Syracuse women’s basketball: Our All-21st Century Team

Connecticut v Syracuse — Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images

Who have been the best women to grace the Dome floor since 2000?

Next up in our series where we are selecting the All-21st-century teams for every single Syracuse Orange sports team is Women’s Basketball. The Orange ladies have had plenty of impressive seasons over the past 25 years, and plenty of great players have worn Orange in that time. We have three teams prepared, each of course including five players.

All-21st century 1st team:

PG: Tiana Mangakahia (2017-21)

No surprises here. Mangakahia is not only one of, if not the best, PG to play for Syracuse, but one of the best in the ACC and women’s college basketball as a whole has ever seen. While she scored at a high level as well, her main claim to fame, and why she earns this spot, is her superb passing ability. She holds the Syracuse program record for assists and assists per game in a season, as well as holding both those records for her career. During her sophomore season, she also led the NCAA in both assists and assists per game, with 304 total and 9.8 per game. In terms of accolades, she was first team All-ACC twice, made the ACC All-Tournament Team, and was in the top five for the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard award.

SG: Dyaisha Fair (2022-24)

Syracuse has had a lot of very good SG’s in the past, but it’s hard not to give this spot to Fair, after the extremely impressive college career she’s had. Of course, her most famous accolade is the sheer number of points she scored throughout her college career. She scored 3,403 points over five years of college basketball, good enough for third all-time among all women’s basketball players. She also made All-ACC first-team in both her years with the Orange, as well as being named a third-team All-American in her graduate season in 2023-2024. She also made an ACC All-Defensive team in her senior season with the Orange. Even though she only played two years here, Fair’s impact on the Orange cannot be overstated, and she deserves the SG spot on this list.

SF: Fantasia Goodwin (2006-08)

Two years and 59 games was all Fantasia Goodwin needed to claim the top small forward spot. She averaged 12.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game for her Orange career. Goodwin also owns the Syracuse single-game record for rebounds (25). Crazy but powerful feature story about her after doing some research: she also gave birth to a baby girl around two months after her last Syracuse game. Goodwin was a steady force at forward and helped plant the seeds for what turned into a successful program later in the century.

PF: Emily Engstler (2018-20)

While she didn’t finish her career with the Orange, Emily Engstler certainly contributed in many areas. Engstler played 82 games in three years with the Orange, leading the team in rebounds and blocks in her second season, then peaked in her junior year averaging 10.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocks per game. She was also a pretty key piece for two NCAA Tournament-clinching teams, which is a rarity for the program’s history. Engstler really took her game to another level in her final year with Louisville (making All-ACC first team), but the Syracuse production was enough to make the All-21st Century Team.

C: Kayla Alexander (2009-13)

This was arguably the easiest pick to make in this exercise. By the time her Syracuse career ended, Kayla Alexander held the top spot in program history in career points, blocks, field goals, free throws made and attempted and games played. In a two-year period, she also became the new Syracuse single-season record holder in total points, blocks and field goals. The eventual WNBA first round draft selection made an all-Big East team all four years of her playing career (Big East All-Freshman in 2010, x2 first-team in 2011 and 2013 and x1 second-team in 2012), led the league in blocks in three years and started 101 of her 140 games with the Orange. She averaged 14.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in her time with Syracuse.

All-21st Century 2nd team:

PG: Julie McBride (2001-04)

Going back a bit further now, Julie McBride is one of the most successful women to ever play for the Orange. In her career, she racked up countless accolades, including three All-Big East teams. Further, she set the record book for Syracuse women’s basketball, as by the end of her career at the time, she had set the Syracuse records for points, points per game, three pointers, assists, and plenty of other stats. She led the Orange through some tough seasons in the early 2000s and became one of Syracuse women’s basketball’s best-ever players. Her countless records and impact on the whole program make her an easy pick for this spot in our list

SG: Brittney Sykes (2012-17)

Before she became a WNBA All-Star, Sykes was a superstar for the Orange, being one of our best players for five years straight. She only makes the second team because she plays the same position as Dyaisha Fair. Over the course of her career, Sykes made two All-ACC teams, one second team and one first team, as well as an All-Big East freshman team. She also would find herself on the all-ACC defensive team in her senior season. She is also still third on Syracuse’s all-time scoring list with 1846 points, and fourth on their all-time steals list with 266 swipes. She was also a member of the all-final-four team during Syracuse’s dream 2016 NCAA Tournament run. Sykes left her impact on Orange basketball in so many ways, and it’s been a joy seeing her find success at the next level.

