The Orange have built for the now, but are also building for the future.
As Gerry McNamara takes over the Syracuse men's basketball program, so much has been made about what he's doing in the now: Building a roster, essentially from scratch, that can contend in the ACC, and seeing if he can break Syracuse's five-year NCAA Tournament drought.
But McNamara is also building for the future, and that future got a little brighter on Monday, Syracuse inked recruit Jack Donohue from the Class of 2027. That was reported by Mike McAllister of 247 Sports.
Listed at 6-foot-8, McNamara originally played at Christian Brothers Academy (Albany) before transferring to a prep school in Massachusetts. As noted by 247 Sports, he's a three-star prospect and the No. 4 player in Massachusetts. He has a reputation as a good shooter.
How does he fit moving forward?
Well, it really remains to be seen. Syracuse has the ability to bring back, almost its entire roster, when Donohue will enroll, as McNamara really focused on players with multiple years of eligibility when he hit the transfer portal.
However, there's a chance that Sadiq White Jr. and Kiyan Anthony could both leave the program after this year for the NBA Draft - or the portal. And there's also a chance that any number of other SU players could leave for the portal as well.
In the modern era of college basketball, you can never really plan ahead for how a roster is going to look. There's always chaos.
Otto the Syracuse Orange mascot waves to the crowd prior to the game between the Syracuse Orange and the Florida State Seminoles at the Carrier Dome. Mark Konezny-USA TODAY SportsElsewhere in the news for Syracuse men's basketball
The Orange added another game to the schedule on Monday, as they will host Cornell at the JMA Wireless Dome on Nov. 18. This means that SU is waiting for just three more non-conference games to be announced for the schedule to be complete. We need to learn the day and time of the game against Albany (home), Rutgers (Barclays Center) and St. John's (Madison Square Garden).
Also in the news for SU athletics
The Syracuse football season begins on Sept. 5 and this will mark yet another season where the No. 44 is not worn by an SU player. The legendary number was last worn in 1998, and some fans are in favor of bringing it out of retirement for high-profile players.
Our own Tom Goslowski looks at the issue in this profile.
The Orange will take on New Hampshire in the season opener. SU went 3-9 a season ago and has been picked for a lackluster finish this season as well.
