Syracuse basketball has several open scholarships in 2020-21, and the Orange has apparently touched base with Long Beach State transfer Joshua Morgan.
Syracuse basketball, whose roster has shrunk of late due to defections and the likelihood that redshirt junior forward Elijah Hughes will turn pro, has reportedly made contact with Joshua Morgan, a freshman center at Long Beach State who has entered the transfer portal.
That’s according to a tweet by Jake Weingarten, the owner of Stockrisers.com. Weingarten said on Sunday night that the 6-foot-11 Morgan told him that he has heard from a slew of high-quality schools, including the Orange, UCLA, USC, Arizona, Arizona State, San Diego State, Saint Mary’s, Oregon and Texas.
In a separate tweet on March 17, Weingarten cited a source in saying that Morgan had heard from Florida, among other squads.
The situation with transfers is fluid and can change rapidly, particularly given the novel coronavirus pandemic, so it’s not really all that clear how much interest Morgan may have in the ‘Cuse, and vice versa.
During his freshman campaign, Morgan put up solid numbers of 8.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per contest. He averaged 26.4 minutes a game and connected on a stellar 62.2 percent from the field.
Long Beach State, a member of the Big West Conference, wrapped up its 2019-20 term at 11-21 overall, and 6-10 in the 49ers’ league.
Prior to beginning his collegiate career, Morgan attended Sheldon High School in Sacramento County, Calif. Various recruiting services listed him as a four-star or three-star prospect coming out of high school.
Across the 2019 class, Rivals.com slotted Morgan at No. 133 nationally, while the 247Sports Composite placed him at No. 174.
Assuming that Hughes, who announced this past weekend that he would test the NBA Draft waters, doesn’t end up returning to the Hill, his decision coupled with the recent transfer news of a few Syracuse guards would likely result in the Orange having 10 scholarship players next fall.
Head coach Jim Boeheim has said that he doesn’t anticipate a further shuffling to the ‘Cuse line-up, but he didn’t completely rule it out, either.
As far as other developments in the transfer market, Syracuse swung and missed on Harvard graduate student Seth Towns, with the 6-foot-7 forward opting for his hometown crew, Ohio State.