Syracuse Basketball: Stock soars for big-man recruit as new offers pile up

Syracuse basketball 2023 recruiting target Joseph Estrella had some kind of weekend as college coaches were able to watch high-school prospects in person during various AAU events at an NCAA live period.

The 6-foot-10 power forward/center, whose recruitment is blowing up on a national scale, performed at a high level as his AAU squad, the New England-based Middlesex Magic, went 4-0 in an Under Armour Association (“UAA”) session this past weekend.

I came across several articles from national recruiting analysts that spoke to Estrella playing quite well in front of various college coaches. His stock in the junior class is clearly on the rise, and I would expect Estrella to enter the 2023 national ratings at some point sooner rather than later.

By the way, Estrella and his Middlesex Magic teammates are expected to next suit up at another UAA session slated for April 22-24 from the Hy-Vee Arena in Kansas City, Mo.

Syracuse basketball big-man target Joseph Estrella is rising fast in the junior cycle.

Just in the past few days, Estrella has notched new scholarship offers from the likes of Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Wisconsin and Virginia Tech, according to his Twitter page and recruiting Web sites. In fact, he’s probably picked up another offer or two as I’m typing out this column.

Brandon Jenkins, a national analyst with 247Sports, wrote in an article that other college squads showing interest in Estrella include California, Maryland and Oklahoma. His bio on Rivals.com says that Villanova, a participant in the 2022 Final Four, is also displaying interest in Estrella.

Other offers had previously arrived for him from Xavier, Boston College, Iowa, Providence, Tennessee, Harvard, Maine, Penn State and Marquette, according to media reports and recruiting services.

Estrella, who received a Syracuse basketball scholarship offer last August during the Orange’s annual Elite Camp, was an absolute star during his junior term for South Portland High School in South Portland, Maine.

He helped lead South Portland High School to a 21-1 overall record in the 2021-22 season as well as the Class AA state championship in Maine. For his junior-year performance, Estrella was named 2021-22 Player of the Year by the Southwestern Maine Activities Association (“SMAA”).

We’ve noted in a couple of pieces on Estrella of late that he has decided to transfer from South Portland High School to the powerhouse Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H., for the upcoming 2022-23 stanza.

As far as his recruiting process goes, Estrella told Jenkins that he is spending time this month figuring out which college teams he will focus on, and I’m sure that he will be setting up official visits and/or unofficial visits in the near future.

I sincerely hope that the ‘Cuse lands a visit from Estrella, although the competition in his recruitment is intense and will only keep on growing.