Syracuse, N.Y. — When Laila Phelia entered the transfer portal, Felisha Legette-Jack wanted to get in touch with her. So she contacted Johntay Cook II, who played football for Texas before transferring to Syracuse in May.

After contacting Cook, Legette-Jack said he responded that he knew Phelia, who was on the Longhorns’ women’s basketball team last year. She added that the wide receiver “absolutely” played a role in helping the Orange initially contact Phelia.

“When I heard that she was going to be available, we went 100 miles an hour trying to figure out any way that we can get in touch with her,” Legette-Jack said.

Thus far, Syracuse’s pursuit has paid off, as it improved to 3-0 after Phelia scored a game-high 22 points and had a +26 plus/minus rating in SU’s 96-72 win over Canisius

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