Where Syracuse basketball turns without Dior Johnson, Roddy Gayle Jr.

Syracuse basketball (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
Syracuse basketball (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Syracuse basketball is still targeting a boatload of promising 2022 prospects.

It’s proven somewhat of tough week for Syracuse basketball recruiting, as 2022 five-star point guard Dior Johnson has de-committed from the Orange, and Ohio State is getting a ton of buzz for Roddy Gayle Jr., a 2022 four-star shooting guard who has the ‘Cuse in his top six and plans to announce this Friday, Nov. 13.

Ever since Johnson announced his decision on Tuesday night, some Syracuse basketball fans have opined that his move may open up the door for Orange coaches to steer Gayle to the Hill. The Buckeyes, though, continue to receive 100 percent of the analyst predictions on the 247Sports Web site and Rivals.com for Gayle.

So with Johnson out of the picture and assuming Gayle heads elsewhere, this is frustrating a contingent of ‘Cuse fans who fear that Orange recruiting isn’t on an upward trajectory like we all had hoped.

To these folks, I would say – hold on for just a second. First and foremost, Johnson de-committing now gives the ‘Cuse coaching staff plenty of time to build up the team’s 2022 class. Secondly, Syracuse basketball remains in pursuit of multiple really talented prospects in this cycle. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Here are a dozen 2022 high-school players whom Syracuse basketball is targeting.

With Johnson not coming to Central New York, that suggests the need for a point guard in this cycle, and at the top of the list to me is four-star J.J. Starling, a local product who now suits up for a powerhouse prep-school program in Indiana. Recruiting analysts have said that if Johnson didn’t make it to the Hill, that may turn Starling into a more realistic option for the Orange.

Syracuse basketball has shown interest in, and hopefully will offer, point guard Bryce Lindsay from Baltimore, who is under-rated in the 2022 class but is seeing his recruitment expand on a national scale.

At wing, the ‘Cuse is prioritizing and appears to be in great shape with four-star Justin Taylor and four-star Ty Rodgers. I could envision one of those two players ultimately committing to the Orange.

Three elite talents whom Syracuse basketball has offered are four-star guard Chance Westry, five-star guard Zion Cruz and five-star forward Jarace Walker. I’m not feeling either Cruz or Walker as it relates to the ‘Cuse.

Westry continues to keep the Orange in the running, although him going to high school on the West Coast makes things more logistically challenging for Syracuse basketball amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Then there is a trio of four-star small forwards in Chris Bunch, Yann Farrell and Kamari Lands. My sense is that of these three wings, the ‘Cuse has the best chance to land Farrell, who plays for the Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H.

Finally, at the center spot, something tells me that the Orange could secure the services of either four-star Donovan Clingan or three-star Riley Mulvey, whose stock is soaring in the 2022 cycle.