Syracuse Basketball: 2022 4-star guard targets make moves in rankings

Two of the primary recruiting services recently updated their national rankings for the 2022 class, and we’re taking a look at where a pair of Syracuse basketball four-star targets reside in these new ratings.

Both of these Orange prospects, Central New York native J.J. Starling and Chance Westry, are consensus top-40 players within the 2022 cycle. Starling and Westry each is also a top-10 prospect at his respective position.

The 6-foot-4 Starling, listed as either a point guard or a shooting guard, is a senior at the powerhouse La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind. Syracuse basketball offered him a scholarship more than two years ago, and Starling is a high-priority target for the ‘Cuse in this cycle.

He made a sizable jump in ESPN’s latest 2022 rankings, coming in at No. 27 overall and No. 6 at shooting guard. Starling also climbed up the charts at Rivals.com, with a national rating of No. 40 and No. 8 at point guard.

Starling took a trip to Notre Dame earlier this month and was scheduled to make an official visit to the Hill from September 10-12, followed by visits to Northwestern on September 17-19, and to Duke on September 24-26.

Another Syracuse basketball four-star prospect is also highly ranked.

The 6-foot-5 Westry, a combo guard, also landed an offer from the ‘Cuse more than two years ago. He has a top 10 of Syracuse basketball, Mike Hopkins-led Washington, Maryland, Auburn, LSU, Connecticut, Southern California, Arizona State, Nebraska and DePaul.

The senior at Hillcrest Prep in Gilbert, Ariz., is No. 26 overall via Rivals.com, as well as the No. 6 point guard. Westry fell slightly in the updated 2022 national ratings from Rivals.com.

Over at ESPN, he is No. 32 across the country within his class, as well as the No. 6 point guard.

Earlier in the summer, Westry took an official visit to the Orange, along with trips to several other teams. As we noted in a recent column, Westry has planned an official visit to Southern California from September 24-26, according to college basketball insider Adam Zagoria.

As I’ve said on a couple of occasions lately, I think that Syracuse basketball is a long-shot with Westry. Competition for him and Starling is intense.

Given Starling’s connections to Central New York, I believe that the ‘Cuse has a decent shot with him. Duke is obviously a formidable adversary, and his other suitors are excellent, too.