Last night was senior night inside the Dome. Syracuse honored a record nine players. Eight of them are out of college eligibility. Let’s take a look back at some of them and the impact that this group made on the ‘Cuse.
For the largest graduating class in the team’s history, it’s a shockingly unnotable one. The new era of college basketball takes a lot of the blame for that. Half of the players who walked last night were one and done transfers. It’s hard to create a connection with guys when they spend less than a calendar year playing for your team. The old school style was that everyone played for four years. Even a one-year deal in professional sports is short. So in college, it still just feels wrong. Add on to that the season that this one-and-done crew had, and it’ll go down as a group to forget.
It is important to note though, for all the struggles that this years team had on the court, there weren’t many problems at all off the court. The four one and done transfers, Jyare Davis, Eddie Lampkin, Lucas Taylor, and Jaquan Carlos, were always true professionals throughout the entire season. In the locker room after losses, they always answered questions and never once had a bad attitude. That deserves credit after some locker room issues last season.
Of the guys who were here for more than one year, there isn’t anyone more notable. Three of the remaining players were walk-ons. Chaz Owens was the only notable one because of his father. That leaves Naheem McLeod as the last player to graduate. Naheem’s career will be one that some people remember. In 10 years, he’ll be the perfect trivia question. The tallest player in program history, McLeod had some moments this year where we all saw the vision. Unfortunately, just like how things have gone for this team, that vision didn’t end up leading to very much success. This class of 2025 didn’t lead to any success. It’s the first graduating class to not make the NCAA tournament in 50 years.
