Syracuse Basketball: 5-star target excels on court; character is admirable

Five-star combo guard Simeon Wilcher, a top-15 overall prospect in the 2023 class offered a scholarship by Syracuse basketball in mid-July, was recently offered a big sum of money to suit up in the newly formed Overtime Elite league, according to an article from college basketball insider Adam Zagoria.

The 6-foot-4 Wilcher said thanks, but no thanks, to the offer, per Zagoria’s article in The Star-Ledger. This story is a subscriber-exclusive piece, so we can’t share any of the information from inside the article.

However, Zagoria did provide a few snippets on his Twitter page. For one, Zagoria tweeted out that Overtime Elite provided “a high-six-figure offer” to Wilcher, but the 2023 star has elected to remain at Roselle Catholic High School in Roselle, N.J.

This fall, Wilcher will be a junior at his high school. He’s also a key contributor on one of the best AAU teams across the country, the New York City-based NY Renaissance.

Syracuse basketball five-star prospect Simeon Wilcher has turned down a huge paycheck.

According to the Overtime Elite Web site, this league will feature high-school rising juniors, seniors and post-graduate players who will compete within the league itself and at outside events suiting up against domestic and international opponents.

Overtime Elite is expected to include 24 to 30 players, who will live, learn and train in Atlanta. The head coach of Overtime Elite is Kevin Ollie, who won a national title in 2014 as the boss at Connecticut.

The compensation and benefits for players in this league are substantial. They are guaranteed to receive a salary of at least $100,000 per year, along with bonuses, equity in Overtime Elite, and the opportunity to earn revenue from their name, image and likeness.

Participants also receive full health-care coverage and disability insurance. If they opt not to pursue a professional basketball career, Overtime Elite will guarantee payment of up to $100,000 for college tuition.

I can’t blame aspiring professional hoops players for joining Overtime Elite, or other professional leagues that result in them forgoing college.

That being said, I would like to see these young men finish high school, at a minimum, to have those once-in-a-lifetime experiences found there. If they subsequently go to college for one year, or not at all, that’s their right.

I applaud Wilcher for his decision. Zagoria put this quote from Wilcher up on Twitter, which was presumably in The Star-Ledger article, and it’s a great quote that speaks to Wilcher’s character.

"“Stuff like [the prom and the McDonald’s Game] matters. I know my family wants to see me walk across that stage in senior year when I graduate. Just doing regular high-school teenage things, those experiences matter and you can never get them back.”"

Sure, Wilcher is a stud on the court, and Orange Nation would be super lucky to have him don a ‘Cuse uniform down the road. By extension, his attitude and mentality on life are wonderful.

Competition for Syracuse basketball in this recruiting battle is already fierce. Wilcher holds scholarship offers and interest from heavyweights such as Ohio State, Oregon, Iowa, Kansas, Connecticut, Auburn, Illinois, Duke, Kentucky, Miami and UCLA.

In the end, I really hope that the Orange wins out for this fine young man. For Wilcher the player. And even more importantly, for Wilcher the person.