SF: Brianna Butler (2012-16)

Cheating slightly with this pick, but the All-21st Century second-team will be rocking with a three-guard lineup, giving the small forward spot to Sykes’ teammate in Brianna Butler. The case for Butler to make the cut is pretty strong. She ranks fourth in Syracuse history in career points and holds the program record for career threes made (373, also good for 12th in D1 history). Also holds team records for most game started (135) and total minutes (4,176). Butler also at one point did own the NCAA single-season record for threes made. There’s just so much quality production, a lot of it coming during the most successful years of the program.

PF: Miranda Drummond (2017-19)

Miranda Drummond didn’t started with Syracuse, but two strong years to end her collegiate career propel her to the other forward spot on the All-21st Century second-team. Started 63 of 64 games during that run, averaging 13.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. The key stat was during her Syracuse tenure, she shot 39% from three on just under seven attempts per contest. Drummond is also the program leader in career three-point field goal percentage.

C: Briana Day (2014-17)

The last spot on the second-team goes to another more recent name who was again consistent and played all four years with the program. Briana Day’s tenure with the Orange certainly left a mark. She’s the all-time career rebounds leader. In program history, Day is also third in blocked shots and sixth in field goal percentage and games played. She became a full-time starter from her sophomore season through her last year, and it was not a difficult choice fitting her on the second-team.

All-21st Century 3rd team:

PG: Alexis Peterson (2013-17)

In terms of accolades, Peterson’s resume is near unmatched. Second team All-American, three-time ACC all-defensive team member, two-time all-ACC first team member, as well as one appearance on the second team, and, of course, an ACC player of the year award in her senior season. Peterson is also second in Orange history in points, assists, and steals, as well as holding the single-season records for points and steals. While most justifiably talk about her unbelievable senior season, her career before that shows just how good of a player she was outside of that one campaign. We were truly lucky to have her in Orange, and she deserves a spot on this list.

SG: Erica Morrow (2007-11)

Morrow had an extremely successful four-year career with the Orange, where she was able to put herself in the record books countless times. To this day, Morrow is Syracuse women’s basketball’s all-time leader in steals, as well as being second in career minutes, and fifth in points and threes. In terms of honors, she made the All-Big East freshman team in 2007-08. She also returned to Syracuse and became an assistant coach for the women’s basketball team for a short amount of time, starting in 2020. Morrow’s contributions to the history of Syracuse women’s basketball cannot be understated, and she deserves a spot on this list.

SF: Nicole Michael (2006-10)

Down-sizing, but just slightly this time, with the six-foot-two Nicole Michael earning the last small forward spot. Michael played 124 games in four years with the Orange, but only started 35 (all in her last season). That being said, arguably the most productive player on this list despite not starting that much for her career. Michael was a Big East all-conference honorable mention for three straight years, then exploded in her senior year by being named an AP All-American and first-tea All-Big East. She averaged 14.4 points and 8.0 rebounds in her career.

PF: Alaysia Styles (2021-22)

It was a tough decision deciding who the last power forward spot would go to. The pick ended up being Alaysia Styles, who played five seasons in college, but only one (her last) with Syracuse. That being said, it was easily her best with career-highs in points (10.3), rebounds (6.1) and steals (1.8).

C: Vaida Sipaviciute (2004-08)

A Lithuanian native cracks the final spot on the All-21st Century. Vaida Sipaviciute’s four years with the Orange and elite shot-blocking during her tenure allowed her to make the cut. Sipaviciute ranks second all-time in program history in career blocks, but she also could certainly score when the opportunity was there, peaking with 16.3 points in her sophomore season. That year, she earned a spot on the All-Big East second team. Sipaviciute was a key figure in the early part of the century and rightfully deserves a mention.

Now it’s your turn. What players do you think deserve to be on the list? Do you agree with our picks, or would you have made some changes? Be sure to check out the articles in the stream as well for our other 21st-century teams.