The Orange added this new name to their staff on Tuesday
The athletic department at Syracuse has seen multiple changes in 2026.
The most high profile change involved the hiring of Bryan Blair as the school's newest athletic director in March.
Blair has continued to find ways to leave an imprint on the school early in his tenure, whether that be via his Orange Alliance initiative or his reimagining of a game day football experience.
Of course, the men's basketball program hired alum Gerry McNamara as its newest head coach in March. He replaces Adrian Autry, who was fired after three seasons and no NCAA Tournament berths.
But the athletic department saw another change on Tuesday as it hired former NBA executive Chris Presson.
The Chris Presson File
Presson joins Syracuse following his most recent stint at the Rock Entertainment Group. The group included a business relationship with the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers and other sports franchises in the surrounding Cleveland area. Presson's resume also includes stints with the Phoenix Suns, Edmonton Elks of the CFL and Arizona Rattlers of the AFL.
In a press release posted by the school on Tuesday, Presson's role was described in the following manner:
"In the newly created role, Presson will align revenue generation, brand strategy, marketing, fan engagement, content creation, premium experiences and corporate partnerships into one integrated commercial strategy for Syracuse Athletics. He will oversee sponsorship, ticketing, premium seating, licensing, merchandising and venue commercialization, while leveraging data and technology to drive decision-making, deepen fan relationships and grow revenue"
What does Presson's hiring mean for Syracuse athletics?
The college athletics landscape continues to change each year. Schools like Syracuse, that feature multiple Division-I programs with nation-wide followings, continue to find new and creative ways to stay competitive with the schools they compete with.
An addition like Preston will help bring in funds that can help in the NIL department, and if he helps improve the brand as a whole, then their could be more sponsorship dollars, which also aids the athletic department as a whole.
As football and basketball programs demand more resources, other programs continue to get squeezed. Any additional revenue can also help support those sports.
Syracuse basketball recent updates
--As our Brady Farkas wrote on Tuesday, Orange men's basketball fans may be closer to knowing the entire team schedule. Find out the latest updates here. It appears that only one game that was previously reported is not on the schedule.
--The Orange will take on Rutgers during this regular season. Find out why this non-conference matchup against Scarlet Knights is different than any other non-conference opponent on the schedule.
--Plus, did you know that this former Orange basketball player almost played in the NFL? The past standout shared this story recently on social media.
