Syracuse Basketball: 4-star, top-50 targets earning big praise from analysts

Syracuse basketball coaches got in early on with two 2023 four-star prospects who play high-school ball in the Carolinas, and recruiting analysts say that these sophomores are ones to watch on the national landscape in this cycle.

Interestingly enough, the Orange was the first college team to offer a scholarship to power forward G.G. Jackson and point guard Aden Holloway.

The 6-foot-8 Jackson is a top-30 player overall in his class, according to the 247Sports Composite, while the 6-foot-1 Holloway checks in at No. 50 nationally via 247Sports.

Jackson, whose ‘Cuse offer arrived last August, suits up for Ridge View High School in Columbia, S.C. Syracuse basketball, meanwhile, offered Holloway back in the summer of 2019. He competes for the Covenant Day School in Matthews, N.C., although this tweet suggests that he may be transferring to a new team.

As Holloway and Jackson star for their high-school teams and in AAU events, analysts say that both 2023 players should see their list of offers grow and their national rankings rise.

Two Syracuse basketball 2023 targets are poised to blow up in the near future.

According to media reports and recruiting services, Jackson has other offers from squads such as N.C. State, Georgetown, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, Boston College and High Point.

In a recent article by Rivals.com national analyst Jamie Shaw, Jackson said that he also holds strong interest from blue-blood group North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas Tech.

Holloway as a sophomore averaged 21.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.3 steals per contest for the Covenant Day School. For his performance, he was named an honorable mention to the 2020-21 MaxPreps sophomore All-America team.

Holloway has landed offers from squads including Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Texas A&M and Winthrop. I believe this is just the tip of the iceberg for Holloway, who is the No. 10 point guard in the 2023 cycle, according to 247Sports.

"In an interview with Shaw earlier this year, Holloway said of the Orange, “The coach recruiting me, (assistant) coach (Allen) Griffin, is really cool. I have been knowing him for a minute, since eighth grade really, they were my first offer. So he has really just been getting me used to the program and stuff, real cool.”"

As college coaches are able to watch high-school prospects live and initiate direct contact with 2023 players, that will boost the recruitments of both Holloway and Jackson. Syracuse basketball saw the promise of these prospects early on, but I imagine the competition for each will soon heat up.