Syracuse basketball Recruiting: Juicy News On Nate Roberts And Others

Tons to digest on the Syracuse basketball recruiting front, as Nate Roberts trims his list, Buddy Boeheim will visit a familiar locale, and Jalen Carey sets a date.

I love the Syracuse basketball squad. It’s no secret, and I readily acknowledge my fanaticism.

Still, I try to approach covering the team for Inside The Loud House with a dose of pragmatism and realism. However, optimism and passion usually get the best of me.

Like right now.

If things go our way in the short term, I believe that the Orange’s 2018 class could prove something extremely special.

Recruiting is a funny, heart-wrenching endeavor. Head coach Jim Boeheim and his staff missed out on a bevy of top-flight targets these past 12 months. It’s the nature of the beast.

Perhaps, as I noted in a column published several days ago, momentum is swinging back in our favor.

Nate Roberts, a big man out of Baltimore in the 2018 class, took to Twitter on Tuesday night to divulge his three finalists. They are Washington, led by former long-time SU assistant Mike Hopkins, Nebraska and the ‘Cuse.

Roberts, by extension, eliminated Connecticut and Wake Forest from consideration.

Depending on the recruiting service that you examine, the power forward is listed as three or four

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stars, at a height of 6-9 to 6-11. Across the country, Roberts is rated 200^th overall via the 247Sports Composite, and the fifth-best prospect in the state of Maryland.

This coming weekend, he is planning to check out the Central New York campus.

Look, I get that Roberts is not super highly ranked. Honestly, I could care less. I dig his skills. He’s from my hometown. And JB & Co. obviously like what they see in him.

Oh, by the way, guess who is also making an official visit to the ‘Cuse this weekend? Buddy Boeheim, son of the legendary boss, reports Syracuse.com. A three-star shooting guard/small forward, Buddy Boeheim has already pledged his commitment to the Orange.

I appreciate that Buddy Boeheim is going through with an official campus visit. Sure, he probably could lead tours of SU, because he knows the university inside and out.

He’s taking his recruiting process seriously. Kudos to Buddy Boeheim for that.

Separately, it’s critical to mention here that both Roberts and Buddy Boeheim are seniors at the Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H.

Hopefully, this weekend, Buddy Boeheim, his father, and the rest of the ‘Cuse roster will make an incredible impression on Roberts, who would prove an awesome addition to our 2018 class.

While Roberts is slated to announce his college choice on Oct. 17, four-star guard Jalen Carey is reportedly revealing his on Oct. 11, which is Carey’s birthday, per Zagsblog.

The 6-3 Carey, a native of Harlem, N.Y., attends the Immaculate Conception High School in Montclair, N.J. He’s widely regarded as a top-50 player in the 2018 class and would prove a monster get for Syracuse.

Carey recently had in-home visits with his three finalists – Miami, SU and UConn. Currently, the 247Sports Crystal Ball says that the ‘Cuse is the heavy favorite to land Carey, but I don’t put much stock in this.

Earlier this month, Carey checked out the Hill at the same time as five-star forward Darius Bazley, who like Buddy Boeheim has committed to don an Orange uniform beginning with the 2018-19 season.

It seems to me that JB and his lieutenants are honing in on Carey and Roberts to fill out their 2018 class. I never want to get overly excited, however, should we secure those two, this class will ooze with potential.

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Think about it: Bazley and Buddy Boeheim, along with Carey and Roberts. Then throw in East Carolina transfer Elijah Hughes, who is eligible to suit up in a year.

That’s five studs. As I wrote at the onset of this article, I really do my best to manage expectations, since recruiting is so fickle.

But with such star power possibly looming for Syracuse, perhaps just once I’ll ignore my own advice.

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