Syracuse basketball 4-star, 5-star recruits who stood out at AAU sessions

College coaches, including those at Syracuse basketball, hit the road this past weekend during an NCAA live period to check out high-school prospects who suited up at AAU sessions on the Nike, Under Armour and Adidas circuits.

Over the past few days, I’ve perused a bunch of articles from media outlets, as well as comments from national recruiting analysts and scouts, to get a sense of which Orange recruiting targets went sky-high with their performances at these events.

These top-flight performers, who either hold ‘Cuse scholarship offers or interest from the Syracuse basketball coaching staff, include 2023 four-star guard Reid Ducharme, 2023 power forward/center Joseph Estrella, 2023 five-star point guard D.J. Wagner, 2023 four-star point guard Aden Holloway, 2023 five-star center Aaron Bradshaw and 2024 five-star wing Ian Jackson.

Let’s take a deeper dive into these Syracuse basketball recruiting prospects.

The 6-foot-6 Ducharme, out of the Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H., suits up for Boston Amateur Basketball Club on Nike’s EYBL circuit.

According to a piece on theseasonticket.com, Ducharme put together some really strong efforts, including 25 points and six rebounds in one game, 12 points, five boards and three steals in a second contest, and 13 points in a third encounter.

The ‘Cuse offered Ducharme this past August at the team’s annual Elite Camp. I get the sense that he is a top priority for the Orange in the 2023 cycle.

The 6-foot-6 Jackson, who reportedly holds interest from Syracuse basketball, is a serious contender for the No. 1 national ranking in the 2024 class.

He attends Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, N.Y., and competes on the Adidas AAU circuit for the Bronx, N.Y.-based Wiz Kids.

I couldn’t find box scores for his recent games, however, Jackson did earn some nice praise from at least two national analysts, Jamie Shaw of On3 and Eric Bossi of 247Sports.

The 6-foot-10 Estrella, who is headed to the Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H., for the 2022-23 stanza, plays on the Under Armour Association (“UAA”) circuit with the New England-based Middlesex Magic.

Offered a scholarship by the Orange last August, Estrella performed at an elite level this past weekend, and it clearly has elevated his stock. Just in the last couple of days, Estrella has landed numerous new offers from high-major programs.

The 6-foot-1 Holloway, a star for the La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind., and the Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Team Cp3 on the EYBL tour, picked up an offer from the ‘Cuse back in the summer of 2019, according to recruiting services.

Last weekend, per theseasonticket.com, Holloway tallied 16 points, 21 points and 11 points in helping Team Cp3 to a trio of victories.

The 6-foot-3 Wagner, offered by the Orange last August, and the 7-foot Bradshaw, who reportedly has received interest from the ‘Cuse, both suit up for Camden High School in Camden, N.J., and the New Jersey Scholars Elite Basketball Club on Nike’s AAU circuit.

Wagner, the consensus No. 1 junior for the time being, played as well as anyone on the grassroots basketball circuit this past weekend, producing games of 27 points, 28 points, 18 points and 22 points, according to theseasonticket.com.

Bradshaw, one of the top centers in the 2023 class, had 22 points and nine rebounds in one affair, as well as 15 points, five rebounds and three blocks in a second duel.