Syracuse basketball, in recent years, has certainly seen a dip in its recruiting rankings on a national scale, due in part to NCAA sanctions and other factors that have been well-documented.
But for my money, the Orange’s recruiting efforts are trending in a positive direction, and the ‘Cuse seems to have a bright future ahead, even after legendary head coach Jim Boeheim retires.
But for now, Boeheim has gone on record that he will coach the Orange at least through next year, despite the fact that graduate student forward Jimmy Boeheim, and likely also senior shooting guard Buddy Boeheim, will have culminated their ‘Cuse careers.
For its one-member 2021 cycle, the Orange brought in a five-star recruit in current freshman forward Benny Williams. And Jim Boeheim is feeling super optimistic about the team’s 2022 class, which features five strong high-school prospects.
Let’s see where the Syracuse basketball 2022 cycle rates in the ACC.
As the early-signing period is upon us for high-school players, 247Sports national analyst Jerry Meyer took a deep dive on the 2022 classes of Atlantic Coast Conference squads.
For now, the ‘Cuse 2022 cycle checks in at No. 4 within the conference, trailing only No. 1 Duke, No. 2 North Carolina and No. 3 Virginia.
As 2022 players commence their senior seasons, the rankings of prospects in this class could certainly ebb and flow throughout the next few months.
That, in turn, means that the Syracuse basketball 2022 cycle could certainly fluctuate. From my perspective, to be in the ACC’s top four is saying something about the job that Orange coaches did with this class.
It’s true that the Syracuse basketball 2022 cycle doesn’t include a five-star prospect, at least for the time being. To that, I respond, so what?
These five players cover every position on the floor, and some of them already have suited up together in high school, which means their chemistry should prove excellent when they arrive on the Hill.
Four-star small forward Chris Bunch is in the top-60 overall, per 247Sports. Four-star shooting guard Justin Taylor is in the top-65 across the country, according to Rivals.com.
Rivals.com has point guard Quadir Copeland as four stars and in the top 90. Three-star Maliq Brown is a top-30 power forward, according to Rivals.com.
Finally, three-star power forward/center Peter Carey is in the top-15 regionally in New England, and he’s vastly under-rated on a national basis.
Regardless of what the rankings do or don’t say, the Orange 2022 class is legit. Boeheim says it’s under-rated. And I agree with him.