Checking in on five former Syracuse players and their new teams

We are over a month and a half into the college basketball season, and teams and players are starting to find their rhythms. In the new transfer portal era of college basketball, there is no shortage of former Orange players around the CBB landscape.

Now is a perfect time to check-in on five former Syracuse players and see how they are doing with their current teams.

A second part will run later in the week with five other former Syracuse players.

Quadir Copeland – NC State

Former Orange fan favorite, Quadir Copeland has had an interesting post-Syracuse career. Following the 2023-24 campaign, Copeland left SU to join McNeese State. That season saw McNeese win the Southland Conference and earn a bid to the national tournament. After a successful season, head coach Will Wade was offered the NC State coaching job, which he accepted, and in doing so brought along a few players including Copeland.

Copeland has been an effective player for the Wolfpack through 12 games. He’s been a starter in all 12 games, averaging 26 minutes a night. He has posted 14 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game, while shooting 58.1% from the field and 55% from 3, albeit on 1.7 attempts per game. His standout game so far this season was a 22-point outing in a losing effort against Auburn.

NC state is out to an 8-4 start with ACC play right around the corner.

Chris Bell – California

The forward, Chris Bell, transferred at the end of last season. Keeping his talents within the ACC, Bell returned to his home state to play for California. After a mediocre final season at Syracuse, Bell seems to have found himself with the Golden Bears.

Cal is off to a hot start under third-year head coach Mark Madsen, with a record of 11-1. Bell has started in 11 of their 12 games and is averaging 14.6 points per game while shooting 41.6% from 3 on 4.4 attempts, reasserting himself as an outside threat. Bell is also shooting 91.8% from the line, an ACC-leading figure, on just over 4 attempts. Bell is one of the more reliable players on this Cal team, and they will need this level of production in ACC play.

Peter Carey – Siena

Peter Carey transferred out of Syracuse at the end of the 23-24 season. He followed former Syracuse coach and player, Gerry McNamara to Siena.

In his first season at Siena, Carey started 20 of the 23 games he played. Following the conclusion of the season, Carey left the program. Back in June, head coach McNamara said he was unsure about the future of Carey with the program.

To start the 25-26 season, Carey is not only on Siena’s roster; he’s not on any. There has been no word on Carey’s basketball status since early summer.

Maliq Brown – Duke

Maliq Brown enters his second season with the Blue Devils after a devastating loss in the 2025 semifinals against Houston. Last season, Brown was a bench role player; his job was to cause havoc on defense, disrupt passing lanes and defend the rim.

This season, he is taking on a similar role, with some added offensive responsibilities. Off the bench, Brown is averaging 6.1 points per game and is shooting 89% on 2-point attempts. As for defense and rebounding, he is averaging 4.2 rebounds (13% rebound percentage), 1.4 steals, and remains at the top of the ACC in deflections.

Duke has yet another powerhouse roster with 4 projected first round picks in the 2026 NBA draft, and as always are looking to make another deep run.

Elijah Moore – Utah

After a subpar freshman season with Orange that ended with a season-ending toe injury, Elijah Moore transferred out of the ACC to join Utah. Moore only tallied 5 minutes with the Utes before stepping away from the program on Dec. 12 to attend to personal matters. It seems like he will not return to the program.

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