Syracuse basketball 4-star commit on how he almost chose Mike Hopkins

It seems as though the recruiting battle over 2022 four-star wing Chris Bunch ultimately came down to Syracuse basketball and Mike Hopkins-led Washington, according to a media report.

Last October, the 6-foot-7 Bunch verbally committed to the Orange, and he later signed his national letter of intent to suit up for the ‘Cuse.

At the time of his verbal commitment, his three finalists were the Orange, Washington and Rutgers. Bunch, a top-60 prospect in the 2022 cycle according to some recruiting services, obtained more than 20 scholarship offers throughout his recruitment.

Rob Cassidy, the basketball recruiting director for Rivals.com, recently published a really interesting piece in which he talked with some high-school prospects to ask them which college squad finished second in their recruiting processes. A response from Bunch is included in this article.

Syracuse basketball signee Chris Bunch discusses Mike Hopkins.

"According to the Rivals.com story, Washington finished second in Bunch’s recruitment. Here’s a quote from him. “I was definitely really interested in Washington. I really liked coach (Mike Hopkins). I was actually going to commit there. I was thinking hard about it, but things changed overnight.”"

Now, I’m not a recruiting analyst, nor am I in Bunch’s inner circle. So I don’t know what occurred “overnight” that may have swayed Bunch from committing to Washington to then, in fact, committing to the ‘Cuse.

It’s really fascinating to think about, though, especially considering that Hopkins has been known as a top-notch recruiter and was a long-time assistant on head coach Jim Boeheim’s staff before leaving to lead the Huskies beginning with the 2017–18 stanza.

As we’ve noted in prior columns on Bunch, he was offered by both Syracuse basketball and Rutgers in April of 2020. Washington, which I acknowledge has struggled on the court the last few years, offered Bunch in August of 2021.

Even though Hopkins and his Huskies assistants offered Bunch much later on his recruitment, I had a gut feeling that Washington could emerge as a serious contender for this talented 2022 wing, and that proved true.

In the end, however, the Orange prevailed. Bunch, at present, is the highest-rated commit for the ‘Cuse in its five-member 2022 class, with 247Sports recently placing him at No. 55 overall and No. 16 at small forward when that recruiting service refreshed its national ratings for this cycle.

He is a senior at the Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah.