Syracuse basketball recruit Kadary Richmond soars up 247Sports ratings
By Neil Adler
Syracuse basketball incoming freshman Kadary Richmond has jumped up more than 100 spots in the newly released 2020 player rankings from 247Sports.
Syracuse basketball 2020 commit Kadary Richmond previously had an unreasonably low rating from 247Sports, but the recruiting service made up for this transgression when it unveiled its final player rankings for this class on Wednesday.
The 6-foot-5 Richmond, a four-star wing out of the Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H., skyrocketed 102 places up to No. 76 according to 247Sports.
First and foremost, while I’m not a recruiting analyst by trade, having Richmond at around No. 178 across the 2020 class appears way too low. Regardless, though, that he has moved up more than 100 slots is a huge testament to the skills and talent that he is bringing to the Hill.
A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Richmond is joined in the Orange’s 2020 class by four-star power forward Woody Newton from Mt. Zion Prep in Lanham, Md. Illinois transfer Alan Griffin, a sophomore wing, also will arrive at the ‘Cuse this fall, but he’s not an incoming freshman.
In 247Sports’ final 2020 ratings, Newton registers at No. 112 overall, an improvement of three positions. I’m not a huge advocate of these rankings, because Syracuse recruits to its system, rather than merely focusing on ratings that show up on pieces of paper (or in this case, on a Web site).
Still, the fact that both Newton and Richmond improved their ratings at 247Sports can’t in any way get viewed in a negative light. For context, as far as other primary recruiting services go, Richmond is at No. 88 in ESPN.com’s ranking of the top-100 prospects in the 2020 class. Newton didn’t make the cut there, unfortunately.
If you delve into Rivals.com’s ratings of the top-150 players in this class, Richmond is No. 92 and Newton is No. 121. We always knew that the Orange’s 2020 class would prove small, but quality is better than quantity, in my humble opinion.
Richmond is a top-100 guy, and Newton hovers not far from that distinction. If Griffin can get a waiver from the NCAA to compete immediately, then this is a really solid – if not stellar – recruiting cycle for the ‘Cuse.