Gerry McNamara's roster is now at the maximum 15 players as the Orange look to rebuild the program.
Earlier this week, new Syracuse men's basketball coach Gerry McNamara added his (likely) final player to this season's upcoming roster in Ethan Butler. Butler, a former recruit of McNamara when he coached at Siena, announced his decision to join Syracuse via social media.
With the addition of Butler, the tentative 2026-27 Syracuse roster now looks this:
Guards: Kiyan Anthony, Noah Lobdell, Gavin Doty*, Aiden Tobiason*, Garwey Dual*, Ryan Moesch**, Ethan Butler
Forwards: Sadiq White Jr., Calvin Russell III, Tasman Goodrick*, Mark Morano Mahmutovič*, Francis Folefac*
Center: Luke Wilson*, Abdramane Siby*, Iker Martinez*
*Denotes transfer portal addition or international signing
Who is the most important player to the team's success?
Longtime Syracuse basketball reporter Mike Waters joined ESPN Syracuse's 'Orange Nation' and answered that question on Monday afternoon. Although Waters noted the play of Aiden Tobiason as a potential answer to that question, another newcomer was also mentioned.
Waters mentioned international addition Mark Morano Mahmutovič as being an important member of the squad. Mahmutovič is yet to join the team as he is competing overseas with the Slovenian U-20 national team.
Mahmutovic facing international competition and adjustment to the college game in the USA offers an intriguing storyline to follow.
Goz's answer: Kiyan Anthony
As I evaluate this year's roster, the most important player to the team's success is sophomore guard Kiyan Anthony.
Anthony has been shown multiple times on social media sporting a more muscular body build, and that could be make a big difference. During his freshman season, Anthony played physical and used a then-smaller frame to draw contact from defenders, but a more physical stature could allow him to absorb contact easier and play with more confidence.
Last season, Anthony averaged 8 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. He played in 29 games as the Orange went 15-17 overall.
If Anthony is able to improve his defense along with free throwing shooting (62.8 percent), Syracuse could return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2021.
Other Syracuse basketball news
Anthony and his fellow teammates now know when they will take on the SEC's Oklahoma Sooners. The matchup between Syracuse and Oklahoma is one of the many in this year's version of the ACC-SEC Challenge.
As our Brady Farkas noted this week, the Syracuse TBT team has added another player to this summer's roster. The newest addition is the most recent Syracuse player selected in an NBA Draft.
Syracuse will play the Seton Hall alumni team in the first round best-of-three, with Game 1 being held in the Seton Hall home gym. This series will take place from July 21-24.
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