Syracuse, N.Y. ― Naheem McLeod, a 7-foot-4 center who is transferring after two years at Florida State, has set his commitment date. McLeod announced on his Twitter page that he would announce his next college destination on Tuesday.
In his two years at Florida State, McLeod earned 16 starts, including 11 this past season despite battling some injuries. He recorded an astounding 1.2 blocks per game despite logging barely over 13 minutes per game.
McLeod recently took an official visit to Syracuse.
After entering the NCAA’s transfer portal, McLeod immediately heard from dozens of interest,ed schools. The list included Syracuse, Mississippi State, Villanova, Gonzaga, Arizona, Clemson, South Carolina, Wake Forest, Texas, West Virginia, Georgetown, Memphis, Pittsburgh, Butler, Minnesota, Rutgers and Temple.
The 255-pound McLeod is a massive interior presence and a potential answer for the departure of Syracuse’s starting center Jesse Edwards, who transferred to West Virginia last month.
A Philadelphia native, McLeod attended Plymouth Whitemarsh High School in Plymouth Meeting, Pa. Before going to Florida State, McLeod spent one year at Chipola College in Marianna, Fla.
McLeod had his best game against Syracuse last season. In a 76-67 loss to the Orange, McLeod scored 16 points and hauled in 8 rebounds.
Edwards’ decision to transfer left Syracuse with little experience at center. Mounir Hima, a 6-11 sophomore, averaged 7.4 minutes per game last year after transferring to SU from Duquesne. Peter Carey appeared in just three games as a freshman before taking a medical redshirt. Incoming freshman William Patterson, a 7-2 center, will need time to add strength to his long frame.
McLeod started 11 games for the Seminoles last season. He would strike an imposing presence in SU’s zone defense, while also giving the Orange a big man capable of guarding physical bigs like North Carolina’s Armando Bacot, NC State’s DJ Burns and Clemson’s P.J. Hall in a man-to-man…
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