Syracuse basketball: Chris Bunch would boost Orange’s scoring options

Syracuse basketball is eyeing 2022 prospect Chris Bunch, a small forward from the West Coast whose athleticism, length, and 3-point shooting are intriguing.

Syracuse basketball has targeted a bunch of point guards and shooting guards in the 2022 recruiting cycle, but now the Orange has set its sights on three-star small forward Chris Bunch.

The 6-foot-6 Bunch isn’t currently rated by ESPN.com and Rivals.com, however, the 247Sports Composite slots him at No. 78 overall across the country in his class.

Bunch certainly fits the mold of the typical ‘Cuse small forward or wing. Weighing 185 pounds as a rising junior, Bunch is athletic and long, with a strong wing-span.

He shoots well from 3-point land, is proficient at driving the lane and finishing around the rim, and has a smooth touch with his mid-range game.

Having just wrapped up his sophomore campaign at De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., Bunch is a big-time scorer who would provide an offensive spark to Syracuse.

As a member of the 2022 class, if he opted for the Orange, he would arrive on the Hill with rising junior shooting guard Buddy Boeheim presumably having graduated.

Since Bunch has two more terms of high-school ball left, it’s difficult to gauge how good of a shot the ‘Cuse has at landing him, particularly since he’s from the West Coast, and his scholarship-offer list at this juncture is wide-ranging.

In all fairness, Syracuse has picked up several excellent recruits from that region over the years, like Mike Hopkins, Stevie Thompson, and Jason Hart. So geography isn’t necessarily a disadvantage for the Orange.

Over the past week, Bunch has received offers from the ‘Cuse, which he disclosed via Twitter, as well as former Big East Conference foes Seton Hall and Rutgers.

https://twitter.com/_chrisbunch/status/1254559953550888960

But Bunch’s offers run much deeper. He’s got a pile nearing 20. Among those in the mix are fellow Atlantic Coast Conference program Florida State, 2017 Final Four participant South Carolina, USC, Oklahoma State, Rhode Island, SMU, UMass, and San Diego.

In summation, teams on the West and East Coasts are courting him, as well as squads somewhere in between. The competition is intense and should grow even more heated because Bunch has some terrific skills and is only a rising junior.

The 2022 class for Syracuse is huge. For one, it’s the first one after Boeheim has seemingly exhausted his eligibility. Is his father, Jim Boeheim, still the Orange head coach then? Speculating about that is trivial, given that the elder Boeheim doesn’t enjoy discussing the topic, and he appears nothing but content roaming the ‘Cuse sidelines.

Dior Johnson, a five-star point guard in the 2022 class, has committed to Syracuse. Let’s hope he ultimately dons an Orange uniform rather than turning pro. It’s conceivable that Johnson could bring another elite combo guard with him to Central New York.

Should that occur, and the ‘Cuse potentially adds Bunch, too, this would amount to a loaded 2022 class for Syracuse. Maybe then, the opinion about how the Orange regularly fail at recruiting could also dwindle.