Syracuse Basketball: Joseph Girard III commitment is a historic moment

The Syracuse basketball squad received juicy news on Sunday evening, when 2019 sharp-shooter Joseph Girard III picked the Orange.

Joseph Girard III is staying in the Empire State, and ‘Cuse fanatics are going bananas about it.

Girard, an absolute scoring machine and one of the top 3-point specialists in the 2019 class, revealed on Sunday night at a press conference that he will don a SU hoops uniform in roughly 12 months.

In doing so, Girard selected Syracuse over Boston College, Duke (yes!), Michigan, Notre Dame and Penn State.

I can’t stress enough how monumental this recruiting development is for our beloved Orange. While college basketball is obviously a team sport, I believe that landing Girard is a defining moment.

For one, the 6-2 combo guard had a scholarship offer from the Blue Devils, and we’ve lost out to Duke in recent years on a number of top-flight targets.

Furthermore, Wolverines’ boss John Beilein coached Girard’s father while Beilein led Le Moyne many years ago.

The other contenders – the Eagles, the Fighting Irish and the Nittany Lions – are all strong suitors, with Girard even telling Syracuse.com that he “could’ve thrived at every school.”

"Girard, in that article, continued by saying that “… what it came down to was being most comfortable with coach (Jim) Boeheim and coach Gerry McNamara and the rest of the staff and the players. I have a few friends on the team. Coach Boeheim and coach McNamara have been on me for a while now, so I felt most comfortable with them.”"

Additionally, Girard noted that proximity influenced his decision, as the senior at Glens Falls High School in Glens Falls, N.Y., lives about three hours from the ‘Cuse campus.

I’m totally delighted that I finally got something right. Last week, I wrote a piece for Inside The Loud House, in which I “predicted” that Girard would choose the Orange.

This young man and his family are a classy bunch. Per the Syracuse.com report, Girard’s mother said that as she walked in to the press conference for her son at The Queensbury Hotel in Glens Falls, she “was tearing up … and overwhelmed with the people that are here.”

"“The community out-pouring … it’s just electrifying,” Girard’s father said to Syracuse.com."

Girard, who also stars in football at Glens Falls High School, broke the state of New York career scoring record as a junior, when he averaged approximately 50 points per contest and took home the Gatorade State Basketball Player of the Year award.

Despite these unbelievable achievements, he really seems like a humble, down-to-Earth guy, and that’s exactly who we want on the SU roster.

"“It’s the hardest decision of my life,” Girard told Syracuse.com. “It came down to every single school but what put it over was just being comfortable. You want to be somewhere where you can thrive, but you can also see yourself if you’re not playing basketball and the best place for that was Syracuse.”"

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Rated three or four stars depending on the recruiting service, Girard joins 6-4 guard Brycen Goodine and 6-11 center John Bol Ajak in the Orange’s 2019 class, which is presently ranked 24th across the country on the 247Sports Web site.

The ‘Cuse coaching staff remains active with a handful of other targets in that class, including 6-9 center Isaiah Stewart, who is Girard’s AAU colleague.

Stewart, a five-star player and one of the top-10 prospects in the 2019 class, had an official visit to the Hill this past weekend, according to his Twitter page.

While nabbing Stewart would prove fantastic, right now it’s all about Girard. His decision to attend SU is, hopefully, a game-changer. On behalf of everyone in the Orange community, Joseph Girard III, we thank you and want to welcome you to ‘Cuse Nation!