Syracuse basketball misses on C Riley Mulvey, who will thrive in Big Ten

Throughout his recruitment, under-rated 2022 big man Riley Mulvey has spoken highly of the Syracuse basketball coaching staff and the program as a whole.

That being said, some analysts for a while now had pegged Iowa as the front-runner to land the 6-foot-11 Mulvey, and those recruiting insiders have correctly projected Mulvey’s collegiate destination.

Mulvey, a three-star center, recently revealed via Twitter that he has committed to Iowa, which means that the Orange is still looking for its first recruit in the 2022 cycle.

This is a bummer for sure, because Mulvey is extremely talented, but this development is also not too surprising. The Hawkeyes have put forth a really strong 2020-21 campaign to date, and they develop big men quite well.

Case in point, Iowa senior center Luka Garza has played at an elite level over the past few terms, and he is garnering all kinds of national player of the year and All-American recognition in 2020-21.

With that as context, it’s easy to understand why Mulvey has chosen the Hawkeyes. I wish him well in the rugged Big Ten Conference, and I believe that he will shine in an Iowa uniform.

Syracuse basketball 2022 target Riley Mulvey has opted to play elsewhere.

Mulvey, a junior at the St. Thomas More School, a prep school in Oakdale, Conn., has ties to the Empire State. He previously attended the Albany Academy in Albany, N.Y., and has also suited up on the AAU circuit for the Albany City Rocks, a program that has sent numerous players to the ‘Cuse in recent years.

Besides Syracuse basketball and Iowa, Mulvey possessed scholarships from numerous other teams, including Virginia Tech, Pennsylvania, Albany, Bryant, Massachusetts, Penn State, Siena and Yale.

He may not be a four- or five-star prospect, however, don’t let those ratings fool you. Mulvey is an excellent center with a versatile skill-set on both ends of the floor.

Across the country in the 2022 class, he is ranked No. 221 overall by the 247Sports Composite, as well as No. 27 at his position and No. 2 in New York.

"In a story by Sean Bock of HawkeyeInsider247, Mulvey said in part, “I speak with [Iowa head coach] Fran McCaffery weekly. I’ve been watching a bunch of their games just to compare myself to [Luka] Garza. I think that what he’s doing with running the floor, getting boards and being a force on offense is huge and that’s a really big goal for me in my game. I’ve already been on an unofficial in the past and once everything clears up I plan on visiting again.”"

With Mulvey committed to the Hawkeyes, Syracuse basketball coaches turn their attention to other centers in the 2022 cycle, with that likely including four-star Donovan Clingan, a 7-foot-1 junior at Bristol Central High School in Bristol, Conn.