Gerry McNamara takes over as head coach for Syracuse basketball, hoping to end an NCAA Tournament drought in year one.
The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Syracuse basketball.
As a Syracuse alum, the last few seasons have been brutal. Jim Boeheim’s tenure didn’t end as he’d hoped for and Red Autry’s three seasons were nothing short of a disaster. But for the first time in a while, the hope that this program may be back isn’t forced. Gerry McNamara, an all-time great for Syracuse basketball, rejoins the coaching staff, only this time as the man in charge.
McNamara spent two seasons as the head coach at Siena, compiling a 37-30 record and a near upset of 1-seed Duke in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Syracuse came calling, and now, two decades after finishing up his playing career in Orange, he’s back in a different role.
G-Mac arguably had the best offseason Syracuse has seen in recent years, bringing in some incredible talent from Siena in Gavin Doty and Francis Folefac. Both were crucial players all last season. So was Tasman Goodrick, but he was limited to just nine games. All three should see lots of minutes this season.
The name Syracuse basketball fans are excited about the most may be Amarri Monroe. He’s waiting to find out if he can play a fifth season of college basketball, but if the NCAA allows it, Monroe will more than likely take Sadiq White’s spot as the starting power forward. He’s a do-it-all type of player, something Syracuse has been missing the past few years.
And then there is the return of Kiyan Anthony and the addition of Temple transfer Aiden Tobiason. They might be Syracuse’s most prolific scorers (along with Doty), creating for some of the best guard/wing play this program has seen in quite some time. That isn’t even mentioning Garwey Dual, who is on his fourth team in four years, but is more than capable of running some solid point guard play.
Finally, App State transfer Luke Wilson joins Folefac, Goodrick (and potentially Monroe) as the main guys in the frontcourt. There are other freshmen further down the rotation who should also chip in.
If all goes well, Syracuse basketball could go dancing for the first time since 2021. The fanbase is itching, and McNamara may just be the right coach to get them back on track.
Head coach: Gerry McNamara (3rd season overall, 1st at Syracuse)
2025-26 record: 15-17 (6-12)
2026 postseason finish: No tournament
Notable departures:
- EVERYONE but Kiyan Anthony and Sadiq White
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Indiana (Nov. 9) – Indianapolis, IN
- at Oklahoma (Dec. 1)
- vs. Providence (Dec. 19)
- vs. Rutgers (Feb. 6) – Brooklyn, N.Y.
Projected Rotation
PG: Garwey Dual (6-5, 200, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 8.4 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 4.4 APG, 1.6 SPG (McNeese)
SG: Aiden Tobiason (6-6, 210, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 15.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.2 SPG (Temple)
SF: Gavin Doty (6-5, 200, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 18.0 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.3 SPG (Siena)
PF: Amarri Monroe (6-7, 220, Gr.-Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 15.6 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.2 APG, 2.3 SPG (Quinnipiac)
*Currently awaiting ruling on fifth-year eligibility*
C: Luke Wilson (6-10, 255, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 10.7 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 0.6 APG, 1.8 BPG, 64.2 FG% (App State)
6: Sadiq White (6-8, 207, So.)
2025-26 stats: 6.1 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 0.4 APG, 54.7 FG%
7: Kiyan Anthony (6-5, 198, So.)
2025-26 stats: 8.0 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 0.9 APG
8: Francis Folefac (6-7, 245, So.)
2025-26 stats: 11.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.2 BPG, 51.5 FG% (Siena)
9: Tasman Goodrick (6-10, 240, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 9.7 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.3 APG, 64.5 FG%, 9 GP (Siena)
10: Ryon Moesch (6-0, 180, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 190 ranked recruit
11: Abdramane Siby (7-0, 220, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 198 ranked recruit
12: Mark Morano (6-6, 205, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 239 ranked recruit
13: Iker Martinez (7-0, 225, Fr.)
247Sports Composite unranked recruit
Syracuse basketball team MVP: Aiden Tobiason
There is lots of unproven and underrated talent on this team, but Tobiason’s name has been picking up a lot of steam in the Syracuse circles.
For one, transferring from an A-10 school like Temple makes his 15.3 PPG average seem more than sustainable in the ACC. But that stands out even more, considering he averaged fewer than five points per game the year before, and is still just a true junior this season.
There are two main things to like about Tobiason: he isn’t afraid to take his shots, and his athleticism makes it tough to contain him for a full 40 minutes. And if you want a player comp, I watched 30 seconds of his highlights and saw shades of Malachi Richardson.
Efficiency has rarely been a problem for him, and he’s also a two-way player. What’s not to love?
Syracuse basketball make-or-break player: Sadiq White
Many people may be calling on Kiyan Anthony to make improvements, but he showed more flashes of being a guy who can average 12-15 a game under McNamara. Clearly, Autry and Anthony weren’t a good pair, and that can change with Carmelo’s former point guard as his new tutor.
But Sadiq White may have had the more disappointing freshman season. He only got about 15 minutes per game and barely averaged six points per contest. For a five-star prospect, that is a bit underwhelming.
But it’s nothing that can’t be fixed with a new head coach, system, and outlook. White’s talent isn’t the issue. But he’s got to be used in the right way. More minutes and a better fit should be headed his way in 2026-27, and if he improves under that, it makes the Syracuse depth very intriguing.
Key statistic: Rebounds per game
If there’s one area Syracuse should improve in this year, it’s grabbing more boards.
Last year, the Orange ranked 250th with 34.2 RPG and were 15th in the ACC at 29.4 per contest. The only big men on the roster were William Kyle and Donnie Freeman, who was out for part of the year. Ibrahim Souare barely played, and Sadiq White was forced to play a bit out of position.
This year, McNamara made sure to stack lots of rim protectors. Wilson, Folefac, and Goodrick are born rebounders of the basketball, giving ‘Cuse a trio of bigs in their first nine guys. Later down the bench are a pair of seven-footers in Abdramane Siby and Iker Martinez. They should provide an extra boost in the case of foul trouble or injuries. And if Monroe is able to play, Syracuse may go from the bottom of the ACC to the top in rebounds.
It’s not a sexy part of the game, but it’s one that needed to be addressed, and SU did just that.
Syracuse basketball 2026-27 projections
Projected conference finish: 10th in the ACC
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament round of 64 exit