Syracuse Basketball: 4-star target ‘most underrated player in the country’

Ever since Syracuse basketball began recruiting 2023 four-star guard Blue Cain earlier this year, I’ve read an abundance of articles that speak to Cain being an under-rated prospect across the country, as well as one of the premier bucket-getters nationwide regardless of class designation.

The bucket-getter description certainly makes sense. As we noted in a column a few months back, the 6-foot-4 shooting guard once scored 73 points in a game, which is pretty absurd (in a good way).

Cain, who is about to enter his junior year of high school, is starting to make more of a name for himself on a national scale. According to more than one national recruiting analyst, Cain has performed quite well on the AAU circuit this summer.

College coaches are now able to communicate directly with 2023 prospects. These coaches also have been able to watch high-school players in person throughout several live periods in recent months.

Both of these developments will benefit high-school recruits around the nation, and Cain is absolutely one of them. His recruitment is picking up steam, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if the blue-blood programs come calling.

Plus, as recruiting services update their national rankings for the 2023 cycle, I’ve been saying for a while now that I could envision Cain entering the top-50 overall in his class. He’s simply that talented.

Syracuse basketball has gotten in early on with 2023 four-star guard Blue Cain.

According to Cain’s Twitter page, the Orange offered him this past February. Other offers that I’ve seen doled out to him include from Virginia Tech, Tennessee, South Carolina, Belmont, Howard and ETSU.

A recently published article by Jason Jordan, the director of basketball recruiting for Sports Illustrated, notes that additional teams such as Virginia, Florida, Butler, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech and George Washington have either offered Cain, or are showing interest in him.

Cain attends Knoxville Catholic High School in Knoxville, Tenn., and he suits up for the Knoxville-based B. Maze Elite in AAU competitions. For now, Cain checks in as four stars and No. 81 overall in his cycle, according to Rivals.com. Quick update: Rivals.com updated its 2023 class rankings this past Friday, and Cain is No. 62 nationally.

National analysts note that Cain is a versatile play-maker who is athletic, creative, crafty and hard-working. He excels in transition, has strong court vision, and can score effectively at all three levels.

In Jordan’s piece, B. Maze Elite founder Bobby Maze said that by enhancing his jump-shot from the perimeter, Cain is “impossible to guard.”

"Maze added in part about the Syracuse basketball 2023 target, “I believe he’s the most underrated player in the country.”"