Syracuse Basketball: 5-star targets’ teams highly ranked in national poll

MaxPreps has unveiled its pre-season top-25 rankings ahead of the 2021-22 campaign, and multiple teams feature rosters that include Syracuse basketball four-star and five-star recruiting targets.

Jordan Divens, the national basketball editor for MaxPreps, says that these ratings are for traditional high schools. MaxPreps has a separate set of pre-season national rankings for independent and academy programs, including powerhouse prep-school teams that often bring in many of the nation’s top prospects year after year.

For the top-25 poll focused on traditional high schools, some of those that made the cut and have ‘Cuse connections are Camden High School in Camden, N.J., the Imhotep Institute Charter High School in Philadelphia, and Knoxville Catholic High School in Knoxville, Tenn.

The No. 1 squad in this pre-season ballot, by the way, is the Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, Calif. Chance Westry, a 2022 four-star guard and former Orange target who is headed to Auburn, used to play for the Sierra Canyon School.

Syracuse basketball prospects are competing for stellar high-school squads.

Camden High School, at No. 4 in the MaxPreps ratings, is led by 2023 five-star point guard D.J. Wagner, who was offered by the Orange at the team’s annual Elite Camp this past August. Wagner is the consensus No. 1 junior, and Camden High School is riding a 38-game success streak, according to Divens.

The Imhotep Institute Charter High School is No. 16. Its loaded line-up includes 2023 five-star wing Justin Edwards, who received a scholarship offer from the ‘Cuse over the summer.

Edwards just made the largest leap in recently refreshed 2023 rankings from 247Sports, and he’s a top-10 prospect in this cycle according to other recruiting services.

Knoxville Catholic High School is No. 22. One of its star players is 2023 four-star guard Blue Cain, who reportedly has an offer from Syracuse basketball, according to his bio on some recruiting Web sites.

I’ve got two other high schools to mention. One is Roselle Catholic High School in Roselle, N.J., which checks in at No. 15. Its roster is led by 2023 five-star combo guard Simeon Wilcher, who was a ‘Cuse target until he recently gave a verbal commitment to North Carolina.

Slightly outside the MaxPreps top 25 is St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C., which got placed at No. 29. On this team’s roster is 2024 four-star forward Donnie Freeman, who also picked up an Orange offer at the squad’s recent Elite Camp.