Syracuse Basketball: 4-star big man, a top SU target, hauls in huge offers

According to recent media reports, Syracuse basketball is expected to land a visit from 2023 four-star big man Papa Kante at some point, and Orange coaches appeared to have made him a top priority in this recruiting cycle.

That’s the good news. The bad news, if you want to call it that, is the top-100 Kante continues to see his list of scholarship offers grow, which means the ‘Cuse will only face a greater challenge if it wants to win out for the 6-foot-10 power forward/center.

For example, one of Kante’s more recent offers came from Michigan, according to various reports, including a tweet from Pro Insight director of scouting Andrew Slater.

The Wolverines, in my opinion, will prove a tough team for Syracuse basketball to overcome. Michigan has been one of the best squads in the rugged Big Ten Conference in recent years, the Wolverines recruit at an elite level, and Michigan is stellar at developing big men.

Syracuse basketball, hopefully, will emerge as a significant contender for four-star Papa Kante.

His recruitment likely has a way to go, but the junior at the South Kent School in South Kent, Conn., already has offers from teams including Tennessee, Kansas, Providence, Georgetown, Miami, Pittsburgh, Georgia, Rutgers, TCU, UMass, East Carolina, Bryant and Siena.

Kante has taken trips to Connecticut, Providence and Rutgers. Per a recent story from 247Sports national analyst Dushawn London, Kante also plans to visit Syracuse basketball, Tennessee, Kansas, Michigan State and Pittsburgh.

Those are a lot of excellent groups vying for Kante. Kansas is a blue-blood program, and Michigan State is another Big Ten juggernaut. UConn recruits well and is Kante’s home-state school. I’ve also seen some reports suggesting that another recruiting giant, Memphis, is showing interest in Kante.

The Orange is among a handful of college teams that seem to be recruiting Kante the hardest. He was offered by ‘Cuse coaches this past August at the Orange’s annual Elite Camp.

When I penned this column, Kante was ranked just inside the top 100 by the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. He’s also one of the premier centers across the country in this recruiting cycle.

To date, I haven’t seen any predictions from recruiting insiders on the 247Sports Web site or Rivals.com as to a possible collegiate destination for Kante.

It will be important for Syracuse basketball to get him on campus for an official visit. The competition is only going to intensify for the ‘Cuse as Kante’s recruitment carries onward.