Syracuse Basketball: New commit praises SU coaches, fans, hoops energy

In a range of interviews, new Syracuse basketball 2022 commit Chris Bunch shared a variety of reasons as to why he picked the Orange over other finalists Washington, which is led by head coach Mike Hopkins, and Rutgers.

The 6-foot-7 Bunch, a four-star prospect ranked in the top-60 overall within his class by 247Sports, dished out a lot of praise to head coach Jim Boeheim and his three assistants, Adrian Autry, Allen Griffin and Gerry McNamara.

Bunch, a senior at the powerhouse Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah, took two official visits to the Hill. One trip was over the summer, and the second one was more recently, after students were back on campus.

"He told Mike Waters of Syracuse.com that his second official visit was particularly important to his ultimate decision. “I’d definitely say the fans, the atmosphere, and being on campus made a complete difference. I got to talk to a lot of people. I saw how they’re handling the NIL stuff. It made a difference to see the campus a second time with everyone there.”"

Syracuse basketball has landed a fifth 2022 prospect in four-star Chris Bunch.

Throughout his recruiting process, Bunch received more than 20 scholarship offers from a range of high-major teams. The Orange offered him in the spring of 2020, and by all accounts, ‘Cuse coaches made Bunch a priority target in the 2022 cycle for a long period of time.

"In an interview with 247Sports national analyst Brandon Jenkins, Bunch said that the “family aspect of the (Orange) program also stood out. My parents, my trainer, and I loved it. Playing for a legendary coach in Coach Boeheim will give me the opportunity to listen, learn, and get better.”"

From what I can tell, based on many interviews given by Bunch that I’ve read dating back to last year, he is a confident young man, but he’s also a humble, hard-working young man.

After his verbal commitment to the ‘Cuse, Bunch noted in several interviews that education is important to him and his family, and that also proved a determining factor in why he selected Syracuse basketball.

Ultimately, as he said to Jenkins, “the fans and the atmosphere made me feel like going to Syracuse would give me a different feeling than if I went anywhere else.”

Love it. Welcome to Orange Nation, Chris.