After getting to the NCAA Tournament in 2025-26, the Syracuse women's basketball team has experienced a lot of turnover through the course of the offseason.
Gone are guards Dominique Darius and Laila Phelia to graduation and gone also are guards Sophie Burrows (transfer portal) and Maddie Potts (transfer portal).
Of course, head coach Felisha Legette-Jack has brought in replacement players, but the core of this team will look different around superstar forward Uche Izoje.
On Wednesday, Legette-Jack named her team captains for the upcoming 2026-27 campaign: Olivia Schmitt, Angelica Velez and Keira Scott.
About the three players
Velez, a senior guard from the Bronx, N.Y., played in 25 games last season, averaging 11.4 minutes per game. She averaged one point a game.
Schmitt, a junior from Staten Island, N.Y., played in 28 games, averaging 11.9 minutes per game. She averaged 1.9 ppg last season.
Scott, a junior from Virginia, played in 30 games, averaging 2.6 ppg.
It's certainly a less experienced captains group, but they are all returners, which is important in today's era of so much player movement. They know the system, they know the expectations of the coaching staff, and they know the standard that the program expects.
About the outlook for SU in 2026-27
The Orange earned a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament last season, defeating Iowa State in the Round of 64 before falling against No. 1 UConn in the Round of 32. With so many losses on the roster, it's understandable to be nervous about Legette-Jack's group, but it does have two things going for it:
1) The return of Izoje, who was the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Rookie of the Year last season. Everything will flow through her.
2) The expanded NCAA Tournament. With the tournament field now at 76 teams instead of 68, there are additional opportunities to make the tournament, even if the team is not quite as good as it was a year ago.
Also in the news for SU athletics
According to a report on Tuesday from CBS Sports College Basketball Insider Jon Rothstein, the Syracuse men's basketball team will kick off its 2026-27 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) schedule on Dec. 29 on the road at Florida State.
If that report holds true, that will be the first conference game for new head coach Gerry McNamara, who has taken over the reigns over the program from Adrian Autry, who was fired at the conclusion of the 2025-26 season.