Syracuse Basketball: Hopefully, the Orange will offer Louis Hutchinson

Syracuse basketball is reportedly showing interest in combo guard Louis Hutchinson, an unranked but talented 2022 prospect.

Should five-star point guard Dior Johnson reclassify from the 2022 class into the 2021 recruiting cycle, Syracuse basketball should take a serious look at Louis Hutchinson, a promising high-school prospect whose stock is likely to soar in the near future.

At this juncture, the 6-foot-7 Hutchinson is unranked in the 2022 class by the primary recruiting services. That likely won’t stay the case for long.

Hutchinson, an athletic, lengthy guy who can suit up at either point guard or shooting guard, currently has offers from Memphis, whose head coach Penny Hardaway is succeeding quite well on the recruiting trail, as well as Mount St. Mary’s.

According to an article by Jason Munz of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, in June Hutchinson transferred from Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Va., to the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

The IMG Academy is also the present home of 2022 five-star small forward Jarace Walker, whom Orange coaches offered a scholarship to in mid-June. Syracuse rising sophomore center Jesse Edwards went to the IMG Academy, too.

Getting back to Hutchinson, Jake Lieberman of Prep Hoops said via Twitter that Hutchinson recently did virtual visits with numerous teams, such as Memphis, fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member Florida State, Big Ten Conference heavyweight Maryland, and Mount St. Mary’s.

Additionally, Lieberman tweeted that “George Washington, Georgia, Syracuse, George Mason, and several others are showing interest.” It doesn’t appear that the Orange has offered a scholarship to Hutchinson yet, but hopefully the ‘Cuse coaching staff will do so soon.

From what I’ve read about Hutchinson, given his skill-set and the fact that he’s now competing for a national prep powerhouse in the IMG Academy, Hutchinson will likely enter the 2022 rankings at some point, and the high-major offers will begin rolling in.

Syracuse is targeting about 10 prospects in the 2022 recruiting cycle, although not many of them are point guards. Johnson, the No. 1 or No. 2 point guard in the 2022 class depending on the recruiting service, is seriously considering a move to the 2021 class.

That would more feasibly open up a point-guard slot for the Orange in the 2022 recruiting cycle, and Hutchinson has a lot of intrigue. He is a strong scorer and defender, with a tremendous wingspan that would do wonders in the ‘Cuse 2-3 zone.

Before a bevy of big-time squads enter into the mix for Hutchinson – and they undeniably will – Syracuse should get in early to jump-start its recruitment of him.