Syracuse Basketball: Here’s why we think 2022 4-star wing will pick ‘Cuse
By Neil Adler
Syracuse basketball 2022 high-priority target Chris Bunch has three finalists and is expected to announce his collegiate destination on Halloween. So he’s got to choose the Orange, right?
All kidding aside, we’ll soon know whether the four-star wing is headed to the ‘Cuse, Mike Hopkins-led Washington or Rutgers. All three are strong contenders, but my gut says that the Orange might have the best shot at landing Bunch, who is a top-60 prospect across the country in his class, according to 247Sports.
To date, I haven’t seen predictions from national analysts and recruiting insiders on the 247Sports Web site and Rivals.com, so that’s something to monitor.
And as I always say, these projections have to get taken with a grain of salt. Plus, these recruiting processes can change rapidly and sometimes unpredictably. Still, I have a few thoughts on why I think that Bunch will select the ‘Cuse.
Breaking down the three contenders for Syracuse basketball target Chris Bunch.
First and foremost, I think it’s at least worth pointing out that the 6-foot-7 Bunch took two official visits to the Hill, whereas he made one trip each to Washington and Rutgers.
In a recent interview that he conducted with 247Sports national analyst Brandon Jenkins, Bunch said in part, “One of the more important things for me is winning.”
Now, Rutgers is a program on the rise in the rugged Big Ten Conference. Washington was bad a season ago, but Hopkins has had some success with the Huskies, and he’s a tremendous recruiter.
However, if we’re talking about the most accomplished program of the three, the Orange has to be at the top of the list. Even amid some regular-season struggles since joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2013-14, the ‘Cuse has still advanced to a Final Four and a couple of Sweet 16s.
"Regarding Syracuse basketball, Bunch said to Jenkins, “The big thing that sticks out to me about their program is Jim Boeheim. The greats he has coached and the history of great scoring wings coming out of there is their pitch for me. They want me to come in to have an immediate impact.”"
I have no idea how much longer Boeheim will roam the sidelines on the Hill, but if he’s the head coach for a few more stanzas, that has to be a strategic advantage as it pertains to securing a verbal commitment from Bunch.
The Orange presently has three commits in its 2022 cycle, and they are a four-star point guard, a four-star wing who is primarily a shooting guard, and a talented power forward/center.
Bunch, it seems, can probably suit up at multiple positions on the wing, although as a small forward, he would absolutely fit in well with the rest of the ‘Cuse 2022 class.
A senior at Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah, Bunch previously played for De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif. So being from the west coast could understandably make Washington attractive to Bunch.
But if I had to offer up a guess, I believe that Bunch will don a Syracuse basketball uniform down the road.