Syracuse, N.Y. ― The Syracuse University men’s basketball team bears little resemblance to last year’s Orange.
Only two players remain from last year’s squad.
Here’s a look at the 2025-26 roster:
Sadiq White
Class: Freshman
Number: 0
Height/weight: 6-9, 195
Hometown: Charlotte, N.C.
Previous school: IMG Academy
Outlook: Many people have declared White to be the best athlete in his recruiting class. Nobody at SU will contradict that assessment. White is long, rangy and bouncy. And for a team that needs to prove it can guard teams this year, he’s a skilled, willing defender. He is working on improving various facets of his offensive game, but he’s an easy lob target and will be a fan favorite for the energy he exudes.
Donnie Freeman
Class: Sophomore
Number: 1
Height/weight: 6-9, 205
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
Previous school: IMG Academy
2024-25 stats: 13.4 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 25.4 mpg, .504 FG%, .796 FT%, .333 3PT%
Outlook: Freeman played in just 14 games his freshman year and put up terrific numbers as a college freshman. He was SU’s best defensive rebounder, its second-best free throw shooter and a viable threat from the 3-point line. Don’t let that .333 fool you. For a freshman, that is a good number. He has enough talent to be named to an All-ACC team and can be a legitimate double-double threat every night.
JJ Starling
Class: Senior
Number: 2
Height/weight: 6-4, 206
Hometown: Baldwinsville, N.Y.
Previous school: Baker H.S./La Lumiere (Ind.) Academy/Notre Dame
2024-25 stats: 17.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 34.5 mpg, .407 FG%, .685 FT%, .268 3PT%
Outlook: Starling will play several key roles for the Orange. For one, he will be counted on to score after leading Syracuse last year with 17.8 points per game. That ranked seventh in the ACC. He will also be asked to provide leadership. He’s a senior, a two-year starter with the Orange and the only player on the roster who has been in the SU program for more than a year. Starling, who missed seven games last season with an injured wrist, will spend the bulk of his minutes at off-guard but could also see time at the point. The hope is that Starling will improve his efficiency numbers, especially his 27% shooting from 3-point range.
Nate Kingz
Class: Redshirt senior
Number: 4
Height/weight: 6-5, 190
Hometown: Salem, Ore.
Previous school: McNary/Westmont/Southern Idaho/Oregon State
2024-25 stats (with Oregon State): 11.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 27.6 mpg, .504 FG%, .446 3PT%, .818 FT%
Outlook: The 44.6% from the 3-point line is a gaudy number, particularly at Syracuse, which really struggled to take or make 3s last season. Kingz is likely a springier athlete than he was a season ago, when he was coming off ACL surgery. He provides SU with a deep perimeter threat and can play a couple positions. His free throw shooting will come in handy, too.
Tyler Betsey
Class: Sophomore
Number: 5
Height/weight: 6-8, 225
Hometown: Windsor, Connecticut
Previous school: St. Thomas More Prep/Cincinnati
2024-25 stats (with Cincinnati): 3.3 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 14.1 mpg, .357 FG%, .538 FT%, .321 3PT%
Outlook: Betsey comes to Syracuse after playing his freshman year at Cincinnati. The former top-50 recruit out of St. Thomas More Prep struggled in his one year with the Bearcats. He appeared in 34 out of 35 games, but he averaged just 3.3 points per game. He became almost exclusively a 3-point threat, taking 81 of his 112 field-goal attempts from outside the 3-point line. He made 32% of his 3s. Syracuse coach Adrian Autry has noted that Betsey improved the most on the defensive end of the court in his one year at Cincinnati. That should help Betsey find time at both forward positions.
Kiyan Anthony
Class: Freshman
Number: 7
Height/weight: 6-5, 185
Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Previous school: Long Island Lutheran
Outlook: Few players (if any) have arrived in Syracuse with the kind of social media-fanfare as Anthony. He has famous parents and has long lived beneath the public gaze. Anthony is a terrific scorer. He can shoot the ball, get into the lane and finish. The challenge will be the speed of the college game and his relative size/strength as a freshman.
Luke Fennell
Class: Freshman
Number: 9
Height/weight: 6-6, 190
Hometown: Melbourne, Australia
Previous school: Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence
Outlook: Fennell is an intriguing international prospect. He’s got the size and versatility to play the 1, 2 or 3. He has an instinctual feel for the game and an accurate jumper from the 3-point line. He has plenty of international experience, too. Over the past two summers, he has represented Australia in the 2024 Albert Schweitzer Tournament in Germany and the 2025 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Switzerland. In the regular season, Fennell has played for the Southeast Melbourne Phoenix in the NBL and spent time in Australia’s junior development program at the Basketball Centre of Excellence.
