Liam Zoghby, Syracuse basketball manager, dies at age 22: ‘A beam of light at Melo Center’

Syracuse, N.Y. ― Liam Zoghby loved being a manager for the Syracuse University men’s basketball team.

Shortly after he joined the SU basketball program as a student manager last year, he went home after a practice and his father, Jalal, asked him who is favorite was.

“They’re all my favorite player,’’ Liam told his dad.

On Friday, Jan. 12, Zoghby died as a result of complications from an aneurysm. He was 22 years old.

The Syracuse basketball team learned of his passing after arriving in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, for the next day’s game against North Carolina. Syracuse coach Adrian Autry told the players and managers who had made the trip.

“It was a shock,’’ SU sophomore forward Justin Taylor said. “You don’t know what to think. He was just at practice. You don’t expect that to happen.

“For us to lose someone, it’s family,’’ he added. “It’s tough.’’

Zoghby, the oldest of Jalal and Eileen Zoghby’s four children, had battled several medical conditions his entire life. He was born with a hole in his heart. He underwent three heart surgeries. He needed an artificial valve to repair his heart problem.

“He was 2 years old when he had the second surgery,’’ his dad said. “We almost lost him then.’’

Zoghby was born with a missing chromosome, leading to a condition known as the DiGeorge Syndrome. The condition’s characteristics can vary, but they include heart problems and frequent infections.

“With all of his medical issues and blood infections, we probably sheltered him,’’ Jalal said. “He had a lot of battles, but the last five, six years he was doing great. That’s what punched us in the gut because he was doing great.’’

Zoghby was in his second year at Syracuse University. He was enrolled in the university’s School of Education through the InclusiveU program.

A graduate of Jamesville-DeWitt High School, he had grown up a fan of the Orange.

“When he got into the program, he’d tell people, ‘Yeah, I’m taking my talents to Syracuse University,’ ” his dad recalled. “We thought it was hilarious.’’

Through mutual friends, the Zoghbys got in touch with Jim and Juli Boeheim to see if Liam could be part of the SU basketball program. They were invited to the Boeheims’ house.

“We walked into their house and there was Buddy,’’ Jalal said, referring to Buddy Boeheim, who had just completed his college career at Syracuse. “Liam was like, ‘Oh my god.’ Buddy was so great. They talked sports together.’’

Liam and Buddy bonded over their shared fandom of the New York Yankees.

“That was something we would talk about whenever we saw each other,’’ Buddy said via text message.

Zoghby joined the SU program in the fall of 2022. He took on the usual duties of a student manager, handing out water bottles and towels, rebounding for the players, setting up the team’s locker room.

“You could see the first day he walked in that this place was heaven for him,’’ Peter Corasaniti, SU’s director of basketball operations, said. “He walked through that door, you knew this was where he wanted to be.’’

Within the SU basketball team’s umbrella, Zoghby quickly became well known for his love of sports and his upbeat, ongoing nature.

“He was a beam of light when he came into the Melo Center,’’ Jake Palczak, one of the team’s current senior managers, said. “He made everyone’s day better in the way he talked to people. His main role was making everyone feel a little bit better about their day. Obviously, he was a great manager and he filled that role very well, but he was more than that when he came into Melo.

“He was someone who impacted the way you felt.’’

Zoghby would talk to anyone and everyone from his fellow managers, to the players and the coaches.

Taylor remembers walking into a Philosophy of Sport class on the first day of the semester this past fall and seeing Zoghby sitting in the front row.

“He always asked about your day and how you were doing,’’ Taylor said. “It was never about him. It was how you were doing.’’

Zoghby became friends with former SU guard Joe Girard, who is now at Clemson. He amazed Girard with his recall of Syracuse basketball history.

“He always looked forward to being a part of the team,’’ Girard said. “I always had a fun time being around him.’’

Jalal Zoghby said InclusiveU and the SU basketball team boosted his son’s confidence.

“They changed him,’’ Jalal said. “They made him feel like he had a purpose. He took three classes, but he’d stay there all day. He would hang out with his advisor. It gave him self-worth.’’

After three heart surgeries and more than a dozen other medical procedures, Jalal saw his son coming into his own.

“He’d come to me and say, ‘Dad, you always said my time was coming,’ ” Jalal said. “And he’d say, ‘I think my time is here.’ ”

Two weeks ago as Syracuse was preparing for a game at Duke, Zoghby returned home from a practice. The mood at practice had been serious, he told his dad.

“We didn’t even clap,’’ he said.

Liam exercised at home and felt fine when he went to bed, but the following morning he was sick.

Any illness was a concern with his tendency to develop infections. His parents took him to Upstate Hospital where tests revealed an aneurysm next to his cerebellum.

Doctors performed three procedures, but Liam never regained consciousness.

“When I got the news, I had to close my door and I broke down,’’ Corasaniti said. “I was thinking about him and his family. It was hard for all of us to hear what happened.’’

The suddenness of Zoghby’s passing has made his death hard to fathom for his fellow managers.

“He’s still within Melo,’’ Palczak said, referring to SU’s basketball facility. “I came into practice and I forgot for a brief second and I was like, ‘Where’s Liam?’ It was just so normal to see him here.’’

The funeral service for Liam was held on Friday at Holy Cross Church in DeWitt. Many Syracuse players, coaches and staff were in attendance.

The Syracuse basketball team recognized him again on Saturday with a moment of silence prior to the Orange’s win against Miami. After Quadir Copeland’s game-winning 3 delivered a thrilling victory, the team presented a game ball to the Zoghby family in the locker room after the game.

“He’ll be dearly missed within our Syracuse basketball family,’’ Corasaniti said. “It definitely leaves a hole for us.’’

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