Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

Former Syracuse point guard Dyaisha Fair has been selected with the No. 16 overall pick by the Las Vegas Aces in the 2024 WNBA Draft. Fair was the sixth guard taken — behind players like Caitlin Clark and Jacy Sheldon — becoming the sixth player from Syracuse ever drafted into the WNBA. Fair is the first SU player to be drafted since 2017, when Brittney Sykes and Alexis Peterson were taken No. 7 and No. 15 overall, respectively.

Fair spent two seasons with Syracuse, averaging 21 points per game, making a total of 203 3-pointers at a 39.5% clip. The point guard spent her first three collegiate seasons at the University at Buffalo, but when then-Bulls head coach Felisha Legette-Jack was hired by Syracuse in 2022, Fair followed her.

In her first year at SU in 2022-23, Fair led the Orange to 18 regular season wins but failed to clinch an NCAA tournament berth. Fair could’ve entered the 2023 WNBA draft or transferred, yet she decided to stay with Syracuse for a fifth season.

Her final collegiate season was historic. Fair helped Syracuse tie a program record with 23 regular season wins, clinching its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2021. Fair was a First-Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection. On Jan. 14 against Clemson, Fair became just the 16th player in women’s basketball history to surpass 3,000 points. Fair’s marquee performances include a 31-point outing on Jan. 18 against Florida State and scoring 29 points against Louisville on Feb. 11 to help Syracuse overcome a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit.

“Of course her size is an issue because she’s so small, but she is a player who can get her shot off. In a system that likes to push the pace, she can come in as a backup guard and really do that well,” ESPN analyst and former WNBA player Rebecca Lobo said of Fair Thursday at a pre-draft media availability session.

Against Arizona in the first round of the NCAA tournament, Syracuse trailed late in the fourth quarter, but a personal 11-0 run from Fair helped the Orange defeat the Wildcats. Fair’s heroics weren’t enough against No. 3 seeded UConn in the second round, though, as SU fell 72-64.

After the conclusion of her career, Fair officially declared for the draft on April 4. ESPN’s latest mock draft had Fair going No. 10 overall and despite her stature, experts believe she can carve out a role in the WNBA due to her scoring ability.

“She gets to the paint, she shoots the 3. A guard with multiple skills, especially one that can make 3s, becomes valuable,” Chicago Sky General Manager Jeff Pagliocca said of Fair Thursday. “…She’s super confident, it wouldn’t surprise me if she made a (WNBA) roster.”

Published on April 15, 2024 at 9:15 pm

Contact Zak: zakwolf784254@gmail.com | @ZakWolf22