Ben Lee was named to a prestigious list this week.
Over the last seven months, the Syracuse Orange men's basketball program has undergone significant changes. First, following a 15-17 season that resulted in another missed NCAA Tournament, Adrian Autry was relieved of his duties as the Orange's head coach. His entire staff was let go as well.
Former player and assistant head coach at the program Gerry McNamara was hired as the new head coach for the program.
McNamara not only brought in a influx of new players, but also multiple new members to the coaching staff. McNamara's staff includes many assistants who joined him at his previous stint, Siena University.
Those assistants who followed him from New York's Capital Region to the Central New York area include former Orange players Ryan Blackwell and Arinze Onuaku. Also included in that mix was another former Siena assistant, Ben Lee. While Lee never played for Syracuse like his coaching staff teammates, Lee's coaching abilities have already been recognized nationally.
Who is Ben Lee?
The 29-year-old joined McNamara's staff at Syracuse after two years in Siena. A Long Island native, Lee also has served an assistant coach at the University of Washington. At Washington, he worked with former Syracuse player and assistant coach Mike Hopkins.
What recognition did he get?
A national media outlet, Hoop Herald named the named 35 assistant coaches under 35 years old with Lee being one of them:
Hoop Herald said this in regard to Lee via a social media post:
"Congratulations to @Coach_BenLee of @Cuse_MBB on being part of the 2026-2027 Hoop Herald 35. At 29 years old, Lee is one of the youngest HM Assistants in the nation Having spent years around grassroots basketball, he has built a MASSIVE network that will help Syracuse day 1"
What could Lee's recognition mean for Syracuse basketball?
Well, on the positive side, Lee's recruiting network should help pay dividends in terms of bringing more and more talent into the program.
On the negative side, the more people get word about Lee's prowess, the more that other programs and places will want to poach him away. McNamara will have to be ready for that possibility moving forward.
Other Syracuse basketball news this week
--As our Brady Farkas covered this week, the Orange program landed five-star prospect Moussa Kamissoko for the Class of 2027. Find out what impact this player could have for the future of the program.
--A former NBA executive has joined the Syracuse athletic department. Could this hiring mean a stronger focus on the basketball program in the future?
--Plus find out why the upcoming regular season matchup against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights is different than most in the non-conference slate.
