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Fresh off its worst season (14-19, 7-13 Atlantic Coast) since 1968-69, Syracuse men’s basketball replenished its roster over the offseason. With J.J. Starling and Donnie Freeman as its only returning players, SU acquired a program-record six players via the transfer portal.

Here’s what to know about the Orange’s portal class:

Naithan George, point guard, junior

2024-25 stats: 12.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.5 assists per game at Georgia Tech

Naithan George is everything Syracuse desperately lacked in its point guards last season. Unlike last year’s starter Jaquan Carlos, who simply wasn’t a scorer (6.2 points per game), George can spot up from 3 (33.9% on 5.2 attempts per game), create off the dribble and attack the rim. He can serve as Robin to Starling’s Batman if the Orange need a bucket.

But what makes the 6-foot-3, 185-pound point guard so great isn’t his scoring — it’s his distribution. As a sophomore at Georgia Tech last year, his 6.5 assists per game led the Atlantic Coast Conference and was the 11th-best mark in college basketball. It’s been nearly a decade since Syracuse had anyone average over five assists per game, when John Gillon averaged 5.4 in 2016-17.

One of SU’s biggest fallbacks last year was that, for better or worse, everyone knew the ball was going to Starling when it needed to score. But with that heavy reliance on Starling, Syracuse posted a 1-10 record against Power Four opponents when he scored 16 or fewer points. It went 2-5 when he was out with a broken left hand. With George’s addition, there should be significantly less pressure on Starling. George can handle the ball, get his own buckets and create better looks for Starling.

Per 247Sports, George was rated the 50th-best player in the portal and the 13th-best point guard. A Toronto native, George moved to the United States and attended Canyon International Academy (Arizona) for his final three years of high school. He was unranked as a high school recruit, and his only other offer besides SU was Sam Houston, per 247Sports.

Nate Kingz, shooting guard/small forward, redshirt senior

2024-25 stats: 11.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists per game at Oregon State

Nate Kingz does something very important that the Orange lacked last season: he scores with extraordinary efficiency. Kingz posted a 131.1 offensive rating and 65.3% true shooting percentage last season, respectively placing 25th and 26th nationally, per KenPom. What made Kingz so efficient was that he’s a superb 3-point shooter, draining 44.6% of his attempts while shooting 4.2 per game.

Conversely, the Orange had one of the worst beyond-the-arc offenses in college basketball last season, as their 32.8% 3-point percentage ranked 240th in the country. If Kingz replicates his outside shooting display for Syracuse, his percentage would be the best among SU players (minimum 20 3-point makes) since C.J. Fair knocked down 46.9% of his triples in 2012-13.

While Kingz is extremely efficient, he doesn’t take an awful lot of shots; his 20.6% %Shots, per KenPom, would’ve ranked sixth among Syracuse players last year. Still, this should bode well for the Orange. Beyond his outside shooting, Kingz is more than capable of putting the ball on the floor and scoring inside, which, outside of Starling, SU also struggled with last year.

Standing 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds, Kingz has good size for a shooting guard and can play (and might start at) small forward. Last season was Kingz’s first and only season at Oregon State following stops at Westmont College and the College of Southern Idaho. He originally transferred to the Beavers before the 2023-24 season but tore his ACL, keeping him out the entire year. Of note: Kingz also changed his last name to Kingz from Meithof in May 2024 because he wanted to start his own family name.

William Kyle III, forward/center, senior

2024-25 stats: 2.9 points, 1.8 rebounds, 0.4 assists per game at UCLA

The best way to describe William Kyle III is that he is the exact opposite kind of player as SU’s starting center last year, Eddie Lampkin Jr. While Lampkin took over games with his scoring ability from the post and became a double-double machine down the stretch of last season, he was limited in what he could do defensively and offensively.

While Kyle surely won’t score as much as Lampkin did, he’s a huge defensive upgrade who can guard one through five and protect the paint. Kyle’s 9.0% block percentage and 3.8 Defensive Box Plus/Minus from 2024-25 each would’ve led the Orange among their rotational players. Offensively, he’s a lob threat, can allow the Orange to play faster and should be a huge factor in the screen game — areas Lampkin wasn’t strong in.

