Syracuse Basketball: 4-star J.J. Starling among those in GEICO Nationals

Syracuse basketball 2022 target J.J. Starling, a four-star point guard and former star at Charles W. Baker High School in Baldwinsville, N.Y., is among those who will participate in the 2021 GEICO Nationals, a tournament held to help crown a high-school national champion.

Starling’s current team, the La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind., where he resides in his junior season, is part of the 10-squad field, according to an article by Jordan Divens, the national basketball editor for MaxPreps.

The 2021 GEICO Nationals will take place from March 31 to April 3 at the Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla.

The La Lumiere School, the event’s No. 10 seed, will suit up against the No. 7 seed, Prolific Prep in Napa Valley, Calif., on Wednesday, March 31.

Prolific Prep is where Orange freshman center Frank Anselem played, and it is also the current school of 2022 four-star wing Kamari Lands, who holds a scholarship offer from the ‘Cuse and is a junior at Prolific Prep.

In the most recent MaxPreps top-25 rankings, Prolific Prep checks in at No. 13.

Some other prospects with Syracuse basketball offers are in this year’s GEICO Nationals.

The No. 3 seed in this event is the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., which is also ranked No. 4 nationally in the MaxPreps top 25.

Jarace Walker, a 2022 five-star forward, is a junior at the IMG Academy. He landed an offer from the Orange in June of 2020, although several other teams, including North Carolina, are receiving buzz for Walker, according to recruiting analysts.

The IMG Academy will battle No. 6 seed Milton High School in Milton, Ga., on Thursday, April 1. Milton High School is No. 7 in the MaxPreps top 25.

Other groups in the 2021 GEICO Nationals include No. 2 seed Sunrise Christian Academy from Bel Aire, Kan., No. 5 seed Wasatch Academy out of Mount Pleasant, Utah, and No. 9 seed Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va.

Former Syracuse basketball commit Dior Johnson, a 2022 five-star point guard, previously attended the Oak Hill Academy. Former ‘Cuse prospect Kennedy Chandler, a 2021 five-star point guard who has committed to Tennessee, plays for the Sunrise Christian Academy.

And the Wasatch Academy roster features former Syracuse basketball target Roddy Gayle Jr., a 2022 four-star shooting guard who had the Orange in his top six before selecting Ohio State.