Meet the Trio of Transfers Coming To Syracuse
4/24/2025 12:04:00 PM | Women's Basketball
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Syracuse Women's Basketball team is excited to welcome Oyindamola Akinbolawa, Aurora Almòn, and Dominique Darius to the Orange family. The three transfers, all from Power-4 programs, will make powerful additions to the Syracuse squad for the 2025-2026 season.
Oyindamola Akinbolawa 6'5" Center– Lagos, Nigeria/Auburn University
Akinbolawa a 6-foot-5 forward from Lagos, Nigeria, will join the Orange will bolster Syracuse's frontcourt with her size. Oyindamola played three seasons at Auburn, averaging 3.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in her final season with Tigers while shooting 54.3% from the field.
Coach Jack on Akinbolawa:
"Big O is the centerpiece we need to grow our women's program. She is a strong post that runs the floor, finishes both left and right in traffic and is hungry for an opportunity. I lov eher humility, her focus, and her desire to be great. I am thrilled to be able to coach her. Orange Nation, please help me welcome Big O to our amazing 'Cuse family."
Aurora Almòn 6'4" Forward – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Miami
Almòn is a 6-foot-4 forward from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. She joins Syracuse after two years in Miami including a medical redshirt during the 2023-2024 season. In her first season playing for the Hurricanes, she appeared in 19 games for Miami and averaged 1.3 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. Almòn was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2024, who attended The Webb School for high school, and played AAU for New Heights Youth Inc. She was high school and AAU teammates with Angelica Velez.
Coach Jack on Almòn:
"Catch her if you can! We are thrilled to have signed Aurora to our women's basketball program. She will help elevate our speed and make our goal of scoring over 75 points a game achievable with her speed and rebounding prowess. I've recruited her since she was in high school and as you can see, I don't give up easily. Passion, enthusiasm, fun and winning is what I associated her name with. Please help me welcome Aurora to our women's basketball family."
Dominique Darius 5'10" Point Guard – Jacksonville, Florida/USC
Darius, a 5-foot-10 forward from Jacksonville, Florida, played one season at UCLA and her last three as a member of the USC Trojans averaging 2.4 points and 1.4 rebounds per game during the 2023-2024 season. Darius was ranked 26th in the class of 2021 by ESPN HoopGurlz and scored a total of 1,197 points during her prep career at Blair Academy (N.J.) and played AAU with Exodus EYBL. Her father is Syracuse football alum, Donovin Darius '97.
Coach Jack on Darius:
"Dom will be amazing for the growth of our energy as a unit. She is a leader and organized servant for a team to have success. She will add passion, enthusiasm, and the drive of a winner to our team. We are thrilled that Dominique Darius has decided to come to Syracuse University to help grow our program to higher heights."
Syracuse University Women's Basketball is a proud member of the NCAA Division I Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The program is committed to excellence both on the court and in the classroom, fostering the development of student-athletes into phenomenal women with strong fundamentals in character, academics, and basketball.
For more information and updates on Syracuse women's basketball, follow the Orange on social media (@CuseWBB).
Oyindamola Akinbolawa 6'5" Center– Lagos, Nigeria/Auburn University
Welcome home, Oyindamola Akinbolawa 🍊🏀
— Syracuse Women's Basketball (@CuseWBB) April 15, 2025
The 6-foot-5 center joins the Orange after three seasons at Auburn where she shot 51.6% from the field in 66 appearances pic.twitter.com/jUt0BMdQUC
Akinbolawa a 6-foot-5 forward from Lagos, Nigeria, will join the Orange will bolster Syracuse's frontcourt with her size. Oyindamola played three seasons at Auburn, averaging 3.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in her final season with Tigers while shooting 54.3% from the field.
Coach Jack on Akinbolawa:
"Big O is the centerpiece we need to grow our women's program. She is a strong post that runs the floor, finishes both left and right in traffic and is hungry for an opportunity. I lov eher humility, her focus, and her desire to be great. I am thrilled to be able to coach her. Orange Nation, please help me welcome Big O to our amazing 'Cuse family."
Aurora Almòn 6'4" Forward – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Miami
Welcome home, @Aurora_Almon 🍊🏀
— Syracuse Women's Basketball (@CuseWBB) April 14, 2025
No stranger to the ACC, the former 4⭐️recruit will reunite with her old high school teammate Angelica Velez next season. pic.twitter.com/HxWLHGOVrn
Almòn is a 6-foot-4 forward from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. She joins Syracuse after two years in Miami including a medical redshirt during the 2023-2024 season. In her first season playing for the Hurricanes, she appeared in 19 games for Miami and averaged 1.3 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. Almòn was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2024, who attended The Webb School for high school, and played AAU for New Heights Youth Inc. She was high school and AAU teammates with Angelica Velez.
Coach Jack on Almòn:
"Catch her if you can! We are thrilled to have signed Aurora to our women's basketball program. She will help elevate our speed and make our goal of scoring over 75 points a game achievable with her speed and rebounding prowess. I've recruited her since she was in high school and as you can see, I don't give up easily. Passion, enthusiasm, fun and winning is what I associated her name with. Please help me welcome Aurora to our women's basketball family."
Dominique Darius 5'10" Point Guard – Jacksonville, Florida/USC
Welcome home, @DominiqueOnu 🍊🏀
— Syracuse Women's Basketball (@CuseWBB) April 14, 2025
The former 4⭐️ recruit ranked No. 26 in the Class of 2021 returns to the East Coast after beginning her career at UCLA before transferring to USC in 2023 pic.twitter.com/ohzL3fY8jU
Darius, a 5-foot-10 forward from Jacksonville, Florida, played one season at UCLA and her last three as a member of the USC Trojans averaging 2.4 points and 1.4 rebounds per game during the 2023-2024 season. Darius was ranked 26th in the class of 2021 by ESPN HoopGurlz and scored a total of 1,197 points during her prep career at Blair Academy (N.J.) and played AAU with Exodus EYBL. Her father is Syracuse football alum, Donovin Darius '97.
Coach Jack on Darius:
"Dom will be amazing for the growth of our energy as a unit. She is a leader and organized servant for a team to have success. She will add passion, enthusiasm, and the drive of a winner to our team. We are thrilled that Dominique Darius has decided to come to Syracuse University to help grow our program to higher heights."
Syracuse University Women's Basketball is a proud member of the NCAA Division I Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The program is committed to excellence both on the court and in the classroom, fostering the development of student-athletes into phenomenal women with strong fundamentals in character, academics, and basketball.
For more information and updates on Syracuse women's basketball, follow the Orange on social media (@CuseWBB).
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