Syracuse basketball 5-star target, No. 1 junior, to debut on ESPNU in battle

Syracuse basketball five-star recruiting target D.J. Wagner, who was offered by Orange coaches over the summer, will kick off his 2021-22 campaign this Friday night on a national broadcast.

The 6-foot-3 Wagner, an elite point guard and the consensus No. 1 prospect in the 2023 class, is one of the stand-outs for Camden High School in Camden, N.J.

Camden High School’s first game of the 2021-22 stanza will commence at 5 pm on December 17, at home, against Roselle Catholic High School in Roselle, N.J. This intriguing match-up will air on ESPNU as part of the ESPN high school basketball showcase of televised games for 2021-22.

One of the stars for Roselle Catholic High School, by the way, is 2023 five-star combo guard Simeon Wilcher, who reportedly had a good amount of interest in the ‘Cuse but ultimately committed to fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member North Carolina.

Syracuse basketball five-star prospect D.J. Wagner is a pre-season All-American.

Wagner is not only the No. 1 player in the 2023 cycle, but he’s also one of the best prospects nationwide regardless of class designation. He had a stellar sophomore stint, and, ahead of his junior term, Wagner was named to the MaxPreps pre-season All-America first team.

Among traditional prep schools and public high schools, Camden High School is expected to be among the premier groups around the country this season. For one, Camden High School is riding a 38-game winning streak.

In his latest top-25 national ratings of teams that compete for state championships (rather than independent academies), MaxPreps national basketball editor Jordan Divens had Camden High School at No. 2 and Roselle Catholic High School at No. 12.

Syracuse basketball coaches offered a scholarship to Wagner this past August at the Orange’s annual Elite Camp. I imagine that it will prove quite challenging for the ‘Cuse to prevail in Wagner’s recruitment, particularly since recruiting juggernauts such as Kentucky and Memphis are receiving buzz for him from some national analysts.

However, as I always like to say, the Orange can’t win out for a top-flight player unless the team offers him first. Besides Roselle Catholic High School, other excellent squads that Camden High School will square off against include the Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, Calif., Milton High School in Milton, Ga., the Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Gill St. Bernard’s School in Gladstone, N.J.