Looks like Syracuse basketball is out of the running for 2021 three-star prospect Ashton Smith.
Syracuse basketball remains on the hunt for at least one big man in its 2021 class, and Ashton Smith unfortunately won’t prove that player for the Orange.
The 6-foot-9 power forward/center, who revealed his scholarship offer from the ‘Cuse in mid-April, has announced via Twitter a top four of fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member Virginia Tech, former Big East Conference foe Seton Hall, Houston and Nebraska.
Smith is a rising senior who previously attended Nimitz High School in Houston but has moved on to Legacy the School of Sport Sciences in Spring, Texas.
According to his Twitter page and Smith’s bio on the 247Sports Web site, he received an offer from Nebraska on July 21, one from Virginia Tech on July 20, an offer from Seton Hall on April 18, and Smith’s offer from Houston came back on Sept. 26, 2019.
Per a review of the primary recruiting services, he also holds scholarship offers from several other teams, including Mississippi State, Oral Roberts, McNeese State and North Texas.
Syracuse basketball hasn’t made the top-four finalists of 2021 power forward/center Ashton Smith.
At present, Smith isn’t ranked by 247Sports, although he is slotted as a three-star player over at Rivals.com. From my perspective, Smith is an under-rated prospect in the 2021 recruiting cycle.
Recruiting analysts describe him as athletic with an extremely long wingspan, which as we all know is an enticing feature for the Orange’s vaunted 2-3 zone. Smith runs the court well, is a ferocious dunker, has strong rebounding instincts, and boasts a soft touch with his mid-range jumper.
Since current ‘Cuse power forward/center Marek Dolezaj and center Bourama Sidibe are both set to exhaust their eligibility on the Hill after the 2020-21 term, assuming one transpires amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, it makes sense for Syracuse basketball to focus its recruiting efforts on landing a big man in the 2021 class.
A high-priority target for the Orange coaching staff in this recruiting cycle is four-star center Micawber Etienne. To date, the lone 2021 commit for the ‘Cuse is four-star small forward Benny Williams.