Syracuse Basketball: Duke keeps recruiting at elite level, problem for SU

Any hope by Syracuse basketball fans that big-time coaching changes at fellow Atlantic Coast Conference teams Duke and North Carolina would significantly benefit the Orange moving forward looks to have been washed away, at least as far as the Blue Devils are concerned.

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski, the all-time wins leader in Division I men’s basketball history, is handing the reins to Jon Scheyer after this upcoming season, and Scheyer is handling the recruiting details for the Blue Devils, which is logical.

Across the way in Chapel, N.C., legendary head coach Roy Williams has already retired, with his replacement being Hubert Davis. Those two developments are massive for the ACC and the entirety of college basketball, as the Tar Heels and the Blue Devils are not only blue-blood programs, but also two of the most successful teams in the sport’s history.

In late June, 2022 four-star wing Justin Taylor pledged his services to the ‘Cuse, picking the Orange over other finalists North Carolina, Indiana, Virginia Tech and Virginia. That is a nice recruiting win for Syracuse basketball, and beating out the Tar Heels proved fun.

However, what Scheyer in particular has done of late gives me reason to believe that after Coach K steps aside, the Duke recruiting train will continue on full-steam ahead. And that stinks for the ‘Cuse.

Duke’s continued recruiting prowess is bad news for Syracuse basketball.

At the end of July, the Blue Devils scored a huge recruiting victory when 2022 four-star power forward Kyle Filipowski chose Duke over the Orange and many other high-major teams.

Filipowski could be on his way toward five-star status and possible consideration for the No. 1 overall ranking in his class, some national analysts say.

Then, a few days later, 2022 five-star wing Dariq Whitehead also committed to the Blue Devils. Whitehead, a top-10 player in this cycle, had offers from other heavyweights like Kansas, Kentucky and Florida State.

Filipowski and Whitehead are supreme talents in the 2022 class and certainly signify, at least early on, that Scheyer is going to fare quite well in the recruiting arena.

To that end, Syracuse basketball 2022 high-priority target J.J. Starling, a four-star guard and Central New York native, holds an offer from Duke.

The chatter that I’ve read about online in chat rooms, as well as some comments from recruiting insiders of late, is that the Blue Devils could be making a hard push for Starling. That concerns me for the Orange’s chances, similar to Filipowski’s recruitment.

Additionally, Syracuse basketball was the first to offer 2023 five-star power forward G.G. Jackson, with that offer coming about a year ago. Jackson is racking up offers from ACC powerhouses, such as Duke and North Carolina.