Syracuse
Projected finish: 7th
Last year’s record: 22-11, 11-5 ACC
Key Returners (last season’s stats)
G-Gabby Cooper, 5’10, (Lansing, IL), SO- 9.3 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 29.8 MPG; set school record for first-year player with 81 three pointers, Cuse’s only returning starter.
Biggest losses (last season’s stats)
G- Brittney Sykes, 5’9, (Newark, NJ)- 19.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 33.3 MPG; selected seventh overall in 2017 WNBA Draft by the Atlanta Dream, ranked first in program history with 137 starts.
G- Alexis Peterson, 5’7, (Columbus, OH)- 23.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 35.6 MPG; selected 15th overall in the 2017 WNBA Draft by the Seattle Storm, ranked first on school’s all-time assists list (590).
Newcomers
C- Amaya Finklea-Guity, 6’4, (Dorchester, MA), FR- five-star recruit ranked 40th by espnW HoopGurlz.
G- Tiana Mangakahia, 5’6 (Meadowbrook, AUS), SO- top-ranked junior college point guard by espnW HoopGurlz.
F- Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi, 6’2, (Paris, FRA), FR- 2017 FIBA U20 European Championship: 12.0 PPG, 12.1 RPG, 1.7 APG.
Head Coach
Quentin Hillsman, 12th season
“We’re very deep this year at the guard spot…They’re going to play the way they want to play,” Coach Hillsman said.
Syracuse has a notable number of international players on the team. HIllsman said, “ come in with a different mentality and work ethic. They know what it means to play with passion, something bigger than you.”
Key non-conference games
Nov. 30- Northwestern
Dec. 9– Drexel
Dec. 21– Mississippi State
Outlook
This is a Syracuse team that lost former All-American Brittney Sykes and offensive terror Alexis Peterson, but are still guard-deep with freshmen and transfers.
At center, Cuse added five-star recruit Amaya Finklea-Guity. Cooper is the only returning starter, as five freshmen (seven total newcomers) join the roster. The team, because of their guard position so deep, should be able to avoid the otherwise painful transition to a Peterson and Sykes-less team. Hillsman teams are known for easily transitioning into a new dynamic upon player graduation.
Best case scenario:
Depth in guard position makes the young, transitional Syracuse an offensive threat. Tiana Mangakahia and Gabby Cooper lead this team to a top five position in the ACC.
Worst case scenario:
Without Brittney Sykes and Alexis Peterson, not to mention Cooper being the only returning starter, this is a fresh starting lineup that lacks experience to compete with experienced ACC guard combos such as Duke’s Lexie Brown and Rebecca Greenwell.