Syracuse Basketball: New 5-star target’s team is No. 1 in pre-season poll

D.J. Wagner, a 2023 five-star point guard, is the consensus No. 1 high-school prospect in his class, and he recently picked up a scholarship offer from Syracuse basketball.

The 6-foot-3 Wagner, who heads into his junior campaign, will also suit up in the coming months for the country’s top-ranked high-school team, at least according to one pre-season poll.

Samad Hines recently published his pre-season top-25 national rankings of the best public high-school squads around the country ahead of the 2021-22 term, and checking in at No. 1 is Camden High School in Camden, N.J.

Wagner, who recently landed his ‘Cuse offer during the Orange’s annual Elite Camp, plays for Camden High School. He is the No. 1 point guard in his cycle, as well as the No. 1 prospect in New Jersey.

Hines also recently unveiled an updated pre-season top-25 poll that included both prep-school teams and public high-school groups, and Camden High School arrived at No. 14 in that ballot.

Other Syracuse basketball five-star prospects will suit up for stellar high-school squads.

In Hines’ top-25 poll of only public high-school teams, there are two other squads in this ballot whose rosters include 2023 players who hold offers from the Orange.

Justin Edwards competes for Imhotep Institute Charter High School in Philadelphia, which is No. 7 in this pre-season poll. And G.G. Jackson attends Ridge View High School in Columbia, S.C., which is No. 24 in these top-25 ratings.

The five-star Edwards, a 6-foot-7 small forward, received a ‘Cuse offer in mid-July. When Rivals.com recently updated its national rankings of the top-150 prospects within the 2023 class, Edwards moved up to No. 8 overall, an increase of 13 spots.

The 6-foot-8 Jackson, a five-star power forward, has climbed to No. 10 nationally, an improvement of 10 positions, according to Rivals.com. In August of 2020, Jackson acquired an offer from Syracuse basketball, and it was his first offer from a college team.

Getting back to Wagner, according to his bio on Rivals.com, he has offers from the Orange, Villanova, Temple and Kentucky. Wagner also is garnering interest from a range of teams, including heavyweights like Duke, Gonzaga and Michigan.

Wagner’s father suited up for Kentucky head coach John Calipari at Memphis, and Kentucky has received a bunch of predictions from national analysts as it pertains to Wagner’s ultimate collegiate destination.