SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- This past Friday, the Syracuse men's basketball program team held its annual media day event at the Carmelo Anthony Center. It was the first time, within the season itself, that the Orange were in front of the public.

As the regular season inches closer to tip-off (Nov. 2 against New Haven), the Orange are still finalizing what this year's rotations of players and contributors will look like. Syracuse is hoping to end the school's longest streak of consecutive seasons missing the NCAA tournament (5).

The Orange went 15-17 last season.

In order to get back to the NCAA Tournamet, the Orange will need a player to break out. Here's more:

A "Breakout Player" is a player that, in the preseason, may not be considered a starter or top five contributor to the team. Players like Sadiq White, Kiyan Anthony, Garwey Dual and Gavin Doty have a chance at starting, and therefore have big expectations around them.

The type of player we are trying to identify is someone who is going to come off the bench and contribute more than predicted early on. That could be an underclassmen or a recent transfer addition. Here are some candidates who could have that type of season:

Tassie Goodrick:

A senior, Goodrick has played just 18 career games between Cal Baptist and Siena over two years. During his brief time on the court last season for the MAAC champion Siena Saints, Goodrick started nine games before a season ending injury. At 6-foot-10, Goodrick averaged 9.7 ppg and 7.3 rebounds. 

Ryan Moesch:

A four-star prospect, Moesch committed to McNamara and Siena, making Moesch the highest ranked player ever to commit to the Saints. However, after McNamara left Siena for Syracuse, the 6-foot-1 guard followed McNamara to Syracuse.  Moesch's ball handling skills and scoring ability could provide an exciting spark for the Orange's offense. 

Luke Wilson:

At 6-foot-10 and 255 pounds, the Appalachian State transfer is one of the biggest bodies on the Orange roster. Wilson's ability to both score (10.7 point per game) and rebound (8.3 per game) helps him fit this description. Wilson's experience should help and he's also an excellent defender.

My pick is Goodrick. Most Syracuse fans likely did not follow the early portion of the Siena basketball season in '25-26. Goodrick was pacing to be not just the best player on the Saints, but also a potential MAAC Player of the Year before his season was derailed by an injury. While his former teammates at Siena, and now at Syracuse, Gavin Doty and Francis Folefac, had strong individual seasons last year, the opportunity for more playing time and contributions opened up because of Goodrick's early season injury.

Goodrick's health is the best it has been in years, according to what he told SyracuseRoundtable earlier this month. If that's indeed true, Goodrick could blow past many fans expectations for him this season.

It is very likely we will have a clearer idea of how Goodrick can be over the next few weeks.

The Orange will play three exhibition games this month before starting non-conference action in November. They'll open up against UConn on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.