In his senior season for the powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., new Syracuse basketball 2022 four-star commit Judah Mintz was among the scoring leaders for the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (“NIBC”), a super league of sorts featuring some of the country’s premier independent basketball academies and prep-school squads.
The 6-foot-3 Mintz, who recently picked the ‘Cuse over other finalists DePaul, Wake Forest and N.C. State, gives the Orange a total of six commits in its 2022 cycle.
According to most recruiting services, Mintz is the highest-rated commit for the ‘Cuse in the 2022 class, with ESPN ranking him at No. 35 across the country. He’s also deemed a top-10 guard in this cycle.
In adding Mintz, the Orange has seen the scoring prowess within its 2022 class get significantly enhanced. Mintz is also versatile, with the ability to suit up at both point guard and shooting guard.
Syracuse basketball has a well-balanced 2022 recruiting cycle, buoyed by four-star guard Judah Mintz.
The Orange’s six commits in 2022 cover all five positions: a four-star point guard, a four-star combo guard, a four-star shooting guard/small forward, a four-star small forward who likely can play either forward spot, a three-star power forward who probably could play some center, and a three-star power forward/center.
So just within this specific recruiting class, Syracuse basketball has really nice balance and depth. Naturally, there’s no guarantee that all six of these 2022 players stick around on the Hill for multiple years, but regardless, I understand why head coach Jim Boeheim has praised this class in the past (even before Mintz committed).
Plus, there is already some excellent chemistry among these six 2022 guys along with current freshman forward Benny Williams. Mintz and Williams are from the Washington, D.C., area. They along with 2022 shooting guard/small forward Justin Taylor are friends through the AAU circuit in the talent-rich D.C. market.
Taylor and 2022 power forward Maliq Brown, a senior at the Blue Ridge School in St. George, Va., have known each other for years. What’s more, Taylor and 2022 point guard Quadir Copeland played this most recent season for the post-grad team at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
Chris Bunch, a 2022 small forward, knows Mintz from the grassroots basketball circuit as well as the NIBC, where Bunch’s squad, the Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah, is also a member.
Finally, 2022 power forward/center Peter Carey, who most recently competed for the Northfield Mount Hermon School in Mount Hermon, Mass., was on the Orange campus for a visit not too long ago when Bunch, Taylor and Mintz were in attendance on the Hill.
I would imagine that those 2022 prospects got to spend some time with Williams and other players on the ‘Cuse roster. Over the course of the Orange program’s history, other recruiting classes have been rated higher, but I have a feeling that when all is said and done, the ‘Cuse cycle in 2022 will prove one of the most complete packages that the team has possessed in quite some time. To me, Judah Mintz committing is a game-changer for Syracuse basketball in this class.