Akir Souare
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Number: 10
Height/weight: 6-9, 225
Hometown: Conakry, Guinea
Previous school: Canyon International Academy/Georgia Tech
2024-25 stats (at Ga Tech): 2.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 17 mpg, 14 starts, .597 FG%, .313 FT%
Outlook: Another rangy athlete at center (sense a theme?). Souare started 14 games at Georgia Tech last year. He and Naithan George trace their friendship/basketball relationship to high school and he is keenly aware of how George plays the point guard position and where to be to catch a makeable pass. Like Kyle, his free throw shooting numbers are problematic. But he can score around the rim, rim-run and defend several positions.
Naithan George
Class: Junior
Number: No. 11
Height/weight: 6-3, 185
Hometown: Toronto, Canada
Previous school: Canyon International Academy/Georgia Tech
2024-25 stats (at Georgia Tech): 13.4 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 25.4 mpg, .504 FG%, .796 FT%, .333 3PT%
Outlook: George represents a huge upgrade at the point guard position for Syracuse. He brings two years’ experience as a starter in the ACC to Syracuse and figures to run the Orange offense from the point guard spot this year. He led the ACC in assists (6.5 per game) last season. He also scored 12.3 points per game. His 37 steals would have led Syracuse in 2025. He’s not considered a 3-point marksman, yet he still made 33.9% of his 3-point attempts last season. He did that while taking 177 3-pointers, another stat where he would have led Syracuse last year.
Tiefing Diawara
Class: Freshman
Number: 12
Height/weight: 7-0, 240
Hometown: Mopti, Mali
Previous school: DME Academy at St. John’s
Outlook: Diawara was a late commit to Syracuse, but don’t pin the project label on him just yet. The 7-foot center might have considerable upside, but he’s got a lot of traits that could translate quickly to the college game. In addition to his size, Diawara has a 7-foot-3 wingspan. He still flew below the radar of most recruiting services as he attended DME Academy at St. John’s Northwestern in Delafield, Wisconsin, for just one year. Prior to that, he played for Orange 1 Basket in Italy for four years. Originally from Mali (think former SU center Bourama Sidibe), he got noticed by his future high school coach while playing at the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp in Indianapolis in 2024. Diawara is no plodder. He can move his feet and seems suited for the pick-and-roll game. He needs time to adjust to the speed and physicality of the college game but provides an interesting alternative to SU’s two most experienced centers in William Kyle and Akir Souare.
Aaron Womack
Class: Freshman
Number: 14
Height/weight: 6-6, 170
Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Previous school: Dominican H.S.
Outlook: Womack comes to Syracuse with the billing of a scorer who can shoot. Womack scored more than 2,000 points in his high school career and averaged 28.8 points per game as a senior. He made 60% of his field goal attempts, but what really stands out is his soft, fluid shooting stroke. Although he weighs only 170 pounds, he averaged 11.1 rebounds as a high school senior. He will have to add pounds to his frame and strength overall, but the attributes that the SU coaches saw in taking a three-star recruit are readily apparent. Womack is the type of player whose size and versatility could allow him to play the one, two or three over the course of his career.
William Kyle
Class: Senior
Number: 42
Height/weight: 6-9, 230
Hometown: Bellevue, Neb.
Previous school: Bellevue West/South Dakota State/UCLA
2025-26 stats (at UCLA): 2.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 20 total blocks (second on team), 9.8 mpg, .704 FG%, .395 FT%
Outlook: Kyle was brought to Syracuse because of his experience and his rangy athleticism. He is broad enough and strong enough to guard bigs and nimble enough to adequately cover other positions in switching situations. His stats at UCLA were underwhelming, but he played with a plethora of talented bigs there. He will likely be asked to do a lot more in Syracuse, akin to his all-league and defender of the year days with South Dakota State. The .395 free throw percentage is worrying.
Bryce Zephir
Class: Grad student
Number: 55
Height/weight: 6-4, 200
Hometown: Carson, California
Previous school: Santa Monica H.S./Chipola (Fla.) J.C./North Texas/Salt Lake (Utah) C.C./Montana State
2024-25 stats (at Montana State): 5.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 19.6 mpg, .469 FG%, .615 FT%, .297 3PT%
Outlook: Zephir has worked his way through the college basketball ranks since coming out of Santa Monica (Calif.) High School. He has played at two junior colleges, redshirted one season and played another at North Texas and last year averaged 10.4 points per game at Montana State. Zephir brings all that experience to a Syracuse team that could use a veteran presence. Zephir will fight for time behind George and Starling in the backcourt. Zephir is a strong defensive player and a willing rebounder (4.1 per game last season).
