Syracuse Basketball: Rumored leader for 5-star Zion Cruz lands 4-star PG

Five-star Zion Cruz, an elite guard in the 2022 class who holds a scholarship offer from Syracuse basketball, was reportedly set to announce his collegiate destination on August 19, but those plans have gotten delayed, according to media reports.

The 6-foot-5 Cruz, a top-20 overall prospect in his cycle according to most recruiting services, has a boatload of scholarship offers from a range of high-major programs.

He has taken visits to both Auburn and Oregon. When Cruz received an offer from fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member North Carolina earlier this summer, I did see some reports indicating that he would like to make a trip to the Tar Heels.

Auburn, out of the Southeastern Conference, has picked up numerous predictions from national analysts in recent months as it pertains to Cruz’s decision. The Tigers clearly seem to be the front-runner for him, and that doesn’t appear to have changed even with Cruz’s commitment delay.

"AuburnLiveOn3’s Justin Hokanson tweeted out a couple of days ago that Cruz delaying his commitment announcement “is not really good or bad for Auburn. Auburn is comfortable in what they’re doing right now. But if it’s one, it’s good. It’s certainly not bad.”"

Five-star Zion Cruz, who possesses a Syracuse basketball offer, has delayed making a college choice.

Since word broke that Cruz would postpone his commitment reveal, I’ve seen all kinds of comments on Twitter that amount to pure speculation about his recruiting process.

Some of those comments speak to Auburn still being the favorite for Cruz. Some people wonder if maybe a professional option could be in line for Cruz. Thirdly, there is chatter about whether Cruz may want to visit UNC or perhaps other college squads before deciding.

We’ll just have to wait and see how this all plays out. One thing I did find interesting is that Auburn just picked up a commitment from 2022 four-star point guard Tre Donaldson, he unveiled on Twitter.

The 6-foot-1 Donaldson, who attends the Florida State University School in Tallahassee, Fla., is also a stellar safety in football. Media reports indicate that he might play both sports for Auburn.

Now, could Donaldson’s commitment to the Tigers in any way influence what Cruz will end up doing? That remains to be seen. In all fairness, Donaldson is a point guard, whereas Cruz is more of a combo guard.

Cruz attends The Patrick School in Hillside, N.J., and he runs on the AAU circuit with the Bronx, N.Y.-based PSA Cardinals.