Syracuse Basketball: Top 2022 4-star target hosed by All-America teams

Syracuse basketball top 2022 recruiting target Judah Mintz didn’t receive inclusion on the newly released Naismith Trophy high-school All-America squads for the 2021-22 campaign, and in my humble opinion, that’s a bunch of nonsense.

Last weekend, we detailed the stellar senior year that the 6-foot-3 Mintz is having for the powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., with statistics provided by ESPN national recruiting director Paul Biancardi.

I came across a tweet from Pro Insight director of scouting Andrew Slater, which included the three Naismith Trophy All-America groups as well as 15 prospects in an honorable-mention category.

Mintz, unfortunately, is nowhere to be found. As we had previously noted, per Biancardi, the Syracuse basketball recruiting target was averaging 16.8 points per contest, which at that time had him in a tie for 4th place in the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference, a super league of independent basketball academies and other top-flight programs.

What’s more, Mintz was connecting on 50 percent from the field, 50 percent from beyond the arc, and 86 percent from the charity stripe for a top-10 Oak Hill Academy team.

Other Syracuse basketball recruiting prospects received All-America honors.

While the Naismith Trophy selections snubbed Mintz, a 2022 four-star guard who recently took an official visit to the Hill, his Oak Hill Academy teammate did get included.

Senior Chris Livingston, a 2022 five-star small forward who is committed to Kentucky, landed on the Naismith Trophy’s All-America second unit.

Included on the All-America third team are 2023 five-star point guard D.J. Wagner and 2022 four-star guard J.J. Starling, who is a Central New York native.

Wagner, ranked No. 1 in the junior class by a lot of recruiting services, attends Camden High School in Camden, N.J. The Orange offered him last August at the team’s annual Elite Camp.

Starling, a senior at the top-10 La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind., had the ‘Cuse among his five finalists before selecting Notre Dame last fall.

In the honorable-mention department are 2023 five-star power forward G.G. Jackson and 2024 five-star guard Ian Jackson. G.G. Jackson, a junior at Ridge View High School in Columbia, S.C., picked up an Orange offer in August of 2020, although media reports indicate the ‘Cuse isn’t a player in his recruitment.

Syracuse basketball coaches may be showing interest in Ian Jackson, who is a sophomore at Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, N.Y. Jackson, according to national analysts, could make a serious run at the No. 1 overall rating in his class.

The Orange has five commits to date in its 2022 cycle, and none of its signees made a Naismith Trophy All-America team for the 2021-22 season.

Getting back to Mintz, I can understand if he didn’t make one of the three All-America squads, given the competition. But considering the stanza that he’s having while facing off against elite opponents, an honorable-mention nod would have seemed appropriate.