Syracuse Women’s Basketball Names Captains For 2026-27 Season

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).

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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.

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.

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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.

Syracuse Orange guard Olivia Schmitt (3) looks for an opening against the Iowa State Cyclones in the first half at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. David Butler II-Imagn Images

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:

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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…

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Publish date : 2026-09-09 15:55:00

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