Syracuse basketball commit Benny Williams, other targets fall in rankings

Syracuse basketball (Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)
Syracuse basketball (Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images) /
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In new ratings published by 247Sports, Syracuse basketball commit Benny Williams and some other 2021 prospects drop a bit.

Recruiting service 247Sports has unveiled its most-recent rankings of the top-150 high-school players across the 2021 class, and recent Syracuse basketball commit Benny Williams has dropped two spots, to No. 39 overall.

Williams, a four-star small forward, committed to the Orange a few weeks ago, giving the ‘Cuse an elite player to jump-start its 2021 class.

As it currently stands, assuming no other roster moves after the 2020-21 campaign concludes, Syracuse would have two open scholarships, after factoring Williams into the line-up.

For now, it appears that the Orange continues to target a handful of other prospects who could potentially join Williams to form an intriguing and promising 2021 class on the Hill. Williams is a rising senior at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, Md.

A look at where Syracuse basketball targets in the 2021 recruiting cycle stack up in new 247Sports ratings.

Arthur Kaluma, a four-star power forward, fell four positions to No. 20. He attends Dream City Christian School in Glendale, Ariz.

Four-star center Franck Kepnang, with the Westtown School in West Chester, Pa., is now at No. 37 in the 247Sports rankings. His placement lowered by six spots.

Micawber Etienne, another four-star center, inched up one placement, to No. 54 overall. Etienne, a high-priority target for the ‘Cuse coaching staff, is from the Suffield Academy in Suffield, Conn.

Samson Johnson, a four-star power forward, enters the 247Sports list at No. 119. Johnson attends The Patrick School in Hillside, N.J.

Finally, power forward Ashton Smith didn’t make the cut of the top-150 prospects from 247Sports. Smith goes to Nimitz High School in Houston, and he is an underrated player in my opinion.

In a perfect world, Syracuse hopefully could secure commitments from one power forward, like Kaluma, and a center, such as Etienne. Even if the Orange’s 2021 class only amounted to three guys, if all three of them are in the top 60 nationally, that’s something every ‘Cuse fanatic out there should applaud.