Syracuse Basketball: Benny Williams well on way to top 10 in 2021 class

Syracuse basketball 2021 commit Benny Williams, now a five-star prospect, is one of the biggest risers nationally in the new Rivals.com rankings.

All signs point to Syracuse basketball 2021 commit Benny Williams having a stellar senior campaign in prep school and then arriving on the Hill as one of the highest-rated recruits for the Orange dating back to ‘Cuse legend Carmelo Anthony in the 2002-03 term, which turned out pretty well in Central New York.

Sure, Syracuse basketball 2022 commit Dior Johnson deservedly gets a lot of buzz, as the five-star point guard, who could reclassify to 2021, is No. 3 across the country according to 247Sports.

However, the 6-foot-8 Williams, who attends the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., is seeing his own stock soar in the new national ratings from recruiting service Rivals.com.

In the latest update from Rivals.com on the top-150 prospects in the 2021 class, there are four new five-star players, and Williams is one of them. He improved by 29 spots, to No. 22 overall in the 2021 recruiting cycle, and Williams is also placed as the No. 7 small forward.

But the Orange can’t recruit at all in basketball, right? I say this with just a hint of sarcasm, as some ‘Cuse fans out there have lamented over the state of the team based on its performance in recent stanzas.

And, such an assessment is fair, particularly given the sub-par regular seasons that Syracuse basketball has put forth, for the most part, since joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2013-14.

Yet it does seem, with its solid 2020 recruiting class, along with Johnson, Williams and other top-flight talents whom Orange coaches are targeting in future cycles, that the ‘Cuse possesses positive momentum, even as we all get set to debate the inevitable retirement of head coach Jim Boeheim in the coming years.

Syracuse basketball 2021 commit Benny Williams is now a five-star player and No. 22 nationally, per Rivals.com.

Over the last few days, in talking to a bunch of Syracuse basketball fans on social media, some of them do have a concern that Williams – and, certainly, Johnson – could end up forgoing time on the Hill in favor of heading straight to the professional ranks, like 2018 five-star forward Darius Bazley did.

That’s entirely possible, although both Williams and Johnson have spoken at length about wanting to play for the Orange. Williams has said that he appreciates the legacy of Boeheim and what he’s built with Syracuse basketball, and that he’s eager to become a part of it.

"Corey Evans, a former national analyst with Rivals.com who recently joined the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder as a scout, had this to say about Williams in a write-up. “I saw the now five-star grind through a workout and what I saw is the epitome of a new age and successful wing-forward that has filled out into his 6-foot-8 frame. He’s got a super smooth skill set and a three-level scoring game that should transition well to college. The Syracuse commit has always had the talent but it was more about his production and doing it consistently against the best. I guess we will see how right or wrong we were this winter when Williams competes on the national scale with the IMG prep bunch. There are various portions of his game that he needs to polish, but there is no reason that he will not stop getting better based on his progress to date.”"

When all is said and done, Williams could compete with Johnson for the title of highest-rated recruit to don a ‘Cuse uniform since Anthony. Williams also could evolve into a top-10 prospect within the 2021 class, which is tremendous.