March Madness is officially upon us, but there’s also a bunch to share, recruiting-wise, as it pertains to Syracuse basketball.
Some fun stuff to report here on the SU hoops recruiting front.
Shooting guard Brycen Goodine, who has already pledged his commitment to the Orange in its 2019 class, has received the 2017-18 Gatorade Rhode Island Boys Basketball Player of the Year award, per a press release from The Gatorade Company.
Goodine, rated three or four stars depending on the recruiting service, is a 6-4 junior who currently attends the St. Andrew’s School in Barrington, R.I. According to the announcement, he averaged about 21 points a contest this past term, along with roughly six boards, five dimes and two steals.
Additionally, Goodine led “the Saints (25-7) to the New England Prep School Athletic Council Class AA Tournament title game,” says the release.
In a separate announcement from The Gatorade Company, combo guard Joseph Girard III has won the 2017-18 Gatorade New York Boys Basketball Player of the Year honor.
The 6-2 junior combo guard, from Glens Falls High School in Glens Falls, N.Y., recently picked up a
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scholarship offer from the ‘Cuse. Other powerhouse programs to have offered Girard include Duke, Michigan and Oklahoma.
A three-star prospect in the 2019 class, he “averaged 50.0 points, seven rebounds and six assists per game and shattered the state career scoring record – he will enter his senior season with 3,306 total points,” says this release, adding that Girard guided “the Indians to a 20-3 record and the sectional semifinals” during the last stanza.
Now, switching to Syracuse’s 2018 class, the Jordan Brand Classic has announced its roster, and two SU commits – Darius Bazley and Jalen Carey – have made the cut. Bazley is a five-star forward, who is widely considered a top-10 guy nationally, while Carey is a four-star point guard.
According to a press release, the Jordan Brand Classic, in its 17th year, will hold its boys’ battle at 5:30 p.m. on April 8 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. It’s worth noting that former Orange legend Carmelo Anthony suited up for this event back in the day.
Bazley has also gotten an invite to the 2018 McDonald’s All-American Game, along with 23 other high-school studs. This clash will take place on March 28 at Atlanta’s Philips Arena.
Finally, ESPN recruiting analyst Adam Finkelstein has tweeted out that the ‘Cuse has offered a schollie to Akok Akok, a premier talent in the 2019 class.
The 6-8 power forward, listed as four stars, is a junior out of the Putnam Science Academy in Putnam, Conn. Akok, across the country in his class, ranks 57th via ESPN.com, 65th by 247Sports, and 94th at Rivals.com.
Competition for this dude is fierce. He possesses offers from, among others, Connecticut, Creighton, Louisville, N.C. State, Providence, Rhode Island, Seton Hall, St. Bonaventure, Texas Tech and Virginia Tech.
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Hey, we got a shot. You never know how things will transpire in the fickle recruiting arena.
I’ll say this: enjoy the Big Dance, but get ready for an extremely promising future lurking on the horizon, Syracuse fanatics!