Syracuse Basketball: Orange jumps into recruitment of fast-rising big man

A hot prospect in the 2024 recruiting cycle has earned an offer from Syracuse basketball, according to a media report.

Pro Insight director of scouting Andrew Slater recently tweeted out that Orange coaches have offered a scholarship to Yves Missi, a 6-foot-11 center in the 2024 class.

According to reports and comments from national analysts and scouts, Missi is a talented and underrated big man who is beginning to make his mark on a national scale.

He is a sophomore at the West Nottingham Academy in Colora, Md., and Missi runs on the grassroots basketball circuit with the Bronx, N.Y.-based PSA Cardinals, which is one of the best AAU squads around the country.

Syracuse basketball has gotten into the fray for big man Yves Missi.

According to media reports, recruiting services and Missi’s own Twitter page, his other scholarship offers include from UCLA, St. John’s, DePaul, Norfolk State and USC Upstate.

His UCLA offer came in mid-November. With the Bruins and the Orange having pledged scholarship offers to Missi, that’s saying something about his skill-set and talent.

UCLA went on a run to the Final Four this past spring, and the Bruins are currently a top-10 team in the 2021-22 campaign. I’d expect many more high-major offers to come in for Missi, whose stock is clearly rising.

As far as I can tell, the primary recruiting services don’t presently include Missi in their 2024 player rankings, although 247Sports has yet to publish its first set of ratings for this cycle.

Per this article, Prep Hoops has Missi placed as the No. 9 prospect in its 2024 rankings for the Maryland/Washington, D.C. region. I’m not a recruiting analyst, although it’s a safe bet to assume that Missi will get nationally rated at some point down the road.

I’m encouraged that Syracuse basketball coaches have begun targeting Missi early on in his recruiting process. Analysts and scouts rave about Missi’s length, which would absolutely fit in well within the Orange system, particularly the team’s zone defense.

Missi is agile, mobile and runs the court well for a prospect of his size. Experts say that he is strong at finishing around the basket, blocks shots with prowess, is a good rebounder and has intriguing defensive instincts.

We’ll obviously continue to provide updates on Missi’s recruitment moving forward.