With all the shuffling over the last few weeks, what does the roster look like now?
It's been just over a month since the conclusion of the 2025-26 Syracuse Orange men's basketball season. Since mid-March, Syracuse has fired - and hired - a new head coach, added multiple people to its coaching staff, and added a multitude of new players to the 2026-27 roster. Eleven total players have left the roster in just one month.
Let's recap some of the roster changes for the team over the past few weeks.
Senior departures
The Orange knew that following the conclusion of the season that JJ Starling, William Kyle III, and Bryce Zephir would no longer be a part of the program. All three were honored on Senior Day in their final home inside the JMA Wirless Dome. Nate Kingz was also honored during the event, but weeks prior, Kingz expressed his intent to find another year of eligibility from the NCAA.
If Kingz does not return, the departure of these players will result in Syracuse losing three of its top five scorers, its second leading rebounder (Kyle) and team leader in blocked shots (Kyle).
Transfer losses
Although the senior class resulted in the above losses for next year's squad, the transfer portal departures mean that Syracuse is losing all five of its leading scorers from last year's team.
Naithan George and Donnie Freeman both announced their intentions to enter the portal when it opened up. George has already signed with Pittsburgh. Freeman has yet to announce his next stop, but he visited Kentucky on Wednesday. Tyler Betsey, the team's best three-point shooter, has signed with BYU.
Aaron Womack, Luke Fennell, Akir Souare, and Tiefang Diawara rounds out the rest of the departures.
Potential 2026-27 Roster
While 11 players have left, here's what a projected roster could look like this fall, taking into account the transfer portal additions.
Guards: Kiyan Anthony, Noah Lobdell, Gavin Doty*, Aiden Tobiason*, Garwey Dual*, Ryan Moesch**
Forwards: Sadiq White Jr., Calvin Russell III, Tasman Goodrick*, Mark Morano Mahmutovič*
Center: Abdramane Siby
*Denotes transfer portal addition or international signing
**Freshman recruit
These outlooks have the roster back to 11, but it's likely that Syracuse adds at least 1-2 more players. Recently hired Syracuse Director of Engagement Ryan Blackwell told CNY Central's Samantha Croston that "the bigs are coming"
"The bigs are coming. At the end of the day, when we put the product out there, the people will be excited."
Starting Lineup?
Could game one of the 2026-27 season have this as the Orange's starting lineup?
PG: Kiyan Anthony
SG: Gavin Doty
SF: Sadiq White Jr.
PF: Tasman Goodrick
C: Abdramane Siby
How would you shape a potential Orange starting five?
Join the Conversation
Remember to join our SYRACUSE on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Orange fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!