Syracuse Basketball: New big-man commit to be ‘versatile weapon’ in zone

Syracuse basketball has seen the size of its 2022 class grow to four verbal commits after a pair of big men recently elected to don an Orange uniform in the future.

First up was the talented and under-rated Peter Carey, who in late September picked the ‘Cuse a few days after he took an official visit to the Hill.

The 7-foot power forward/center, a senior at Northfield Mount Hermon School in Mount Hermon, Mass., had other scholarship offers from the likes of Rutgers, St. Bonaventure, Iona, UMass, Bryant, Brown and Albany.

Then, this past weekend, three-star power forward Maliq Brown from Virginia said on Twitter that he would also suit up for the Orange in about a year’s time.

The 6-foot-9 Brown, a senior at the Blue Ridge School in St. George, Va., selected the ‘Cuse over four other finalists, which were Georgetown, Penn State, Virginia Tech and N.C. State.

Syracuse basketball has two excellent big men in its 2022 cycle.

We recently documented in a column some of the terrific skill-sets that Carey possesses, and now we’re doing to do the same thing as it pertains to Brown, who is a top-30 power forward in the 2022 class, according to Rivals.com.

According to comments from several analysts and scouts, Brown is an athletic, active and physical big man who has a long wingspan and should thrive in the Orange system.

ESPN scout/recruiting analyst Adam Finkelstein had some encouraging things to say about Brown in separate posts on Instagram and Twitter.

Finkelstein says that Brown is agile and has a high motor, he boasts “lots of defensive tools,” he has good hands, and he has the “potential to drive less mobile bigs.”

Finkelstein also said that he thinks Brown will prove a “versatile weapon” within the Syracuse basketball trademark 2-3 zone defense, which I love hearing.

It’s no secret that the ‘Cuse has had some struggles at the center position in recent years. Carey’s stock is rising fast, and I think he could be a wonderful asset at the center spot.

As far as Brown is concerned, he’s a physical prospect who I would expect to be a multi-year player in Central New York. He may not be as highly rated as other power forwards in the 2022 cycle, however, I am confident that he will fit in nicely with the Orange.

After the 2021-22 campaign culminates, Bourama Sidibe will have used up his eligibility, as will have Jimmy Boeheim. Jesse Edwards will be a senior, Frank Anselem will be a junior and John Bol Ajak will be a redshirt junior.

So for Syracuse basketball to score two promising big men in its 2022 class, coupled with a four-star point guard and a four-star wing, is an excellent development.