Ever since 2022 four-star point guard Quadir Copeland gave his verbal commitment to Syracuse basketball earlier this month, I’ve read a ton of comments from national recruiting analysts that speak to him and the Orange program fitting together perfectly.
The 6-foot-6 Copeland is an athletic and big guard who excels on defense and with his play-making ability. His height and length will prove quite disruptive to opposing teams when Copeland resides at the top of the ‘Cuse 2-3 zone.
Several analysts noted that Copeland finishes well around the rim. His court vision and creativity are stellar. While his shooting has room for improvement, analysts say that Copeland’s jump-shot is credible and can turn into a strength as he continues to work on it.
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— QUADIR COPELAND (@unoducat) August 10, 2021
The Orange, in recent years, has fared well with big, tall guards at the top of its vaunted zone defense. Copeland absolutely fits that mold, analysts say.
Syracuse basketball has landed an elite point guard in four-star Quadir Copeland.
Copeland will spend his senior year at the powerhouse IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. He will play for the IMG Academy’s post-grad team alongside another ‘Cuse 2022 commit, four-star wing Justin Taylor.
Syracuse basketball is potentially in the running for a top-10 overall class in the 2022 cycle, although national rankings for this class will change a lot in the coming months.
For now, the Orange in 2022 boasts the top-100 Copeland, the top-60 Taylor and four-star wing Kamari Lands, who is a top-25 player according to some recruiting services. That trio is a tremendous foundation for Syracuse basketball to bring in a top-flight 2022 class.
An important thing to note here is that while Copeland can certainly score in a variety of ways when needed to, he definitely appears to be a big-time facilitator who thrives in producing scoring opportunities for his teammates.
That bodes well for the ‘Cuse. Both Taylor and Lands have the potential to be electric scorers on the Hill. And if another IMG Academy graduate, Syracuse basketball 2021 five-star commit Benny Williams, stays on for a second term in Central New York, then the Orange absolutely will have a dangerous roster.
In discussing Copeland’s commitment to the ‘Cuse, Rivals.com national analyst Jamie Shaw talked about how Copeland could thrive with guys like Taylor, Lands and Williams around him.
"Shaw wrote in part, “Stacking these classes together gives Copeland an embarrassment of riches to spread the ball around. … Put shooters around Copeland and everyone will be happy.”"
I can tell you one thing. The bevy of Syracuse basketball fans, myself included, are totally pumped about Copeland and the Orange’s other recent recruiting wins.