Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

Uche Izoje could’ve gone anywhere she wanted, her agent Gerard Colomé said. But first, she had to give Syracuse a fair shot at getting her back. On March 14, a week before the Orange faced Iowa State in the NCAA Tournament First Round, she had a long-anticipated discussion.

Izoje, head coach Felisha Legette-Jack, assistant coach Khyreed Carter and general manager Mykala Walker gathered in the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center. Colomé was in Atlanta at the time, but he joined the conversation through a video call. This was SU’s best chance to convince its star center to stay rather than leave for a perennial top program.

This past season, Izoje transformed a flailing Syracuse team into a March Madness story nobody on the outside expected. She became SU’s second-ever Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year and received praise from the most respected figures in the sport.

Izoje and the Orange had to find a common ground on the future. Building off this past season’s success started with retaining Izoje.

“From what (Syracuse’s coaching staff) told us, they intend to put together the best team possible,” Colomé told The Daily Orange. “And they plan on doing it around Uche.”

The decision had been finalized since March 18, but on March 27, Syracuse announced Izoje was officially returning to the Orange for her sophomore season. In 33 starts this past year, Izoje led SU in points (15.6), rebounds (9.2) and blocks (2.6) while shooting 55.4% from the field.

She etched her name in Syracuse’s record books all year, ranking fourth in single-season blocks (85), third in single-season total rebounds (303) and third in single-season field goals (230). In an era of transfers and rampant movement driven by name, image and likeness money, keeping Izoje became the most important task of SU’s offseason.

Although Syracuse bowed out of the NCAA Tournament in the second round on March 23, Izoje believes the Orange can return to meaningful postseason basketball next season, per Colomé. And it starts with her.

“(Izoje) wants to win,” Colomé said. “And now that we made the decision to return, the program is capable of putting together a competitive team to win.”

Uche Izoje embraces teammate Laila Phelia after Syracuse beat Iowa State in the NCAA Tournament First Round. Izoje led the Orange with 23 points in that game. Tara Deluca | Asst. Photo Editor

Weeks before Izoje’s formal meeting with the coaching staff, Izoje, Colomé and Legette-Jack regularly met informally to discuss Izoje’s future. But once the Orange eclipsed 20 wins, and the final days of February approached, the postseason became SU’s main focus.

Colomé said conversations about Izoje’s future never fully stopped, but they became less frequent. Still, Legette-Jack made it clear she — and Syracuse’s administration — were doing their best to retain Izoje. The final decision, however, rested with the 21-year-old rising sophomore.

She had to factor in everything. Izoje would have two seasons of eligibility remaining after playing professionally in Japan. The Orange would lose Laila Phelia — their second-leading scorer — and starting point guard Dominique Darius’ extra year of eligibility was up in the air as she went through the waiver process.

Syracuse had lost promising players early in their careers in the past, notably Kamilla Cardoso to South Carolina and Alyssa Latham to Tennessee. It seemed that, based on the uncertainty with next year’s squad, Izoje could be next.

But Legette-Jack told Izoje what every young player would want to hear.

“Uche is the foundation of our program,” Legette-Jack wrote in the press release announcing Izoje’s return.

When their discussions picked back up on March 14, Legette-Jack reiterated Izoje was the future of this team, and they discussed her development and role if she chose to stay.

After crossing continents for basketball, Izoje had found comfort at SU, Colomé said. She saw her teammates as sisters and had placed trust in Legette-Jack since their first phone calls before Izoje’s commitment in January 2025.

Colomé was unsure whether other top programs would give Izoje the same freedom she had with the Orange. She’d been given the flexibility to showcase her skills in the mid-range, the post and at the free-throw line. For Izoje to develop, Colomé thought the stability of a second year at the same place was best.

As Syracuse’s administration rapidly shifted — Bryan Blair was hired as SU’s next director of athletics, and Mike Haynie begins his tenure as Syracuse’s 13th chancellor on May 11 — the changing of the guard excited Izoje and Colomé. Legette-Jack told them SU’s women’s basketball program, which already saw increased revenue in 2025-26, would remain a strong — if not stronger — commitment from the university.

But would it be a strong enough commitment to keep Izoje? Colomé compared Izoje’s monetary value to that of one of the best players on a top-15 squad. If she chose to depart Syracuse, Colomé said she’d likely only entertain programs of that prestige.

It would be challenging to come to an agreement in just 45 minutes. After both parties left that March 14 meeting, Izoje and Colomé were given 48 hours to discuss the future before they’d meet with SU’s coaching staff again.

“We all believe (Izoje) has a very high ceiling,” Colomé said. “Syracuse had their position. We just tried to make it work.”

Legette-Jack’s “ambition” to keep Izoje didn’t let up easily. Izoje and the coaching staff continued conversations throughout the week before Walker and Legette-Jack sat down for another meeting with Colomé on Monday, March 16, to discuss financials.

Colomé said he based Izoje’s value on her past performance and projected production, as well as what other “superstars” in college basketball are making. In his opinion, it’s attainable for Izoje to increase her scoring (15.6) and rebounding (9.2) averages to 20 points and 10 boards, marks that would rank among the best centers in the country.

SU had a number in mind, which Colomé didn’t disclose. It was different from Colomé’s, but both sides went back and forth to eventually arrive at the “same ballpark.” Colomé said he and Izoje also realized Syracuse had to save part of its funding for its incoming freshman class, which is headlined by highly-touted guard Madison Howard.

Still, the two sides worked out the deal, and Izoje “pulled the trigger” four days after the formal discussion began on March 14. But there was still basketball to play.

With SU traveling to Storrs, Connecticut, for the NCAA Tournament, the university chose to keep Izoje’s recommitment private until the season concluded. Izoje combined for 35 points in games against Iowa State and UConn, pushing ISU’s Audi Crooks into foul trouble to ultimately eliminate the Cyclones.

The next day, Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma said Izoje was the best player his team had seen this season. But Izoje alone wasn’t close to enough to knock UConn from the tournament. SU fell 98-45.

In the aftermath of the lopsided loss, the blueprint was obvious. Syracuse had to retain Izoje, which seemed in question when she said she had “not yet decided” her future following SU’s loss to the Huskies. But Colomé said Izoje’s response simply reflected a few kinks still needed to be worked out in the deal. In reality, it was nearly set in stone.

Izoje will soon travel to Los Angeles, where she’ll face the Los Angeles Sparks in a WNBA preseason game with the Nigerian women’s national basketball team on April 25. Then, she’ll be right back in Syracuse, training to bring the Orange back to the national stage in 2027.

“I am coming back stronger, more aggressive and more confident,” Izoje wrote in the aforementioned press release. “And as a team, we are going to rise together.”

Published on April 2, 2026 at 2:11 am
Contact Jordan: jordankimball28@gmail.com | @JordanKimball_