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In recent seasons, it would’ve been ludicrous to say Syracuse was lacking at point guard. Dyaisha Fair held down the fort the last two years, often willing the Orange to victory with her late-game heroics. Even before Fair, Tiana Mangakahia averaged 15.8 points and 8.7 assists per game from 2017-21.

After Fair’s graduation last year, SU sought a replacement. Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack mentioned preseason that Syracuse would share the ball more, balancing out its offense. Players would also need to step up individually.

“Before, people would say, ‘Dyaisha Fair and Co.,’ and we would act as that ‘Co.’ She would kind of do everything,” senior forward Kyra Wood said at the Atlantic Coast Conference Tipoff on Oct. 8, 2024. “But we can’t be the ‘Co.’ now. We have to be the standard.”

Despite rotating between graduate student Dominique Camp, LSU transfer Angelica Velez, and freshman Olivia Schmitt at point guard, the team has yet to find stability. Legette-Jack’s swapped them in and out of lineups, but nothing has stuck for Syracuse (8-13, 2-8 ACC). None of them have scored over 10 points in a game, with Camp’s measly 4.4 points per contest leading the group.

As a result, the Orange are on the verge of missing their first ACC Tournament since joining the conference in 2013.

“We’re still searching for a point guard that can represent what we’re trying to build,” Legette-Jack said after SU’s loss to then-No. 10 Notre Dame on Dec. 8.

Dakota Dorsey | Design Editor

Syracuse wasn’t going to fully replace Fair. But even a low double-digit scorer would’ve sufficed. Instead, Legette-Jack tried getting multiple options to add up to that.

First, the Orange retained Camp. The Dayton, Ohio, native played for four different colleges before joining Syracuse last season. But she missed the season after suffering a torn ACL in an exhibition game. Before the season, Legette-Jack said Camp’s knee wasn’t yet back to full strength but felt she’d be a viable option.

Legette-Jack also used the transfer portal to grab Velez. The former four-star recruit only averaged 1.2 points per game in 4.8 minutes at LSU last season. Despite her unproven pedigree, Legette-Jack took a chance on the sophomore.

The last of the trio is Schmitt. The freshman signed with the Orange after averaging over five assists in her final two high school seasons. SU hoped she’d fill that same distributing role.

Legette-Jack said Friday that all three bring distinct skill sets to the court. She mentioned Camp’s IQ, Schmitt’s 3-point shooting and Velez’s “wiggle.” Throughout the season, she’s rotated them into games based on their practice performances.

“(If) you show me in practice you’re willing to play and can help us, you’re going to get inserted into the lineup,” Legette-Jack said Friday. “They need to be inserted when they’re getting things done.”

However, none have emerged as a top choice. Camp was Syracuse’s go-to starter for four of its first five games. Despite two 10-point games where she totaled nine and eight assists, respectively, she also scored five or fewer points in three contests.

Because of her inconsistencies, Legette-Jack moved Schmitt into the starting lineup for SU’s two-game stint at the Emerald Coast Classic. The freshman notched seven assists in her first career start versus Missouri but only totaled five points in the two contests combined.

Then, Velez started the next three games but wasn’t effective. Having cycled through all her options, Legette-Jack had to choose one. She picked Camp.

Angelica Velez dribbles past midcourt in Syracuse’s 66-61 win over Miami. The LSU transfer has only averaged 2.9 points in 13.5 minutes per game this season. Angelina Grevi | Staff Photographer

Since SU fell to the Fighting Irish, Camp has started all but one game — when Velez did versus Boston College. Camp’s minutes have increased to 25.2 per game in that stretch. Consequently, Schmitt seemed eliminated from the fold, not starting a game since, while Velez logged under 20 minutes in nearly every contest.

“We’re going to have to figure out which one is bringing the most,” Legette-Jack said Friday. “Consistently, Dom has been the one that we’ve been going with to start the game off.”

But Camp still hasn’t found a groove. In Syracuse’s 72-71 overtime loss to SMU, she played 35 minutes, yet scored two points on a 1-of-5 clip from the field. Against Miami, she was scoreless and committed three turnovers.

Camp’s seemingly only redeeming quality is her distribution. She averages 4.4 assists per game, ninth in the ACC. Yet Camp’s high-assist performances are often paired with rough shooting nights. Unlike Fair, she’s never put the two together.

In the Orange’s 74-66 loss to then-No. 20 NC State, Camp dropped eight assists. Though in a season-high 37 minutes, she shot 1-of-8, scoring just three points early in the first quarter. She had similar nights against lowly nonconference opponents Binghamton, Dartmouth and Fairleigh Dickinson, but they were masked against the weaker competition.

Syracuse’s point guard issues have also affected the rest of the team. Legette-Jack often uses leading scorer Georgia Woolley as a ball handler — a role that doesn’t compliment her strength as a sharpshooter. As a result, she’s recorded at least three turnovers in her last nine games, including nine in a career-worst shooting performance versus Florida State.

For the Orange to succeed moving forward, securing a reliable point guard is essential. Whether through the transfer portal or developing Velez and Schmitt after Camp graduates this spring, it’s a necessary step toward regaining national prominence.

Published on February 4, 2025 at 9:04 pm

Contact Noah: njnussba@syr.edu | @ Noahnuss99