Syracuse Basketball: Orange has interest in country’s No. 1 sophomore

Syracuse basketball has reportedly reached out to the No. 1 prospect in the 2023 class, and that’s all kinds of fun.

Recently, college coaches could begin making direct contact with 2023 players, and five-star D.J. Wagner said in an interview that the Orange is among the high-major teams from which he’s heard.

In a story by 247Sports national analyst Dushawn London, the 6-foot-3 Wagner says that the squads which have reached out to him include Syracuse basketball, Kentucky, Villanova, Duke, Gonzaga, Michigan, Arkansas and Temple. Wow.

Wagner is the No. 1 prospect and the No. 1 point guard in the 2023 cycle, according to the main recruiting services. A sophomore at Camden High School in Camden, N.J., he is also the No. 1 player in New Jersey within his class.

According to his bio on several recruiting Web sites, Wagner holds offers from Villanova and Temple, along with interest from Kentucky. It’s unclear to me whether Kentucky has officially offered him a scholarship, although multiple analysts on the 247Sports Web site and Rivals.com have projected him to ultimately pick that blue-blood school.

Syracuse basketball has made contact with the No. 1 prospect in the 2023 class.

Obviously, ‘Cuse fanatics like myself would love to see the Orange emerge as a serious contender for Wagner. Syracuse basketball has offered a half-dozen players in this cycle, but none of them are as highly ranked as Wagner.

Kentucky will prove tough to beat. Those Wildcats usually crush things on the recruiting trail. Plus, as an article on zagsblog.com notes, Wagner’s father, Dajuan Wagner, suited up for Kentucky head coach John Calipari at Memphis for one season prior to getting selected at No.  6 overall in the first round of the 2002 NBA Draft.

D.J. Wagner’s brother, Kareem Watkins, also competes for Kentucky, according to zagsblog.com.

In the 2020-21 campaign for Camden High School, Wagner averaged 22.0 points, 3.8 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.0 steals a game, as his team went a perfect 13-0.

For his performance, Wagner was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in New Jersey, as well as the MaxPreps National Sophomore of the Year.

We will continue to follow Wagner’s recruiting process, particularly as it pertains to Syracuse basketball.