Syracuse Basketball: New commit Kamari Lands is no longer five stars

When Syracuse basketball landed a verbal commitment from elite 2022 wing Kamari Lands not too long ago, myself and many other Orange fans were pumped about the fact that Lands was rated as five stars by one of the main recruiting services.

For some ‘Cuse fanatics, recruiting rankings mean nothing at all. For me, these ratings provide context for my stories, but I don’t believe that recruiting rankings are the only way to decipher if a high-school prospect will prosper at the college level.

Still, once Lands pledged himself to the Orange, I got all excited by the fact that Syracuse basketball could say it had five-star prospects in both its 2021 and 2022 classes, given the commitments by talented forward Benny Williams and Lands, respectively.

The 6-foot-8 Williams, a senior at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., remains a five-star player, according to several recruiting Web sites, as he prepares for his freshman stanza on the Hill.

The 6-foot-8 Lands, though, is not a five-star prospect in the 2022 cycle any longer, at least not for the time being. Previously, Lands was five stars and No. 19 overall in his class, per ESPN.

ESPN has updated its national rankings for the 2022 class, and Lands is now four stars and No. 25 across the country. To be fair, he is the highest-rated 2022 prospect at the four-star level, so does this drop in the rankings really mean anything? Not at all.

Syracuse basketball commit Kamari Lands is the first member of the team’s 2022 cycle.

Lands, a junior at Prolific Prep in Napa Valley, Calif., can suit up at point guard, shooting guard and small forward, according to various media reports.

His athleticism, length, scoring and versatility on both ends of the floor are among the positive attributes that recruiting analysts point to when they discuss how Lands is a stellar fit for the ‘Cuse program.

Prolific Prep wrapped up the most recent season at No. 10 nationally in the final top-25 rankings from MaxPreps, and Lands has an opportunity to help guide his team to another high rating during his senior year.

The 247Sports recruiting service has Lands at No. 31 overall in the 2022 class, followed by the 247Sports Composite at No. 37 and Rivals.com at No. 62. He is rated as four stars by all of these recruiting services.

With a strong senior stint at Prolific Prep, Lands absolutely can make it back to five stars. Even if he doesn’t, Lands is a massive pick-up for Syracuse basketball in its 2022 cycle.