Syracuse Basketball: 5-star Jarace Walker may reclassify, likened to Zion

Syracuse basketball definitely faces an uphill battle to land 2022 five-star small forward Jarace Walker.

Several schools are getting buzz as it pertains to 2022 five-star small forward Jarace Walker, and Syracuse basketball doesn’t appear as one of them, however, the Orange is certainly still in the running for now.

The 6-foot-6 Walker, deemed by the majority of recruiting services as a top-10 prospect nationally in his class, does attend the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., along with Syracuse basketball 2021 five-star commit Benny Williams.

So that’s a positive. Williams, a fellow small forward, has said that he would like to bring Walker with him on a visit to the Hill sometime in the future.

At this juncture, though, teams such as fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member North Carolina, Auburn, Maryland and Michigan are among those receiving buzz for Walker. The Tar Heels and former Big East Conference rival Connecticut are the two most-recent squads to offer him a scholarship.

Based on this recent article from 247Sports national analyst Travis Branham, it doesn’t seem that Walker plans to trim his list of contenders anytime soon.

Syracuse basketball 2022 five-star target Jarace Walker may reclassify, getting high praise from analysts.

Branham wrote in his piece, “Another topic that has been looming around Walker is his option to reclassify and jump up into the 2021 class. He told 247Sports that while that is possible, he is not thinking that far ahead just yet.”

That’s interesting, although who knows if it may really happen. If Walker moved into the 2021 cycle, he could potentially join up with Williams in Central New York.

A possibly reclassify from 2022 to 2021 has also come up in the past regarding five-star point guard and Orange 2022 commit Dior Johnson, who is now at Corona Centennial High School in Corona, Calif.

Could you imagine a ‘Cuse class with Johnson, Walker and Williams? Keep dreaming, my friends, as the chances of that transpiring are ridiculously low.

Jerry Meyer, a 247Sports analyst and director of scouting, has published a new evaluation of Walker, a New Freedom, Pa., native who runs on the AAU circuit with the Baltimore-based Team Thrill.

"Meyer says, “Has a physically strong and intimidating physique for a combo forward. Extremely athletic. Explosive two foot jumper in traffic. Handles the ball well and is adept at delivering quality passes off the dribble. Can score at all three levels, including post up game. Rebounds well and has the potential to be a good defender. Has a refined game for such a physically imposing player.”"

In a separate story, Meyer said that his NBA comparison for Walker is Marcus Morris. But, Meyer went on to say, “I struggled with this one because aspects of Walker remind me of Zion Williamson. I was torn between Williamson and Marcus Morris, the former Kansas Star and NBA standout. In the end went with Morris since he is more of a face-up player like Walker.”