Syracuse basketball should make run at 5-star guards back on the market

Two of the top guards in the junior class have elected to reopen their recruitments back up, and I’d love to see Syracuse basketball consider pursuing either or both of these five-star prospects.

On Saturday, both Robert Dillingham and Marvel Allen said via Twitter that they were de-committing from their respective future college squads.

The 6-foot-2 Dillingham, who attends the Donda Academy in Simi Valley, Calif., had committed to fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member N.C. State this past December, per 247Sports.

The 6-foot-4 Allen, out of the Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., pledged to LSU in mid-January, according to his bio on the 247Sports Web site. About a week ago, LSU fired its head coach, Will Wade.

Syracuse basketball could target two elite 2023 guards who have reopened their recruitments.

Per a review of various recruiting services, throughout his recruiting process, Allen has picked up scholarship offers from teams such as Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Memphis, Miami, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Penn State, Stanford, Arizona State, Maryland and Dayton.

Dillingham, meanwhile, reportedly committed to N.C. State over other finalists Kansas, Kentucky, LSU and Memphis. Besides those schools, he had offers from squads including Auburn, Clemson, DePaul, Florida, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Texas, Wake Forest and Wichita State.

A while ago, I did come across a few media reports suggesting that Orange coaches had reached out for Dillingham, but I never saw that the ‘Cuse formerly offered him.

On the AAU circuit, Dillingham has suited up for the Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Team Cp3, with one of his teammates there being Aden Holloway, a 2023 four-star point guard whom Syracuse basketball has offered.

In the 2023 cycle, Dillingham is ranked within the top-10 nationally according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, the On3 Consensus Ratings, 247Sports, On3, Rivals.com and ESPN.

He is also deemed either the No. 1 point guard or the No. 1 shooting guard in his class, according to several of the primary recruiting services.

Per the main recruiting services, Allen is a consensus top-30 prospect within the 2023 cycle, with some recruiting Web sites placing him in the top-20 across the country.

Rated either four stars or five stars, Allen is also generally viewed as a top-five prospect at his position in 2023, whether that’s point guard, shooting guard or combo guard.

We’ll of course continue to monitor whether Syracuse basketball coaches show interest in Allen, Dillingham or both of these stellar guards in the junior class.