Syracuse Basketball: New rankings situate big-man target at No. 1 in state

In August, at the team’s annual Elite Camp, Syracuse basketball coaches offered scholarships to multiple prospects in the 2023 and 2024 recruiting cycles.

One of those offers went out to 2023 big man Joseph Estrella, who seems to be flying under the radar as far as national rankings go. However, my sense is that the 6-foot-10 power forward is on the verge of seeing his recruiting stock skyrocket.

Estrella is a junior at South Portland High School in South Portland, Maine, and he competes on the grassroots basketball circuit with the Middlesex Magic, which is one of the premier AAU squads in the New England region.

Because Estrella doesn’t seem to have bios on the primary recruiting Web sites, at least for the time being, I’m not sure if he has brought in other offers beyond the one from the ‘Cuse. But make no mistake, other high-major suitors are going to come calling.

Syracuse basketball 2023 target Joseph Estrella is excellent at protecting the rim.

The New England Recruiting Report recently published a host of new rankings for the 2023 cycle, and I’m pleased to say that Estrella is prominently featured.

For one, he is rated the No. 1 prospect in the state of Maine within his class, according to newenglandrecruitingreport.com. Additionally, within the talent-rich New England area as a whole, Estrella checks in at No. 10 overall.

"When the New England Recruiting Report rolled out its Maine 2023 ratings, it had this to say about Estrella. “Sitting atop the list is South Portland’s JP Estrella who has continued to grow and develop his game at every step along the path throughout the first half of his high school career, and now appears on the verge of a true breakout following his recent offer from Syracuse.”"

I couldn’t agree more. As I’ve written about a bunch of late, Orange coaches, to their credit, do a tremendous job of identifying players in their early years of high school, before their national rankings absolutely soar.

This has proven the case with a boatload of prospects across various recruiting cycles in recent years whom the ‘Cuse has offered, and I believe that this pattern will transpire during Estrella’s recruiting process.

If I were a betting man, I would say that I have supreme confidence in Estrella evolving into a four-star, top-100 player within the 2023 cycle when all is said and done.

He’s an athletic, long and versatile big man who has a strong offensive skill-set, including a nice shooting stroke. His prowess for blocking shots and rebounding with authority would make him a fabulous fit for the Orange’s trademark 2-3 zone.