How 4 Syracuse basketball transfers did with their new teams

Conference tournaments have been settled, at-large selections have been made, and it is time for the most exciting period of basketball all year. With the completion of the regular season and conference tournaments, now is a perfect time to check-in on former Orange talent to see how players did and who still has basketball left their seasons.

Let's check in on how Quadir Copeland, Chris Bell, Maliq Brown and Chance Westry did with their new teams.

Quadir Copeland – NC State

NC State earned a bid to a first four game where they will face Texas for an 11-seed spot. Copeland’s return to the ACC has been loud, he has quickly become a fan favorite for the Wolfpack, just as he was for the Orange. He is averaging a team-leading 13.9 points per game, an ACC-leading 6.6 assists per game, with a slash-line of 49.7/39.7/77.7%.

With a NetRtg of over 11, Copeland proves to be one of the motors that keeps the Wolfpack going. The senior guard did not bring his A-game against Virginia in the ACC semi-final, scoring just 9 points in 36 minutes. NC State will need a better showing out of him early next week against the Longhorns if they want to advance to the tournament officially. If they were to win, they would face BYU as the 11-seed in the West division.

Chris Bell – California

Following a hot start to the 2025-26 season, Cal and Chris Bell faded towards the end of the season. The Golden Bears season ended after a loss to Florida State in the ACC tournament. This marks the end to Chris Bell’s collegiate career.

In his final season, Bell averaged a career high 13.4 points per game, while shooting 37.6% from 3, and playing 27.6 minutes per game the most in his career. In his final game, he scored 17 points, shooting 7 of 12 from the field and fouling out. Bell was a very steady and reliable offensive player for Cal this past season, posting an offensive box plus-minus of 3.3. In his one season with the Golden Bears, Bell showed he could be a net positive on the court player, which is something SU never could seem to get out of him.

Maliq Brown – Duke

Maliq Brown and the Blue Devils season will continue. Although they practically had an at-large tournament spot locked up, they punched their ticket by defeating Virginia to win the ACC title. Brown, although not a stat-collector, is highly impactful for this Blue Devils defense.

Brown was instrumental to Duke’s deep run in last year’s March Madness and will have to be this year if they want to take their seasons even further. In his senior season, Brown averaged 4.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.5 stocks in 20 minutes per game. Brown played in every single Duke game this season and acts as the glue guy for their bench and transitional units.

His ability to disrupt passing lanes, tip rebounds, and set aggressive screens are just some of the little things that Brown does to make his teammates' lives easier. March Madness demands stable play in high pressure moments and for a team like Duke who is composed of many young freshman stars, Brown’s stable play will be crucial to their success in the later rounds.

Chance Westry – UAB

Chance Westry and the UAB Blazers season came to an end this past Friday. The 4-seed Balzers fell to their first round opponent, Charlotte, which saw a disappointing outcome for Westry. After a very promising season from Westry, he came out and posted a nice statline of 9 points, 15 assists, and 2 turnovers against Charlotte.

This season was a coming out season for Westry as he posted 15.5 ppg, and an AAC leading 5.5 apg. With a NETRtg of +14.9, this should provide some great positive momentum for the rising 5th year as he is expected to exercise his ability to play one more year. This season was all about redemption for Westry, after 3 years of battling injuries, he finally made it back to full strength, and as a result, earned Second Team All-AAC honors.

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