Moves have been made. Many transfers have found new homes this offseason. With that said, some players are still uncommitted and looking for a new team. Some of the players who had declared for the NBA draft decided to stay in school. As we approach the 2024-25 college basketball season, here are 3 potential Syracuse Transfer Portal targets that could boost the Orange roster. Cuse will likely be targeting a backup big, and there’s plenty on the market.
3 Potential Syracuse Transfer Portal Targets
Dominic Parolin
The first player we’ll take a look at is former Lehigh forward Dominic Parolin. Parolin is from Coquitlam, B.C. and traditionally Canadian players have fared well playing for Orange. Guys like Leo Rautins, Kris Joseph, and Oshae Brissett all had plenty of success on the court. Syracuse is a short distance from Canada compared to the rest of the United States, and many players like to stay close to home. On top of that, Parolin pulled down 6.2 rebounds per game last season, which ranked fifth best among players in the Patriot League. The Orange struggled on the boards last year with a depleted roster and could use a high-energy rebounder.
Parolin could provide spacing as well. He averaged 33% from deep last season and attempted 2.8 three-balls per game. Before last year the most he had attempted per game was 0.3. Clearly, he’s been working on his long-range shooting. If he’s to share the court with centers Eddie Lampkin or Naheem McLeod, Parolin would need to be comfortable on the perimeter.
Hyper-Athletic Big Missed Last Season with Injury
KJ Oduor is a high-energy, undersized center at six-foot-nine and 225. He missed most of last year due to an injury when he played for Central Michigan. Unlike Parolin who is a senior, Oduor has 2 years of eligibility remaining. He redshirted his freshman year at Western Carolina, then transferred to JUCO Southern Idaho. He didn’t see much playing time at CSI with only 7 minutes per game, but when he did play he impressed.
Oduor’s game is very, very raw. At CSI he shot an abysmal 47% from the free throw line, and he was even worse at CMU going 31% on the year. His ability to jump out of the gym and run the court are his main strengths, and Syracuse could utilize those skills. With the departures of Maliq Brown and Quadir Copeland, Oduor could do the dirty work those 2 were so good at, like battling for offensive rebounds and diving for loose balls.
With how little KJ Oduor has played at the college level it’s hard to tell what impact he would have. Nonetheless, the Kenya native is oozing with potential and surely can find a home.
Big Body Needed
With Naheem McLeod still unsure of when he’ll return, Syracuse could use a backup Center. Saint Louis transfer Bruce Zhang didn’t get a lot of playing time last year, but the Chinese seven-footer could give opposing teams nightmares. Bigs like the late Fab Melo, and even McLeod last year, have had success defending the paint using their height and reach to stifle offenses. Cuse doesn’t run as much 2-3 zone as they used to with Jim Boeheim gone. Regardless, a large body in the painted area will force opponents outside where shots are tougher to make. It’s not rocket science, being tall in basketball helps, and Zhang is really tall. He’s a sneaky passer as well. Against Hofstra, the big man was able to find teammates off DHO give-and-go plays, as seen in this clip.
