Syracuse basketball 4-star target Micawber Etienne has Kentucky interest

Syracuse basketball remains in the mix for 2021 four-star center Micawber Etienne, but competition for him is fierce.

Syracuse basketball is among the numerous high-major squads still in contention for 2021 four-star center Micawber Etienne, according to a report, although now it seems that blue-blood program Kentucky is showing interest in the top-65 prospect.

Kentucky? That’s not good. The Wildcats are a recruiting juggernaut, and Kentucky in recent years has broken Orange fans’ hearts on several occasions when top-flight talents picked the Wildcats over the ‘Cuse and other crews.

Jake Weingarten, the founder of Stockrisers.com, reported on the latest developments of the 6-foot-10 Etienne, who is a senior at the Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H., and from my perspective represents the highest-priority target left for Syracuse basketball in the 2021 recruiting cycle.

To date, the Orange has 13 scholarship players for its upcoming campaign, including two seniors, and 2021 five-star small forward Benny Williams, a senior at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., has already committed to the ‘Cuse. Thus, the Syracuse basketball 2021 class could prove somewhat small in size.

Syracuse basketball high-priority 2021 target Micawber Etienne is garnering interest from Kentucky.

Weingarten writes that, per Etienne, those teams still in running for the talented big man are “Marquette, UCLA, Louisville, Illinois, Miami, UConn, Syracuse, Kansas, Providence, and many others.” Recently, Etienne has held virtual Zoom sessions with UCLA, Marquette, Miami and Illinois, according to Weingarten.

Etienne, whose recruitment has gotten described as tough to read, has NBA potential, analysts say. Weingarten notes that, at one time, Etienne “drew interest from Duke … but nothing ever came to fruition.”

Kentucky, though, has reached out to Etienne, he told Weingarten. A scholarship offer from the Wildcats hasn’t arrived yet, but it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if Etienne eventually obtains an offer from Kentucky.

If that occurs, Syracuse basketball winning out over the likes of both Kansas and Kentucky seems like a huge challenge. Nationally in his class, Etienne is rated No. 41 by 247Sports, No. 44 by the 247Sports Composite, No. 50 by Rivals.com and No. 64 by ESPN.com.

Additionally, within the 2021 cycle, Etienne is almost universally deemed a top-10 center, per the primary recruiting services.