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The Syracuse Orange women’s basketball team named assistant Vonn Read the acting head coach earlier in August, in what appeared to be an attempt to keep the roster. However, yet another Orange player elected to transfer on Tuesday, per a report from Mitchell Northam of The Next Hoops.
Shalexxus Aaron has entered the transfer portal, per source. She’s a grad transfer and should be able to play right away. Transferred to Syracuse from USC earlier this offseason. Averaged 6.5 points, 2.8 reb per-game for the Trojans. #ACCwbb @TheNextHoops
— Mitchell Northam (@primetimeMitch) August 16, 2021
Shalexxus Aaron, who originally grad transferred from USC, will be the fourth SU player to enter the transfer portal this month now, after an offseason that was already filled with plenty of player movement. On the same day that Read was named acting head coach, 2021 signees and high school teammates Shayeann Day-Wilson and Latasha Lattimore both announced they’d transfer. And fellow 2021 prospect Amani Bartlett opted to commit to LSU instead over this past weekend. Syracuse also lost former 2022 commit Nicole Sanfilippo in July.
All in all, this doesn’t just fall at the feet of Read, given the tough task he inherited following Quentin Hillsman’s resignation amid an investigation around alleged bullying and inappropriate behavior by Hillsman. However, if the goal with Read was to keep the team together through coaching continuity, then that doesn’t appear to be having the desired effect.
SU is now down to just 11 players on the current roster. So there isn’t much wiggle room for any more departures. What was already going to be a tough season for this team is seemingly getting more difficult by the day.