Syracuse basketball inks a pair of 4-star prospects officially for the 2020 class. Here are all the details and what it means moving forward.
Recruiting is a fickle business, word is no longer your bond, your signature is.
Fortunately, on Friday morning, it was announced that a pair of four-star players that said they were coming to play for the Syracuse basketball program, will, in fact, play for this program.
Both Woody Newton and Kadary Richmond have signed their national letters of intent, per the University.
"“The National Letter-of-Intent program was started in 1964. Administered by the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA), the program was designed with prospective student-athletes in mind. A signed letter-of-intent indicates a prospective student-athlete agrees to attend the designated college or university for one academic year. Institutions agree to provide athletics financial aid for one academic year to the student-athlete, provided the student-athlete is admitted to the institution and is eligible for financial aid under NCAA rules,” per the official press release."
Currently, there are no scholarships available for the 2020 class due to Syracuse having no seniors on the 2019-20 squad. Although there’s always a chance a player could move on to a professional career or a player could transfer away.
Some players that could move on after this season:
- Elijah Hughes
- Elijah is the straw that stirs the drink for the Orange. He’s going to put up some video game numbers and his stock may never be higher than it is at the end of this season.
- Quincy Guerrier
- Prior to the season starting, Quincy Guerrier was listed in a prominent 2020 NBA mock draft. Early on this season, he hasn’t lived up to the hype yet, but a lot of NBA people are very high on his potential.
- Jalen Carey
- While you never want to be a prisoner of the moment, it’s easy for your mind to wander regarding the future of Jalen Carey. Throughout the entire offseason, Carey was projected to be the starting point guard for the Orange. After two games, Jim Boeheim made the decision that he’s headed to the bench. We’ve seen players get frustrated and transfer away in other spots when they lose minutes, this could happen and that would open up a scholarship.
Another possibility is Buddy Boeheim. No, not to transfer or leave early for the pros, but a loophole in the NCAA legislature would allow Buddy to remain on the team but not count against the scholarship count based on his relationship with his father Jim Boeheim.
Either way, there’s a LONG time between now and when these players will officially be on the 2020-21 roster for the Orange. A lot can change, but it’s a great coup for the Orange.
Woody Newton is a 6-foot-8 forward, 190 pounds and is ranked the 79th overall prospect in the 2020 class per 247 Sports.
While the other four-star prospect Kadary Richmond is a 6-foot-5, 175-pound guard from Brewster Academy. That school should sound familiar because two current members of the Orange are alum (Buddy Boeheim and Brendan Paul).
Kadary earned the MVP award in the City Championship Game and was the New York City Public School Player of the Year, per the press release. He’s also ranked as the 98th overall prospect in the 2020 class by 247 Sports.
A player that could transfer: