The Syracuse men’s basketball team won’t open its season until Nov. 2 when it hosts New Haven at the JMA Wireless Dome, but Gerry McNamara’s team is already working in the gym right now preparing for the season ahead.
After some nice gains in the transfer portal, and with the addition of McNamara as head coach, the Orange should be a better team in 2026-27 than last year’s 15-17 squad.
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And while there are many storylines worth watching in the new campaign ahead, there is one in particular that we’re going to be glued to:
How Sadiq White Jr. develops.
A rising sophomore from Charlotte, N.C., White appeared in 31 games in his freshman campaign. Supremely athletic, he averaged 6.1 ppg and 3.3 rebounds, while also netting 0.4 assists. He shot 54.7 percent from the floor, 36.8 percent from three-point range and 51.3 percent at the foul line.
1) What kind of player is he going to be? If he’s going to be a player who relies on his athleticism to rebound and play defense, then it will be important to see how his aggression evolves on the glass and on the defensive front.
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At 6-foot-9, he has the ability to wreak havoc defensively, and to play above the rim. Can he be a guy who secures seven or eight rebounds a night? Can he be a guy that McNamara puts on a team’s best perimeter offensive option?
2) If he’s going to become more of an offensive player, how will his shooting improve? Most of his offensive numbers were acquired inside the lane and at the hoop. Can he improve upon his three-point shot after he took only 0.6 per game last season? Can he improve his free-throw shooting so that he can fully use his athleticism? What’s the point of getting to the rim if you aren’t able to capitalize at the line?
Can he be on the court late in games, or is his free-throw shooting too much of a liability?
3) And whatever path he takes, how does it impact McNamara’s rotation? If he’s a defense-first player, do the other four guys on the floor have to be offensively-minded? If he becomes an offensive threat, does he play enough defense to help McNamara’s group stay strong on that side of the floor?
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Last year, neither White nor Kiyan Anthony shot the ball well from outside. Can they afford to be on the floor together if at least one of them hasn’t improved on that front?
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