Syracuse Basketball: Brewster 5-star target trending toward No. 1 ranking

Syracuse basketball 2023 five-star target Matas Buzelis has made one of the biggest jumps in a recent national refresh from one of the primary recruiting services.

The 6-foot-10 Buzelis, who can suit up at both guard positions and on the wing, leaped from No. 43 overall to No. 4 across the country within his class, according to new national rankings from 247Sports.

His climb of 39 placements in the recently updated 247Sports ratings represented one of the biggest gains throughout the entire 2023 cycle.

Buzelis is a junior at the powerhouse Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H., which has sent numerous guys to the Hill over the years. The Orange coaching staff offered a scholarship to him last November, well before Buzelis’ stock absolutely blew up.

Syracuse basketball faces heated competition for five-star prospect Matas Buzelis.

Even though Buzelis has soared into the top-five overall according to 247Sports, and he’s No. 10 nationally per ESPN, he may not be done in this regard, some recruiting analysts say.

The sense that I’m getting is Buzelis, should he continue to shine at the Brewster Academy and in AAU competitions, could seriously contend for the No. 1 overall ranking in the 2023 class.

In fact, as 247Sports released its new 2023 national ratings, that recruiting service published a couple of accompanying pieces where various 247Sports analysts discussed players in this cycle who might be in the mix for the No. 1 spot.

"Buzelis’ name absolutely came up. More than once, in fact. Said Eric Bossi, the national basketball director for 247Sports, in one article: “Standing nearly 6-foot-10, he’s as skilled of a wing as you will find and his size, handling, shot making and passing make him a serious mismatch. He needs to get stronger, there’s no disputing that, but he isn’t soft and I love his killer mentality.”"

Syracuse basketball coaches, not too long ago, made a trip to the Brewster Academy to visit with Buzelis and some of his teammates, which is encouraging, and I’d love to see him take a visit to the ‘Cuse.

However, Buzelis has offers and interest from all the blue-blood programs, as well as a ton of other recruiting heavyweights at the collegiate level.

Among the giants that have either offered Buzelis, or have interest in him, are North Carolina, Kansas, Florida State, Duke, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio State, Illinois, Florida, Purdue, Oklahoma, Arizona, UCLA, Maryland and Connecticut, along with many, many more.

Buzelis could be in line to ascend to the top position in the 2023 class, which would prove a cool accomplishment for him. I sincerely hope that the Orange emerges as a significant contender in his recruitment.