The Syracuse men's basketball team is hosting its annual Summer Slam event again this year, with this version taking place on July 22 at the Lobdell Family barn in  Skaneateles, N.Y.

This event combines many different aspects into one fun night: As noted by the press release on the event, fans will get an opportunity to meet members of the 2026-27 Orange team while also getting a chance to hear from head coach Gerry McNamara and Orange legend Carmelo Anthony.

The event also serves as a way to fundraise NIL opportunities for the athletic department, and other Orange head coaches are scheduled to attend.

It will also feature great food and an open bar, a live and silent auction and a fireworks finale while supporting NIL opportunities for the student-athletes in partnership with One Orange Alliance.

Furthermore, members of the team will engage in events like a slam dunk contest and a three-point shootout, which will entertain fans. Ticket information can be found below:

On the surface, this is an event aimed at generating money to support the program, but it's really much more than that.

This gives fans an opportunity to create an early connection with this team and to re-create a connection to the program that may have been lacking over the last five years as the team has missed the NCAA Tournament. It will give McNamara an opportunity to address the fanbase again before the start of the new academic year and will give him a chance to re-energize that same fanbase.

It will be fascinating to see Anthony and McNamara on stage together: Two former teammates and titans of the program, reunited on stage, will be fun nostalgia for fans of a certain age. But it's also been a curiosity how the two will relate to each other given that Kiyan Anthony is on this roster.

Will McNamara want to embrace Carmelo's star power as a way to help the program? Will he want Carmelo hanging around a bit to show off that star power and serve as an asset to the program?

Or does he want Carmelo at arm's length, just acting in the role of supportive dad? We don't really know the answer, but July 22 might provide us a first look at the dynamic.

The men's lacrosse team will take the field at 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday as part of the Final Four. It's the second straight Final Four for Gary Gait's team and they are looking for their first national title since 2009. The Orange will play Notre Dame, who they lost to earlier in the season. Here's information on how to watch.

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