By R.L. Bynum
It’s been a productive recruiting weekend for Coach Courtney Banghart.
For the second time in less than 24 hours, she has snagged a rising senior star out of the transfer portal, this time Syracuse guard Sophie Burrows, who made an official visit this weekend.
The 6–2 guard announced her commitment in an Instagram post, saying, “Let’s get it!”
Burrows’ pledge gives the Tar Heels two portal commitments in two days, following Friday night’s commitment from former Oklahoma State post player Achol Akot.
Burrows arrived at Syracuse from Australia and was used early as a floor-spacer, a role that matched her shooting profile as a freshman.
She played in 30 games as a freshman in 2023-24, making four starts and averaging 4.6 points and 2.8 rebounds while taking most of her shots beyond the arc.
Burrows, whose hometown is Lower Plenty, Victoria, Australia, made a big leap in starting all 30 games as a sophomore, averaging 12.2 points and 5.6 rebounds while making 39.6% of her 3-point attempts. Even as Syracuse struggled to a 12–18 season, she emerged as one of the program’s most consistent scoring options and its most reliable perimeter threat.
“Coming in as an international freshman, it was a big jump, definitely a different style of play,” Burrows said during a press conference at the 2025 ACC tournament. “But I think this year I had that time under my belt, so I really just needed to come in with confidence and play with confidence for my team, and that was instilled in me through my coaches and my teammates.”
Her junior year became a different kind of test, with more responsibility spread across the floor. Burrows averaged 11.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists, and she added 1.9 steals and nearly a block a game. She led Syracuse in 3-pointers with 56.
In mid-February, Burrows was named ACC Player of the Week after averaging 18.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in wins over Pitt and Clemson, including a career-high 16 rebounds against Clemson. The latter was one of her three career double-doubles as she also scored 19 points.
Burrows leaves Syracuse with 92 games, 65 starts and career averages of 9.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, along with 149 made 3-pointers across three seasons.
Her career high is 28 points on Feb. 6, 2025, in a 93–87 road win at Virginia Tech.
Burrows has scored at least four 3-pointers 10 times, at least five 3-pointers five times and scored a career-high 8 3-pointers in that 2025 game in Blacksburg, Va.
She lost all three meetings with UNC, with her best game 12 points in UNC’s 68–58 victory on Feb. 20, 2025, in Syracuse.
Her 3-point percentage dipped to 30.1%, down from her sophomore mark, but her impact widened: she posted career highs in rebounds, steals and blocks, and she remained a reliable secondary playmaker.
Burrows played two seasons for the Diamond Valley Basketball Association in Australia’s NBL1 semi-professional league.
She represented Australia in the 2023 FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup and in the 2022 FIBA U18 Women’s Asian Championship Division A. Her team won the gold medal in the latter, when she averaged 9.2 points and 4.2 rebounds.
Burrows represented Victoria in the Australian National Championships, and helped her team to gold on the U16 and U20 squads and a silver with the U18 team.
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Projected roster if all players with eligibility other than Elina Aarnisalo, Lanie Grant and Taliyah Henderson return, with years listed for next season (2 under the 15-player limit)
| Year | No./ Stars | Players | Pos. | Height | |
| Freshman | 5 star | Kate Harpring | PG | 5–10 | |
| Freshman | 4 star | Noelle Bofia | F | 6–4 | |
| Sophomore | 5 | Liza Astakhova | W | 6–2 | |
| Sophomore | 7 | Nyla Brooks | W | 6–1 | |
| Sophomore | 26 | Taissa Queiroz | G | 6–1 | |
| Junior | 34 | Blanca Thomas | C | 6–5 | |
| Junior | 1 | Jordan Zubich | G | 5–11 | |
| RS junior | 21 | Ciera Toomey | F | 6–4 | |
| RS junior | 4 | Laila Hull | W | 6–1 | |
| Senior | Sophie Burrows | G | 6–2 | ||
| Senior | 11 | Achol Akot | F | 6–1 | |
| Senior | 10 | Reniya Kelly | G | 5–7 | |
| Senior | 15 | Sydney Barker | G | 5–6 |
In transfer portal
| Player | Class next season | Pos. | Hgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elina Aarnisalo | Junior | G | 5–10 | |
| Lanie Grant | Junior | G | 5–9 | TCU |
| Taliyah Henderson | Sophomore | W | 6–1 |
Top photo via cuse.com; bottom photo courtesy of FIBA
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