Syracuse basketball could pursue No. 1 prospect in consecutive classes

Syracuse basketball may have seen a dip in recruiting over the past handful of years since moving from the Big East Conference to the Atlantic Coast Conference, but I’ve said more than once of late that the Orange is trending in a positive direction.

The ‘Cuse has a 2021 five-star commit in forward Benny Williams. The Orange recently received a verbal commitment from four-star wing Kamari Lands, a top-25 player in the 2022 class.

And Syracuse basketball coaches are pursuing numerous elite prospects in the 2022 and the 2023 cycles. The future looks bright on the Hill, by my estimation.

Another interesting tidbit could come into play as we look further down the road to not just the 2023 class, but also the 2024 recruiting cycle.

It remains to be seen whether this will actually transpire, however, the possibility does exist that the ‘Cuse may ultimately target the No. 1 overall player in both the 2023 and the 2024 classes. That’s pretty cool.

Syracuse basketball has its sights set on two premier prospects in future cycles.

Last summer, Orange coaches offered a scholarship to Canadian prospect Elijah Fisher from the 2023 class. The 6-foot-7 wing is a sophomore at the Crestwood Preparatory College in Toronto, Ontario.

The five-star Fisher already holds a bunch of high-major offers, from teams such as 2021 NCAA champion Baylor, Kansas, Florida State, Arizona, Florida, Oregon, Memphis, Seton Hall, West Virginia and Southern California. He also reportedly is garnering interest from Kentucky.

I’ve read numerous articles on Fisher as well as comments from recruiting insiders about the 2023 cycle that speak to the potential that he could be the No. 1 player in this class when all is said and done.

Switching over to 2024, we’ve detailed a couple of times how Syracuse basketball has shown some interest in forward Derik Queen out of Baltimore, whose skill-set is being likened to former ‘Cuse legend Carmelo Anthony.

Queen, a 6-foot-8 power forward out of the Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore, recently was named the National Freshman of the Year by MaxPreps for the 2020-21 season.

He presently has offers from squads including Virginia Tech, Georgetown, Maryland, LSU and Arizona State. The Orange, hopefully, will get into the mix for Queen, too.

Multiple recruiting insiders have opined that Queen will be a serious contender for the No. 1 national ranking in the 2024 cycle. Since he’s a freshman, his recruiting process has a long way to go, but his talent is undeniable.

"Jerry Meyer, a national analyst for 247Sports, recently said of Queen in a story, “He is just so extraordinarily skilled for a big man. There is also a lot of upside with expected physical development.”"

It remains to be seen whether Syracuse basketball offers Queen. It’s also up in the air whether either Fisher or Queen, or both of them, will end up No. 1 in their respective classes.

Furthermore, the chance that each player elects to don an Orange uniform is slim at best. Still, it’s a tantalizing dream with which to have.