Syracuse Basketball: Stellar big-man recruit to mighty Brewster Academy

Earlier this month, Syracuse basketball 2023 recruiting target Joseph Estrella helped lead his high-school team in Maine to its first state championship in three decades.

Now the talented and vastly underrated big man is moving on to one of the country’s premier prep-school programs. The 6-foot-10 Estrella, a power forward/center, said on Twitter that his “next chapter” will be at the Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H.

The Brewster Academy program is one of the finest around the country, and over the years several of its players have suited up for the Orange, including Buddy Boeheim, C.J. Fair and Chris McCullough, among others.

First and foremost, a huge congrats to Estrella, whom I have every confidence will shine at the Brewster Academy during the 2022-23 season.

Syracuse basketball got into the mix for big man Joseph Estrella last summer.

In late January, SyracuseOnSI publisher Mike McAllister put out a piece noting that the ‘Cuse was among the college squads recruiting Estrella the hardest, and I’m hopeful that Orange coaches will keep on prioritizing him in the 2023 class.

In early March, Estrella capped off a stellar junior term by tallying 19 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks, as South Portland High School (21-1) in South Portland, Maine, defeated Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School in South Paris, Maine, by a count of 58-44 to capture the Class AA state title.

By prevailing over Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School from the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, Maine, South Portland High School claimed its first state championship since 1992, according to a story from Steve Craig, a staff writer for the Portland Press Herald.

Syracuse basketball coaches offered a scholarship to Estrella this past August at the Orange’s annual Elite Camp. Since that time, I’ve come across several interviews given by Estrella in which he has said positive things about the ‘Cuse program.

According to recruiting services and Estrella’s own Twitter page, some of his more recent offers have arrived from Maine, Penn State and Marquette.

Other offers have come from the likes of Xavier, Boston College, Iowa, Providence, Tennessee and Harvard. Duke, Kansas and Notre Dame have reportedly shown interest in Estrella, too.

While I’m not a recruiting analyst, I’ve said for a while now that I believe Estrella will enter the 2023 national rankings at some point, as he definitely looks like a four-star, top-100 prospect to me.

Estrella, who has competed for the Middlesex Magic on the AAU circuit, is placed at No. 1 in the state of Maine and No. 10 in New England within the 2023 cycle, according to the New England Recruiting Report.

I don’t know what his timetable is for a commitment decision, but I will say this. Playing at the Brewster Academy will undeniably increase the exposure for Estrella, and I could certainly see more big-time offers head his way.

That might mean increased competition as Syracuse basketball seeks to prevail in his recruitment. Then again, the Orange does have a solid history of picking up Brewster Academy players.

For what it’s worth, I believe that the ‘Cuse coaching staff has offered at least two other Brewster Academy guys in the 2023 class, and they are five-star guard/wing Matas Buzelis and four-star guard Reid Ducharme.