Syracuse Basketball: Under-rated forward prospect should soar in rankings

Syracuse basketball coaches have reached out to 2023 small forward Noah Barnett, who plays prep-school ball in New Jersey.

The 6-foot-9 Barnett is a sophomore at the Don Bosco Preparatory High School in Ramsey, N.J., and he runs on the AAU circuit with the NY Jayhawks.

Given where he plays prep-school and AAU basketball, Barnett would seem to be an ideal recruiting prospect for the Orange coaching staff.

As we noted in another recent column, Barnett has heard from Syracuse basketball, Providence and Brown, according to Prep Hoops contributor Tom Keller.

Additionally, his bio on recruiting Web sites notes that Barnett has early scholarship offers from Bryant and Hofstra.

Syracuse basketball is showing interest in under-ranked 2023 small forward Noah Barnett.

In mid-June, college coaches could begin making direct contact with high-school players in the 2023 cycle. There have also been several live periods of late in which college coaches were able to watch high-school prospects in person.

Those developments should help facilitate Barnett’s recruitment to significantly expand in the near future, as he prepares for his junior season at the Don Bosco Preparatory High School.

An article by 247Sports national analyst Dushawn London in December of 2020 noted that high-major teams such as Connecticut, Illinois and St. John’s were displaying interest in Barnett.

His offer list will undoubtedly grow, and I’d love to see the ‘Cuse among the serious contenders for Barnett.

Yes, it’s true that he isn’t nationally ranked by the recruiting services at this juncture, but these ratings don’t always tell the entire story. Even London wrote back in last December of Barnett that “he has the chance to be towards the top of the class of 2023.”

The main recruiting services will likely update their national rankings for this class at some point either later on this summer or into the fall.

I could foresee Barnett emerging as a four-star prospect and placed within the top-100 nationally in the 2023 cycle, if not higher than that.

"London said of Barnett that he “possesses good size and versatility and definitely has the tools to be a very good player. His foot speed and length allows him to excel on defense and be able to guard multiple positions.”"

Let’s see how much Syracuse basketball gets involved with Barnett, who I believe would thrive in the Orange system, particularly in the team’s 2-3 zone.