Syracuse Basketball: ESPN networks will air games featuring 5-star targets

Numerous Syracuse basketball recruiting prospects and their teammates will suit up in enticing contests in the near future that will get televised by ESPN networks.

ESPN recently announced via a press release the schedule for its 2021-22 GEICO showcase, which will include a ton of nationally ranked players in the 2022, 2023 and 2024 recruiting cycles.

Among the teams that will receive television coverage in this showcase are Camden High School in Camden, N.J., the Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla., the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., the AZ Compass Prep School in Chandler, Ariz., Prolific Prep in Napa Valley, Calif., and the Wilbraham & Monson Academy in Wilbraham, Mass.

As we’ll detail below, a bunch of current and former ‘Cuse targets play for these elite prep-school and traditional high-school squads.

Let’s review some of the Syracuse basketball prospects on these teams.

Camden High School will contend for the title of top public high school during the 2021-22 stanza, and its roster is led by 2023 five-star point guard D.J. Wagner.

Wagner, the consensus No. 1 junior according to recruiting services, picked up an offer from Orange coaches this past August at the team’s annual Elite Camp.

Camden High School will compete in several intriguing games that ESPN channels will air, including one on Friday, Dec. 17, at 5 pm. In this game, to be televised on ESPNU, Camden High School will take on another excellent squad from the state of New Jersey, Roselle Catholic High School in Roselle, N.J.

One of the stars for Roselle Catholic High School is 2023 five-star combo guard Simeon Wilcher, who was a ‘Cuse recruiting target until he recently committed to North Carolina.

In another juicy match-up, two perennial prep-school heavyweights will go toe to toe as the IMG Academy and the Montverde Academy face off on Monday, Jan. 17, at 3 pm on ESPNU.

Two Syracuse basketball targets from Baltimore, 2023 five-star forward Kwame Evans Jr. and 2024 five-star power forward Derik Queen, play for the Montverde Academy. They were each offered by the Orange in October.

Meanwhile, the IMG Academy’s post-grad team features ‘Cuse 2022 four-star commits Justin Taylor, a shooting guard, and Quadir Copeland, a point guard.

Two Syracuse basketball long-time targets in the 2022 class who opted for other squads will lead their respective teams in a game that will air on ESPN2 beginning at 9 pm on Sunday, Jan. 16.

In this contest, the highly ranked AZ Compass Prep School will play against another strong group, the La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind.

Chance Westry, a four-star guard who had the Orange in his top 10 before committing to Auburn, plays for the AZ Compass Prep School. And Central New York native J.J. Starling, a four-star guard who had Syracuse basketball in his top five before picking Notre Dame, is a member of the La Lumiere School line-up.