Syracuse center Ibrahim Souare fills a critical role

The transfer big man from Georgia Tech should provide the Orange with stability in the paint.

Mar 13, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) with the ball as Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets forward Ibrahim Souare (30) defends in the first half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

As we countdown to tipoff for the Syracuse basketball season beginning on Nov. 3, The Juice Online will be doing a player-by-player preview. Today, we look at Syracuse center Ibrahim Souare.

Ibrahim Souare was the fourth player to join Syracuse through the transfer portal this offseason.  Souare followed his college and prep school teammate, Naithan George, in signing up with the Orange in April.

A 6’9” redshirt sophomore forward, Souare had a positive impact for Georgia Tech in his one season of play, pushing his way into a rotational role and, eventually, the starting lineup.  Souare did not leave much of a mark in the stat sheet over the course of the season, averaging just 2.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.  

However, once Souare was in the rotation, he posted 3.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per game in his last 20 outings, all but one coming in ACC play.

Souare is a limited offensive player, but stays within his skillset

Those point totals accurately peg Souare is a limited offensive player and are underlined by the fact that he attempted only 62 shots on all season. Only one of those attempts was a 3-pointer and 57 of the other attempts were classified as “at the rim” at T-Rank, including 22 attempted dunks.  

Of his 36 field goals at the rim, 27 were assisted, and it is likely that most, if not all, of the others were putbacks where Souare got an offensive rebound.

As expected from a player with that field goal shooting profile, Souare also a poor foul shooter.  Souare made just 10-of-32 free throws last season and opponents were well aware of this shortcoming.  Souare garnered the highest foul rate on Georgia Tech last season, as opponents knew hacking him would likely save a point or two.

His intelligence and effort make Souare a very useful role player

Souare’s shot selection expresses that understands his limitations and stays within his role a worker bee.  He was a good offensive rebounder and even better defensive rebounder based on rate while also carding a 3.7 block rate, which is almost twice that of any SU player last season other than Naheem McLeod. 

Of the seven Yellow Jackets who played at least 500 minutes last season, Souare had the second-lowest defensive rating.

Souare understands his skillset, as he does not venture much outside his comfort level.  His assist and steal rates are very low, which is normal, or at least acceptable, for a big man.  He is also susceptible to turning the ball over, but, again, he gets few touches and most of them come in close proximity to the rim.

Not the highest expectations, but among the most easily fulfilled on the roster

Probably the best understanding of what Souare’s role is expected to be with the Orange comes from when he joined the team.  Souare was the fourth transfer to commit to Syracuse, coming after another big man, William Kyle III.  

As a result, Souare will likely be slotted behind Kyle in the rotation, probably as the second-string center in an undersized rotation at the pivot.

However, Souare’s experience in the ACC should help him keep his head above water in that role.  He will not be expected to score much for SU, but to play good positional defense and work on the glass for around 15 minutes per game.

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