Syracuse Basketball: CNY native Jai Smith jumps in national rankings

Syracuse basketball has yet to offer Jai Smith, but his national rating is soaring.

Even though Syracuse basketball hasn’t offered Central New York native Jai Smith, and the Orange might never do so, his recruitment has absolutely blown up on a national stage.

The 6-foot-9 Smith, a 2022 three-star power forward, has more than 40 scholarship offers, according to a review of the primary recruiting services.

His latest offers include from Baylor, Texas and Kansas – all squads out of the Big 12 Conference that are presently ranked in the top 10 of both major polls.

One of the main recruiting Web sites, Rivals.com, has published an updated ranking of its top-150 players in the 2022 cycle, and Smith made one of the largest leaps in the entire class.

Previously at No. 150 overall, he improved by 34 positions to No. 116 nationally in the 2022 class, according to Rivals.com. As Smith continues to see stellar offers come in, he should evolve into a four-star, top-100 prospect via all of the recruiting services.

Syracuse basketball may not offer Jai Smith, but he still boasts a ridiculously long offer sheet.

In the past, Smith competed for Bishop Ludden Junior-Senior High School in Syracuse. He is now a junior at Bull City Prep Academy in Durham, N.C., and also apparently suits up for the Word of God Christian Academy in Raleigh, N.C.

In addition to having him at No. 116 overall in his cycle, Rivals.com arranges Smith as the No. 14 power forward within the 2022 class.

He is also three stars via the 247Sports Composite, with Smith ranked there at No. 158 across the country, No. 31 at power forward and No. 4 in the state of New York.

While Smith has spoken highly of the Orange program and head coach Jim Boeheim on more than one occasion, and there have been media reports suggesting interest between the ‘Cuse and the high-school prospect, no offer from Syracuse basketball has arrived with Smith.

In an interview with Ryan McMullen of Zagsblog, Smith said that seven teams are prioritizing him the most, and they are Alabama, Georgia, Houston, Illinois, Kansas, Marquette and Memphis.

Smith told McMullen that he doesn’t currently have a specific timeline to trim his list of suitors or announce a collegiate destination. As I’ve opined before, I wish that the Orange would offer Smith, but maybe it’s just not in the cards for him or the ‘Cuse.