Syracuse basketball 4-star, 5-star targets are contenders for a national title

It’s highly likely that multiple Syracuse basketball recruiting targets will be playing for a high-school national championship later on this spring, according to recruiting analysts and other experts who cover the sport.

According to media reports, the eight-team field for the 2022 GEICO Nationals is expected to get unveiled in mid-March. This season-ending event, slated for March 31 through April 2 at the Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla., will determine a high-school national champion for the 2021-22 campaign.

In reading a variety of media reports about the upcoming GEICO Nationals, there seems to be a handful of independent basketball academies, prep-school teams and others realistically vying for the eight spots.

Unfortunately, one squad that many ‘Cuse fans are keeping a close eye on probably isn’t going to make the cut for 2022 GEICO Nationals.

The Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah, is deemed a top-15 group by some experts, but I don’t get the sense that this team is going to hear its name called for the 2022 GEICO Nationals.

One of the stand-outs on the Wasatch Academy roster is 2022 four-star small forward Chris Bunch, a senior at the Wasatch Academy who is committed to the Orange.

Several Syracuse basketball targets are likely to play in the GEICO Nationals.

According to reports, some high-school squads in significant contention for invites to the 2022 GEICO Nationals are the Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla., the Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., and the La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind.

Competing for the Montverde Academy are 2023 five-star forward Kwame Evans Jr. and 2024 five-star power forward Derik Queen. They both landed Orange scholarship offers last October.

One of the stars for the Oak Hill Academy is 2022 four-star guard Judah Mintz, who is taking an official visit to the Hill later this month and continues to see his national rankings climb.

The La Lumiere School, meanwhile, features crafty 2023 four-star point guard Aden Holloway, who picked up a ‘Cuse offer in the summer of 2019, according to recruiting services.

Mintz and Holloway, by the way, have recently put forth some tremendous performances in leading their teams to triumphs over elite competition.

For what it’s worth, another legit contender for the 2022 GEICO Nationals is the AZ Compass Prep School in Chandler, Ariz. Former Syracuse basketball recruiting prospect Chance Westry, a 2022 four-star guard who is committed to Auburn, plays for the AZ Compass Prep School.