Benny Williams, a four-star small forward in the 2021 class, has selected Syracuse basketball.
What a two-day span for Syracuse basketball, as the Orange secured 2021 four-star small forward Benny Williams on Thursday night, about 24 hours after the ‘Cuse heard its name called for 2020 four-star center Frank Anselem.
Wow. Hopefully, this pair of developments will quiet down the noise that Syracuse is mediocre as it pertains to recruiting. The 6-foot-8 Williams, a top-60 prospect in the 2021 class, told 247Sports director of recruiting Evan Daniels on Thursday night that he is headed to the Hill.
Williams, a rising senior at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, Md., near Washington, D.C., chose the Orange over his other three finalists in Georgetown, Maryland and Miami.
We had previously opined that the ‘Cuse had an excellent chance at landing the uber-talented Williams, who represents the initial commit for Syracuse in its 2021 recruiting cycle.
This news is tremendous for Orange coaches, who had made Williams one of their top targets in the 2021 class. Since Williams attends high school in the D.C. metropolitan area, for the ‘Cuse to beat out two hometown squads in Georgetown and Maryland is a stellar achievement.
Williams, who had taken official and unofficial visits to the Central New York campus, said this to Daniels about his decision to don a Syracuse uniform in the future: “I picked them because of the relationship we built going back two years ago, especially coach Red and with coach Boeheim. … They didn’t just tell me what I did right, they told me what I need to get better on from last season and the upcoming season in order to get ready for the next level.”
New Syracuse basketball commit Benny Williams is a top-60 high-school player in the 2021 class.
Among the primary recruiting Web sites, Williams is rated as the No. 1 player in the state of Maryland within the 2021 class, as well as in the top-10 nationally at the small-forward position.
Overall in his class, Williams is ranked No. 37 by 247Sports, No. 47 from the 247Sports Composite, No. 52 at Rivals.com, and No. 53 via ESPN.com.
He has some lofty aspirations for his tenure with the Orange, saying to Daniels, “I think I can come in and impact the program right away and hopefully lead them to a national championship.”
Welcome to the ‘Cuse family, Benny!