Naheem McLeod is back in action for the Syracuse basketball team after a long break due to foot surgery

Verona, NY – Syracuse center Naheem McLeod announced his return to basketball on social media this week, with his coach confirming the move Thursday night.

“Naheem is back. He’s finishing his first week alive and it’s up and down,” said Adrian Autry. “He’s still a little rusty, but it’s up and down, he’s moving. We’re going to integrate him slowly, observe him, a few days here, a few days there. But he’s healthy and we’re trying to integrate him back into the herd.”

It was a long road back for McLeod as his foot injury required surgery.

Syracuse announced the injury on January 10. The subsequent surgery meant McLeod was out for the rest of the season. On April 27, McLeod was still wearing a walking shoe when Jim and Juli Boeheim played basketball.

Autry said he and his team want to slowly recover McLeod from his injury to ensure the best prospects for 2024-25. The SU coach appeared at Turning Stone Resort and Casino on Thursday for SU’s Coaches Caravan tour.

“I wanted to make sure he was fully healed. There was no rush,” Autry said. “We have all summer. We have a roster of guys, so I was being cautious more than anything. I did the same thing with Chance (Westry) last year. Towards the end of the year, (Westry) was healthy again, but the season was pretty much over. I just wanted to be cautious and let him slowly get back in and hit the ground running.”

The news means that Syracuse now has two real, available big men for the upcoming season.

McLeod is 2.23 m tall and weighs 120 kg. Eddie Lampkin is 2.08 m tall and weighs 122 kg.

Lampkin appeared at Thursday’s event and signed autographs for fans under the Orange United banner. He is under contract with SU’s main NIL club and his appearance fulfilled part of his NIL obligations, said Mark Hayes, Orange United’s general manager. SU basketball players Dyaisha Fair and Kyra Wood appeared at the event in Rochester.

Lampkin said he has never regularly trained or played against a player of McLeod’s size and believes this will help him prepare for the season.

“We’ve tried. I’d say he looks pretty good,” Lampkin said. “He’s 100 percent (healthy), but obviously he’s not in game shape. I’d say he’s more or less 75 percent, but nobody’s in game shape. But I’d say he’ll be back to 100 percent and able to play games around October.”

“Yeah, they’re awesome,” Autry said of the big men’s practice fights. “It’s good. It’s exciting. Good stuff.”

Last season, Syracuse had four centers and Maliq Brown on the roster. College basketball teams typically have three big players. Former Orange centers Peter Carey, William Patterson and Mounir Hima entered the transfer portal after the 2023-24 season; each has found a new destination.

Syracuse enters the 2024-25 season with two big men, one of whom is currently recovering from a foot injury. The Orange are not at the scholarship limit yet and could add another player before classes start.

But Autry also likes the opportunity to play small. Brown, who is 6-foot-8 and now a Duke Blue Devil, played almost exclusively at center last season.

At center, you’ll likely see some action from first-year forward Donnie Freeman. Freeman is a 6-foot-10 McDonald’s All-American who recently played for the Bahamas in an Olympic qualifier.

“Donnie can do some things there,” Autry said. “We can play small, we can play big. I like our versatility. Again, we’re very versatile with this group. I think we can do some different things. I think you’ll see some different lineups out there.”

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