Syracuse Basketball: 4-star J.J. Starling recruitment grows, craft evolves

Syracuse basketball offered 2022 four-star point guard J.J. Starling a scholarship back in the summer of 2019, and by all accounts, he remains a high-priority for the Orange in this cycle.

Starling, though, doesn’t appear in a rush to make a collegiate decision, as he focuses on his junior year at the La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind., where he transferred to from Charles W. Baker High School in Baldwinsville, N.Y.

As a Central New York product, there is a school of thought among some Syracuse basketball fans and recruiting analysts that the ‘Cuse should have a good shot at landing the 6-foot-3 Starling, given his ties to that region.

Conversely, now that he suits up for a prep-school powerhouse located in Indiana, and Starling’s recruitment keeps expanding on a national scale, it’s certainly feasible that he could opt for a team other than the Orange.

For the time being, based on some recent interviews that Starling has given as well as media articles about him, he is laser-focused on his current campaign at the La Lumiere School and taking his time with his recruiting process.

Syracuse basketball 2022 target J.J. Starling is playing well this season.

At this juncture, I’m not seeing any particular front-runners for Starling, nor any predictions from analysts on where he might end up. Among his most recent offers came from Ohio State, which 2022 four-star shooting guard Roddy Gayle Jr. picked over the ‘Cuse and several other suitors.

Like Starling, Gayle has New York state ties, and they’ve competed against one another. Gayle plays for the Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah, after transferring there from Lewiston-Porter High School in Youngstown, N.Y.

Other scholarship offers that Starling has received include from Penn State, Notre Dame, Miami, Connecticut, Marquette, Providence, Alabama (led by former Buffalo head coach Nate Oats), St. John’s and Mike Hopkins-led Washington.

I could absolutely see Syracuse basketball, Ohio State and Washington, among others, remaining in the mix for Starling as his recruitment continues to move forward.

Given his performance so far at the La Lumiere School, I also expect many more offers to pour in for Starling, who is placed No. 55 overall in the 2022 cycle by the 247Sports Composite, as well as No. 59 from ESPN, No. 66 from 247Sports and No. 104 via Rivals.com.

Starling recently competed at the loaded St. James NIBC Invitational in Springfield, Va. Eric Bossi, the national basketball director for 247Sports, had this to say about Starling.

"“For La Lumiere, guard JJ Starling has always been able to score. He’s still doing that but he’s progressing in how he does it. He wasn’t hunting too many shots, showed great body control and physicality on creative drives and did it all in the team concept. He can play some point for you, but long term he may be more natural as an off the ball scorer and secondary ball handler.”"