“They said I could come in there and have an impact, and that’s what I plan on doing,” Kyle told The Daily Orange a day after his commitment to SU. “And doing what I do elite: blocking shots, running the floor, scoring in the paint.”

Standing 6-foot-9 and 230 pounds, Kyle is a bit undersized to play center — where he should see the bulk of his minutes and potentially start — but his 7-foot-3 wingspan and 44-inch vertical jump will help him hang with traditional centers. Though his numbers with UCLA last year aren’t too gaudy, Kyle struggled with health and adjusting to the Bruins after transferring from South Dakota State. With the Jackrabbits, he was the 2023-24 Summit League Defensive Player of the Year and a First Team All-Summit League selection as a sophomore.

Tyler Betsey, forward, sophomore

2024-25 stats: 3.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, 0.3 assists per game at Cincinnati

Among Syracuse’s six incoming transfers, Betsey was the highest-profile high school recruit. 247Sports ranked him as the No. 53 player in the 2024 class, which would’ve made him SU’s second-highest rated player in SU’s class, trailing just Freeman while besting Elijah Moore by six spots. Despite his high pedigree, Betsey struggled in his first collegiate season.

The forward played 11.1 minutes per game while shooting 35.7% from the field, resulting in him playing under 10 minutes in each of Cincinnati’s last eight games. Betsey’s shooting was one of his best attributes in high school, but he shot just 32.1% beyond the arc; that clip still would’ve been tied for the third-best percentage among the Orange last year (minimum 15 3-point makes).

Another aspect that makes Betsey so intriguing is his size. At 6-foot-8 and 225 pounds, he has both the size and strength to play either small forward or power forward, depending on how head coach Adrian Autry opts to do his rotations. If Autry wants to go with more size in his starting lineup, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Betsey earn starts at small forward.

But whether he starts or plays a reserve role, one thing is certain: the Orange are looking for Betsey to take a major sophomore leap. And if he does, it could help elevate Syracuse toward having potentially one of the best forward groups in the ACC.

Ibrahim Souare, forward/center, redshirt sophomore

2024-25 stats: 2.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 0.2 assists per game at Georgia Tech

Joining George from Georgia Tech to Syracuse is Ibrahim Souare. And, like George, he was an unranked high school prospect by 247Sports from Canyon International Academy. He also moved to the United States, as he’s a Conakry, Guinea, native. Though Souare and George were high school teammates in the same class, Souare has an additional year of eligibility because he redshirted his freshman season.

Following his redshirt year, Souare became a rotational piece for the Yellow Jackets last season, appearing in 30 games (with 14 starts) while averaging 17 minutes. Similarly to Kyle, Souare is an undersized 6-foot-9, 225-pound center, but he possesses the athleticism to be a force on the interior.

Though not as bouncy as the UCLA transfer, Souare’s 42-inch vertical is two inches shorter than Kyle’s, and he can also be described as the opposite of a Lampkin comparison. Whether he or Kyle starts is to be seen, but it’s safe to say Souare will be an influential part of the Orange’s center tandem. Besides him and Kyle, SU doesn’t really have anyone else — assuming this is more of a developmental year for 7-foot freshman Tiefing Diawara — unless it decides to give Freeman some minutes there.

Bryce Zephir, guard, graduate student

2024-25 stats: 5.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists per game at Montana State

By transferring to Syracuse, Bryce Zephir will be playing for his fifth collegiate team. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard most recently played at Montana State, where he served as a rotational piece playing 19.6 minutes per game. Before playing for the Bobcats, Zephir had stops at Chipola Junior College, North Texas and Salt Lake Community College.

With freshmen Luke Fennell and Kiyan Anthony likely getting minutes alongside Starling, George and Kingz, there isn’t a clear path for Zephir to command playing time for the Orange. Nonetheless, the left-handed shooter brings a wealth of experience to SU’s backcourt and can step into the lineup if his number is called.

Published on September 16, 2025 at 9:03 pm
Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon