Syracuse Basketball: 4-star commit struggles in rout by J.J. Starling’s team

A Syracuse basketball 2022 four-star commit and multiple top-flight targets across several recruiting cycles just wrapped up their play in the Bob Kirk Invitational Showcase at Allegany College of Maryland in Cumberland, Md.

This event kicked off competition during the 2021-22 campaign for teams that are part of the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference, a super league of sorts featuring premier prep-school groups from around the country.

In one contest, Orange 2022 pledge Chris Bunch, a four-star wing and a top-60 prospect according to 247Sports, suited up against former ‘Cuse 2022 recruiting target J.J. Starling, a Central New York native and a four-star guard.

Bunch, a senior at the Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah, picked Syracuse basketball in October over Mike Hopkins-led Washington and Rutgers.

Starling, a senior at the La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind., had the Orange in his top five before deciding to attend Notre Dame.

J.J. Starling got the better of Syracuse basketball commit Chris Bunch.

In this intriguing battle, the La Lumiere School crushed the Wasatch Academy by a final count of 86-57, according to media reports. Starling put forth a nice performance in helping guide the La Lumiere School to victory.

In 26 minutes of court time, Starling tallied 15 points, six rebounds and four assists. He connected on a solid 6-of-12 from the field, including 3-of-8 from beyond the arc.

Bunch, unfortunately, didn’t fare as well in his squad’s blowout loss. He earned 21 minutes of run, although Bunch only collected three points and three boards.

National recruiting analysts and scouts have praised Bunch for being one of the best outside shooters in the 2022 class, but against the La Lumiere School, Bunch was just 1-of-10 from the field as a whole, and he hit on only 1-of-5 from 3-point land.

In this lopsided affair, Roddy Gayle Jr. paced the Wasatch Academy with 19 points. Gayle, a 2022 four-star shooting guard, had the ‘Cuse among his half-dozen finalists before choosing Ohio State last year.

By the way, as we noted in another recent column, the latest top-20 national rankings from MaxPreps placed the La Lumiere School at No. 7 and the Wasatch Academy at No. 11.

I’m sure some of my fellow Syracuse basketball fanatics will see this result and have some concern regarding Bunch, but let’s be real. It’s one game, and he was squaring off versus one of the country’s top prep-school teams.