Syracuse Basketball: Lately, things seem super quiet with 2023 recruiting

Syracuse basketball has offered scholarships to around 15 prospects in the 2023 class, according to recruiting services, media reports and social-media posts from these players themselves.

I have to say, it’s really tough to gauge which, if any, of these high-school prospects the Orange is currently recruiting hard (i.e., prioritizing). Now, in all fairness, the ‘Cuse just wrapped up its 2021-22 campaign, a lackluster one at that, and the current high-school season is winding down, but not completely over, for some teams around the country.

Come this spring and then into the summer, AAU events will kick into high gear. You’ll see 2023 players taking official visits. And perhaps we’ll start to get a better idea of which 2023 prospects the Orange has a legit shot at landing.

Since I’m a ‘Cuse fan (a fanatic, if I may), rather than a beat reporter or a recruiting analyst, I rely on recruiting services, media reports, interviews given by high-school players and other sources to gather information and provide some context for my fellow Orange fans.

As I mentioned at the onset, when it comes to Syracuse basketball and the 2023 recruiting cycle, your guess is as good as mine at this juncture.

Hopefully, activity will pick up soon for Syracuse basketball as it relates to 2023 recruiting efforts.

This is solely my personal opinion, but the two 2023 players who perhaps Syracuse basketball might have the best chance at picking up are four-star shooting guard Reid Ducharme, a junior at the Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H., and underrated power forward/center Joseph Estrella, a junior at South Portland High School in South Portland, Maine.

In recent months, reports did come out saying that the Orange was among the teams recruiting Estrella the hardest, while at least two articles did say that the ‘Cuse had been in consistent communication with Ducharme, and he was eyeing a visit to Central New York.

For me, I’d feel a whole lot better if those two 2023 players, and others with Syracuse basketball offers, revealed that they were making official visits to the Hill in the near future. That’s always a good indication of at least some solid level of mutual interest among the Orange and a particular prospect.

Other 2023 guys who have received offers include four-star power forward/center Papa Kante, four-star wing Gavin Griffiths, four-star point guard Aden Holloway, four-star wing Spencer Mahoney, five-star point guard D.J. Wagner, five-star forward Kwame Evans Jr., five-star small forward Justin Edwards, five-star power forward G.G. Jackson, five-star guard/wing Matas Buzelis, five-star wing Elijah Fisher, four-star power forward/center Isaiah Miranda, four-star shooting guard Blue Cain and four-star center Ugonna Kingsley.

Kingsley was just offered by Syracuse basketball in February. In media reports I’ve come across of late, I haven’t seen many mentions of the Orange as it pertains to the other 2023 players noted directly above. I read one story that noted the ‘Cuse in Griffiths’ recruitment, but not much else.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that Syracuse basketball is out of the running for the entirety of these prospects. However, I’d be really surprised if the Orange ends up landing Wagner, Evans, Edwards, Jackson, Miranda, Cain, Kante, Buzelis or Fisher.

The other wild card here is ‘Cuse head coach Jim Boeheim. He is coming back for the 2022-23 campaign, but beyond that, we’ll have to wait and see. Boeheim said not too long ago that he knows when he will retire and a succession plan is in place.

If he happens to hang up his whistle after the 2022-23 stanza, that could certainly impact, one way or another, what transpires for Syracuse basketball with its recruiting initiatives in the 2023 class.

Since I don’t have inside information, I could be overreacting here. It just seems like there was more buzz surrounding the ‘Cuse and 2022 recruiting targets around the same time a year ago. I’m eager for similar momentum to occur with Syracuse basketball and 2023 recruiting prospects sooner rather than later.