Syracuse basketball, despite naysayers, recruiting at high level these days

In recent years, as Syracuse basketball has slogged through some so-so regular seasons since joining the Atlantic Coast Conference and also had to deal with various NCAA sanctions not too long ago, a decent-sized contingent of Orange fans has frequently groaned about the state of the team’s recruiting efforts.

Has the ‘Cuse seen a dip in its recruiting over the past handful of seasons? Perhaps. Is the program in a state of chaos or massive concern as it pertains to recruiting? I don’t think so.

It certainly stung a bit when 2018 five-star forward Darius Bazley reneged on his commitment to Syracuse basketball. The same holds true of 2022 five-star point guard Dior Johnson, who backed out of his verbal commitment to the ‘Cuse late last year.

But for my money, the Orange’s recruiting is on a roll, and I believe that this kind of exciting momentum is going to continue onward for the foreseeable future.

Here are two shining examples. Benny Williams and, more recently, Kamari Lands.

Williams, a senior at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., is the sole member of the ‘Cuse 2021 cycle. The talented forward is rated five stars by numerous recruiting Web sites, and Rivals.com has Williams as the No. 15 prospect across the country in his class.

Lands, a junior wing at Prolific Prep in Napa Valley, Calif., announced his verbal commitment to Syracuse basketball earlier this week via Twitter. He is ranked five stars and a top-20 player overall in the 2022 cycle, according to ESPN.

Syracuse basketball is experiencing excellent recruiting success of late.

So between the 2021 and 2022 classes, the ‘Cuse has a pair of five-star prospects, one rated in the top-15 overall in his cycle, and the other slotted in the top-20 nationally in his class. That’s pretty good.

I know what some of you will say. Well, two high-school players don’t make up for several stanzas of recruiting misses and less-than-stellar overall classes. That’s fair.

However, as I noted in another recent column, I believe that Lands’ commitment to the Orange, the team’s first in 2022, will serve as a catalyst for other top-flight prospects to join him in this class.

We’ve detailed on many occasions of late how the ‘Cuse is pursuing a bunch of four- and five-star players in the 2022 cycle, with a handful of them ranked in the top-25, top-50 or top-100 nationally.

Additionally, Syracuse basketball coaches to date have offered scholarships to six prospects in the 2023 cycle, including one five-star and multiple four-star guys.

You never know how things will go in the fickle and often heart-breaking recruiting world, however, the Orange has a solid shot at securing a couple of highly rated prospects in each of these classes.

Should that occur, then it’s hard to argue against the ‘Cuse being in a strong position, recruiting-wise. A few months back, Williams said that he felt Syracuse basketball was on a positive path in terms of its on-court success, as well as the squad’s recruiting.

“We’re going to be back on top,” Williams said at the time. And I wholeheartedly agree with Williams that the Orange is headed in that kind of direction.