Syracuse basketball will send four players to Charlotte next month for the ACC’s annual Basketball Tip-Off, with the women’s team featuring one of the conference’s most decorated young stars and the men’s side showcasing two key transfers.
The league’s three-day event runs Oct. 5-7 and will include all 18 ACC basketball programs. Syracuse women’s basketball is slated for Oct. 5, while the men will be featured on Oct. 6 and Oct.
- Head coaches and student-athletes from across the conference will take part in press conferences, and media members will also vote on preseason all-conference teams and awards, with those results set to be released later this fall.
On the women’s side, Uche Izoje will represent the Orange. The 6-foot-3 center from Nigeria enters the season after being named the 2025-26 ACC Rookie of the Year and earning unanimous First Team All-ACC honors. Izoje led Syracuse in scoring and rebounds and also paced the ACC in blocks per game at 2.6.
Angelica Velez will join her. The senior guard from the Bronx arrived at Syracuse from LSU in the offseason and is expected to be a major piece for the Orange this year.
For the men, Syracuse will be represented by Gavin Doty and Aiden Tobiason. Doty, a 6-foot-5 forward from Fulton, N.Y., came to Syracuse after two seasons with McNamara and Siena. He was a First-Team All-MAAC selection and helped Siena reach its first NCAA tournament in more than 15 years.
Tobiason, a Delaware native, spent two seasons at Temple before moving to Syracuse. In 32 games for the Owls, the 6-foot-5 forward averaged 15.3 points on 48.0 percent shooting, along with 3.7 rebounds and two assists per game. He was an AAC All-Freshman Team selection in 2024-25.
Doty and Tobiason are part of a transfer group expected to debut for the Orange this season.
On the men’s side, assistant head coach Ben Lee was also named to a prestigious national list. Lee joined McNamara from Siena this past spring and is expected to be an important part of the staff.
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