says that it's not going to work, but as a fan I think it could. We definitely played a lot better down the stretch, but that was against bad teams in a bad conference and we still didn't win much.

Without killing a few days crunching numbers, I don't think it's very likely that teams who have terrible metrics change much without changing coaches. I don't think very many rebound from 100+KP ranks to top-30 in one off season. But it's also the portal era.

So, despite being a general pessimist for the last decade of SU basketball ...

 

[baggerbob]

Red is very much committed to him apparently as a senior leader and "scorer". I don't know how this off-season will unfold or even how next season will play out. My gut says that it's not going to work, but as a fan I think it could. We definitely played a lot better down the stretch, but that was against bad teams in a bad conference and we still didn't win much.

Without killing a few days crunching numbers, I don't think it's very likely that teams who have terrible metrics change much without changing coaches. I don't think very many rebound from 100+KP ranks to top-30 in one off season. But it's also the portal era.

So, despite being a general pessimist for the last decade of SU basketball ...

If JJ ends up being the focal point of SU's offense next year Red will not survive for a 4th year.
JJ needs to be a 4th or 5th option to be a very good team.

 

[phil77]

I thought this was a cool chart

 

[ezbeezy214]

My optimal not all that realistic but still tangible roster would look like:

6’2+ PG that can shoot
JJ
Slashing Wing
Better shooting Jyare Davis
Donnie

PG that can get to basket and play w above starting PG.
Kiyan but he reaches shooting potential fast
Sadiq
Petar
Baye Moussa Keita Lite

Fennell and Womack are not forced to play but it’s a good sign if they earn it. Three starting transfers need to be all better than JJ. Backup Transfer C can be pushed out of rotation by Sadiq and Petar playing up.

Donovan Dent would be first piece of the vision.

 

[ar inj]

I thought this was a cool chart

I looked but no S’s for SU in that chart

 

[phil77]

I looked but no S’s for SU in that chart

That just means we keep all of our good players we don't allow them to hit the portal so these teams can poach them LOL

 

[tee1222]

PLAYER	POS.	HT.	WT.	CLASS	STATUS
JJ Starling	G	6-4	206	Sr.
Donnie Freeman	PF	6-9	205	So.
Petar Majstorovic	PF/C	6-8	215	So.
Kiyan Anthony	G	6-5	185	Fr.
Luke Fennell	G	6-6	190	Fr.
Sadiq White	PF	6-9	200	Fr.
Aaron Womack	SF	6-6	170	Fr.
IN THE PORTAL
Kyle Cuffe, Jr.	G	6-2	188	R-Sr.	3/21
Chris Bell	SF	6-7	192	Sr.	3/22
Elijah Moore	G	6-4	176	So.	3/22
Chance Westry	G	6-6	205	R-Jr.	3/25

 

[VikesCuse84]

My optimal not all that realistic but still tangible roster would look like:

6’2+ PG that can shoot
JJ
Slashing Wing
Better shooting Jyare Davis
Donnie

PG that can get to basket and play w above starting PG.
Kiyan but he reaches shooting potential fast
Sadiq
Petar
Baye Moussa Keita Lite

Fennell and Womack are not forced to play but it’s a good sign if they earn it. Three starting transfers need to be all better than JJ. Backup Transfer C can be pushed out of rotation by Sadiq and Petar playing up.

Won’t happen but my optimal would be:

6’4”+ PG that can shoot and defend
JJ (I’m assuming he’s back and no way Red wouldn’t start him)
3 and D style SF
Freeman
Rim protector, rebounder elite defensive C that isn’t a complete black hole on offense

Bench
PG that can come in and give you 10-15 solid minutes when needed
Kiyan
White
Backup C

Fennell and Womack hopefully redshirt unless they’re somehow ready to make an instant impact.

My entire focus on the offseason would be to get tougher and build an aggressive defensive identity. Need guys that play hard on defense.

 

[ezbeezy214]

Guess I’m starting to realize I’m the only one that sees Donny as 5, but either way he’s gonna be a spacer on offense. I just would like to get back to the long athletic days where we were best at delayed fast breaks, pushing the ball ahead.

 

[kcsu]

Won’t happen but my optimal would be:

6’4”+ PG that can shoot and defend
JJ (I’m assuming he’s back and no way Red wouldn’t start him)
3 and D style SF
Freeman
Rim protector, rebounder elite defensive C that isn’t a complete black hole on offense

Bench
PG that can come in and give you 10-15 solid minutes when needed
Kiyan
White
Backup C

Fennell and Womack hopefully redshirt unless they’re somehow ready to make an instant impact.

My entire focus on the offseason would be to get tougher and build an aggressive defensive identity. Need guys that play hard on defense.

Fennell is going to play

 

[cusefan88]

Donnie and JJ officially back.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Run It Back Times Two - Syracuse University Athletics

Junior J.J. Starling and freshman Donnie Freeman , the two top scorers on the 2024-25 men's basketball team, have announced their intention to return to Syra...

cuse.com

 

[VikesCuse84]

Fennell is going to play

If he’s ready great, would like him to be the 10-15 min guy off the bench in that scenario unless he’s ready like Tyler Ennis was. Really hoping they use the portal to add guys that can be shut down defenders and bring an identity back to Syracuse basketball.

 

[hoopsupstate]

If he’s ready great, would like him to be the 10-15 min guy off the bench in that scenario unless he’s ready like Tyler Ennis was. Really hoping they use the portal to add guys that can be shut down defenders and bring an identity back to Syracuse basketball.

Fennell at 6’6” could also play a little point forward.

 

[CardiacCuse]

The hope is Donnie fills his body out more and gets more comfortable playing with his height. I have more faith with him using his length to be more effective defensively. It’s an extremely rare approach to consistently feed someone to bang down low anyway.

hes closer to a SF than a C

 

[longtimefan]

I thought this was a cool chart

Interesting that two B1G schools have managed to hold on to their players.

Duke, of course, is an anomaly. Of course 3 of their 4 "home-grown" starters are freshmen, so they had no opportunity to portal.

Other than those 3, the average of non-portals is about 2. Interesting that many of the transfers are from non-P4 programs.

 

[Niastri]

Guess I’m starting to realize I’m the only one that sees Donny as 5, but either way he’s gonna be a spacer on offense. I just would like to get back to the long athletic days where we were best at delayed fast breaks, pushing the ball ahead.

Freeman will be undersized as a center, but I wouldn’t mind him there five minutes per half. When he’s playing beside White, he’s either the 3 or the 5, because White’s weakness is shooting at this point.

 

[ezbeezy214]

hes closer to a SF than a C

In what way?

 

[CusefanATL]

Won’t happen but my optimal would be:

6’4”+ PG that can shoot and defend
JJ (I’m assuming he’s back and no way Red wouldn’t start him)
3 and D style SF
Freeman
Rim protector, rebounder elite defensive C that isn’t a complete black hole on offense

Bench
PG that can come in and give you 10-15 solid minutes when needed
Kiyan
White
Backup C

Fennell and Womack hopefully redshirt unless they’re somehow ready to make an instant impact.

My entire focus on the offseason would be to get tougher and build an aggressive defensive identity. Need guys that play hard on defense.

I don’t know enough to be certain, but i would be SHOCKED if Fennell redshirted.

 

[Newhouser]

I don’t know enough to be certain, but i would be SHOCKED if Fennell redshirted.

Is red shirting even a thing anymore?

 

[OrlandoCuse]

Is red shirting even a thing anymore?

Said it before but I’ll say it again, zero reason to redshirt kids anymore.