Naheem McLeod on Syracuse Visit: 'I Felt Like I Belonged There'

The Florida State center transfer got a closer look at the Orange.

Mike McAllister | May 7, 2023

Naheem McLeod on Syracuse Visit: 'I Felt Like I Belonged There' /

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Syracuse basketball hosted one of the top transfer big men on the market in former Florida State center Naheem McLeod for an official visit over the weekend. The 7-4 big enjoyed his time on campus.

"The visit was good," McLeod said. "Got a chance to meet a lot of the guys. The coaching staff welcomed me with open arms. Talked to me about their vision for me at Syracuse. I already knew a couple of the guys coming in, so I'm not playing with anybody I don't know or whose game I'm not familiar with. So it's going to be fun if I go there."

The message from the Syracuse coaches was simple. That he could be the missing piece they need.

"The goal is to come in, work right away, be that dominant piece in the middle," McLeod said. "They have exceptional guards coming in, like Chance Westry and JJ Starling. Those guys are high level players. They also have guys that are still there now like Benny Williams and everybody else. I think our athleticism and the speed that Syracuse wants to play at would be right for me."

The campus and facilities also made an impression.

"The campus was real beautiful," McLeod said. "Short, not too long. Get around easy. Apartments are right around the corner from the gym, so that was cool. I liked the facility. It was good. I was shooting, felt like I couldn't miss, and I felt like I belonged there. So it was a blessing to be there."

The first player McLeod talked to during the visit? The man he would be replacing.

"The first person I talked to was Jesse Edwards," McLeod said. "He was the first person I ran into. He gave me a hug and told me that Syracuse was right. Their vision for me, it helped him out because he want from averaging 1.3 points to 14 or 16. Each year he got better. Being that focal point in the middle will help out a lot."

McLeod said the next step is to take a visit to Mississippi State on Wednesday. He is unsure if he will take more after that or go into decision making mode. He added there are too many schools to name trying to get him on campus for a visit.

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Published May 7, 2023

MIKE MCALLISTER

Title: Publisher All Syracuse Education: Roberts Wesleyan College Location: Syracuse, New York Expertise: Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting. EXPERIENCE Mike McAllister has been covering Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting for more than a decade. Mike's career started with his own free blog as a way to vent following sporting events. Shortly thereafter, a network of basketball sites called Coast 2 Coast Hoops asked him to run their Syracuse site. That site was called Nation of Orange, and Mike quickly established it as a go-to for Syracuse fans. After running Nation of Orange for several months, a position with the Syracuse site on the Scout network became available. After one year as the recruiting expert with Cuse Nation, he was named the publisher. Mike oversaw the transition from Scout to 247Sports, and ran the site on that network for years. Presented with the opportunity to join one of the biggest names in the sports journalism industry, Sports Illustrated, Mike jumped at the chance. All Syracuse was started from scratch by Mike and the Fan Nation team. It has now become a staple for Orange fans of various sports. Mike has broken news on recruiting, Syracuse basketball and football team information and has established himself as the top recruiting inside in the market. He has appeared on local radio shows, television broadcasts, national radio shows and much more. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Information Management from Roberts Wesleyan College.