Ex-Dominican star Aaron Womack transfers to UWM from Syracuse

Womack will arrive on the East Side a much different player than he was when he departed for Syracuse thanks to a year spent in the weight room.

"Coach (Adrian Autry) gave me a choice if I wanted to redshirt or fight for minutes," recounted Womack. "I talked that over with my family, mostly my dad, and decided that redshirting would be the best decision for me.

"I think it was the best decision for me, because I ended up working on my body and getting stronger."

UW-Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball team signs former Dominican player Aaron Womack III.

The 6-foot-6 Womack said he arrived at Syracuse last summer weighing 176 pounds and finished the season at 195 with the final goal being 200. There were plenty of chin-ups and bench presses along with many calories consumed along the way.

"A lot of lifting," Womack said. "A lot of just building my body and nutrition, and the recovery part as well. I got fed a lot, had a ton of big meals after practice every day, protein shakes. I think that's what's really helped. I think my game has changed, just by me being able to use my body.

"When I was in high school, I was kind of skinny. Didn't really use my body as well. Now my game has changed and I can take contact more than I could before."

Had Syracuse not finished 14-17 and missed the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight season, UWM probably wouldn't be penciling Womack in as a major contributor on a team seeking to rebound from its nightmarish, injury-plagued 2025-26 campaign.

But Autry was ultimately fired after three seasons as Orange coach, and Womack entered the portal as a result.

"It was mostly Coach Autry being let go," he said. "If he would have stayed, I would have stayed as well. I would have loved to have stayed in Syracuse; I enjoyed my time here. But the new coach (Gerry McNamara) doesn't really know me and I don't really know him.

"Just didn't really have a connection there."

Womack visited UWM, UW-Green Bay and Pepperdine before ultimately putting pen to paper with the Panthers.

"My expectation is to come in and win," said Womack, who's already heard from another in-state product who's signed with the Panthers, Beloit Memorial guard Amare Hereford.

"Have a chance to do stuff that hasn't been done a long time. Most important thing is for me putting that Milwaukee jersey on, that Milwaukee across my chest, and just playing basketball, having fun, winning some games and making it to the NCAA Tournament."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ex-Dominican star Aaron Womack transfers to UWM from Syracuse