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No accomplishment in 2023-24 for Syracuse women’s basketball could rival the praise UConn head coach Geno Auriemma lavished upon the program. The 11-time national champion was uneasy before facing SU in the NCAA Tournament round of 32. He had to catch his breath after the Orange nearly slayed his mighty Huskies on their home floor.

“Well, I told you yesterday I wasn’t crazy about our bracket because I knew what we were up against,” Auriemma said on March 25. “I can’t say enough great things about Syracuse and Felisha (Legette-Jack) and the job she’s done.”

Syracuse came within two points of UConn late. Though, not even 18 second-half points from Dyaisha Fair was enough to upset the Huskies as Paige Bueckers dropped a season-high 32 to defeat the Orange 72-64 — ending their season.

Legette-Jack and Georgia Woolley sobbed postgame. A resurgent season had reached its conclusion and the desolate reality of Fair leaving weighed heavily on them. But Syracuse’s 2023-24 campaign should only warrant tears of joy.

For Legette-Jack’s program to return to the national spotlight in the wake of scandal, which all of a sudden feels so distant, was an unprecedented feat. Everything in between — a program-record-tying 23-win regular season, Fair becoming a top-three scorer in women’s college basketball history and Legette-Jack helming SU to its first NCAA Tournament win since 2021 — established the case that this program is heading in the right direction.

Staying competitive with a juggernaut like UConn on the game’s biggest stage should silence any doubts. Syracuse has set a foundation. Now, it needs to take advantage of its position and replace Fair’s production for sustained success.

“We want more and we deserve more,” Legette-Jack said following SU’s loss to UConn. “(The players) deserve more and this community deserves more and we’re going to give them more. Whatever more is.”

So what does more look like? It’s simple. Legette-Jack and her staff must build around their roster by hitting the transfer portal hard. Auriemma already provided a damning pitch. SU just needs to execute.

Yet that shouldn’t be painstaking work for the Orange. They have a significant group of returners who will only develop further. And Legette-Jack’s model in how she wants to build her alma mater should prove enticing to transfers.

With Dyaisha Fair set to embark on a likely professional career, the Orange will need to find a way to match her production in 2024-25. Photograph Courtesy of SU Athletics

Let’s start with Fair. Through her five-year career under Legette-Jack, for the University at Buffalo from 2019-22 and for Syracuse from 2022-24, the 5-foot-5 guard went from a prospect with almost no Division I interest to a college basketball legend. Legette-Jack constantly disclosed how she allowed Fair to play freely, enacting an offense which revolved around her shot-making.

The results speak for themselves.

In two campaigns, Fair became the fastest player in program history to score 1000 points. She knocked down 203 3-pointers and shot nearly 40% from long range. She earned two All-Atlantic Coast Conference First-Team selections and one AP All-American Third-Team nod. Fair constantly put the Orange on her back this season, highlighted by their first-ever season sweep over Notre Dame, comebacks wins over Florida State and Clemson and a 32-point outburst to lead SU’s NCAA Tournament round of 64 victory over Arizona.

Fair’s career has revealed the blueprint for what players can do in Legette-Jack’s system. The head coach even pointed to Bueckers as an example of what an SU star guard can do with the right pieces around her.

Guards around the country who will be looking for a new home this offseason should be clamoring to come to Syracuse.

“We’re going to show this film to our guards coming in, our guard’s that (are here),” Legette-Jack said of Bueckers’s game versus Syracuse. “This is what excellence looks like. You see Dyaisha’s side of it, now you’re going to see Paige’s side of it.

“She’s a teaching mechanism. That’s who she is.”

Utilizing the transfer portal has paid dividends for plenty of programs. South Carolina nabbed Te-Hina Paopao from Oregon in 2023 and her steady backcourt presence captained the Gamecocks to an undefeated regular season. LSU brought in Louisville’s Hailey Van Lith to keep it national-title worthy. Even in the ACC, NC State has poached impact players Mimi Collins and Saniya Rivers over the past few years to create consistent success.

Yes, there are current players who will be back in 2024-25 to collectively help pick up Fair’s mantle. Without hesitation following the loss to UConn, Legette-Jack said Woolley is “ready” to lead the program. Soon-to-be sophomore Sophie Burrows, who drained six 3s to keep SU close with UConn, should also be a key piece. Incoming guards such as Madeline Potts, Olivia Schmitt and four-star recruit Shy Hawkins will be crucial additions, too.

But like Legette-Jack said, Syracuse needs more. That starts in the portal.

SU has a clear need for depth scoring and high-percentage shooters. Only Fair and Woolley averaged double-digit points this past year. And only Fair and Alaina Rice shot more than 30% from 3-point range — both players are set to graduate.

Relying on Woolley to carry the load won’t be enough. Being hopeful for the freshmen won’t suffice, either. The Orange still need an established three-level scorer and a few more efficient 3-point shooters to transition from the Fair era. Snagging transfer portal commits is the safest option for Syracuse to fill its backcourt needs.

Syracuse’s bench celebrates during its win over Louisville on Feb. 11. Arnav Pokhrel | Staff Photographer

The same goes for the frontcourt. Alyssa Latham, Kyra Wood, Saniaa Wilson and Izabel Varejão all seem to be coming back in 2024-25. But while that group helped Syracuse become one of the better rebounding teams in the nation, it was inconsistent. Starting frontcourt lineups varied throughout the campaign and nobody stood out as a scorer.

SU needs to find its next great big — one who can provide it with consistent post scoring. The options for next season start and end with Pittsburgh’s Liatu King.

Pitt’s All-ACC First-Team forward dropped 18.7 points and 10.3 boards per game on 52.3% shooting. She dominated Syracuse in two matchups across 2023-24, posting double-doubles in each with 27 and 29 points, respectively.

King just finished up her fourth season for the Panthers, who are a bottom feeder in the ACC. She’s eligible for a graduate year. Why can’t Syracuse get her? Legette-Jack, who normally doesn’t laud opposing players, would clearly be open to the idea.

“She’s a monster, she is so good,” Legette-Jack said of King on Feb. 25. “She’s an undersized post player that can score buckets … But somebody’s gotta have a good vision (for her).”

Syracuse has the potential to be a team to be reckoned with. Fair’s historic career has shown prospects how Legette-Jack’s system can do wonders for sharpshooting guards. Woolley, Burrows and Latham lead a promising group of returnees. And Hawkins spearheads a dangerous 2024 recruiting class.

To complete Legette-Jack’s master plan, being aggressive in the transfer portal is a must. It’s the only way for them to win now. It’s the only way for them to pave their recruits an easier path into their collegiate careers. And it’s the only way to complement their current group with established stars who can propel them into bonafide national contenders.

A riveting 2023-24 was merely the rough draft. Syracuse now has to make the proper revisions to create a doctrine of sustained success.

Cooper Andrews is the Sports Editor at The Daily Orange, where his column appears occasionally. He can be reached at ccandrew@syr.edu or on X @cooper_andrews.

Published on March 28, 2024 at 12:19 am