Syracuse basketball appears to be prioritizing 4-star guard from Brewster

Syracuse basketball has offered scholarships to around 15 high-school prospects in the 2023 recruiting cycle, and I’m getting the sense that one of the top priorities for the Orange in this class is four-star shooting guard Reid Ducharme.

For one, a recent tweet from scouting service Pro Insight said that the 6-foot-6 Ducharme was “hearing the most lately from Syracuse and Penn State.”

I’ve come across other media reports and interviews given by Ducharme in recent months where he’s noted that the ‘Cuse coaching staff is in regular communication with him.

Now, this doesn’t mean that the Orange is going to win out in the recruiting battle over Ducharme, who recently wrapped up an excellent junior season for the powerhouse Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H.

But, at least for the moment, of all the 2023 players whom Syracuse basketball has offered, it does seem like one of the Orange’s best chances to ultimately pick up a commitment is from Ducharme.

Syracuse basketball is vying for top-20 shooting guard Reid Ducharme.

The Brewster Academy is one of the premier prep-school programs around the country, annually facing off with some of the fiercest competition.

During the 2021-22 stanza, his junior term, Ducharme was named to the All-NEPSAC (“New England Preparatory School Athletic Council”) Class AAA second team, according to a tweet from Brewster Academy head coach Jason Smith.

Last month, we noted in a piece that Ducharme was among the stand-outs at the 2022 National Prep Championship in West Hartford, Conn., per On3 recruiting analyst Jamie Shaw.

More recently, Ducharme and his AAU teammates with the Boston Amateur Basketball Club on the Nike EYBL circuit suited up in Orlando, Fla., for a handful of games during an NCAA live period where college coaches could watch high-school players in person.

Ducharme did quite well, I should add. According to theseasonticket.com, he netted 25 points and six rebounds in one contest, 12 points, five rebounds and three steals in a second encounter, and 13 points in a third affair.

I’ve seen various comments on social media from analysts and scouts that speak to Ducharme being poised for big performances at AAU events in the upcoming spring and summer months.

Besides Syracuse basketball, his other offers include from Connecticut, Iowa, Providence, Penn State, Creighton, DePaul, Stanford, Harvard, Brown and UMass, according to reports and recruiting services.

The Orange coaching staff, by the way, offered a scholarship to Ducharme this past August at the team’s annual Elite Camp. I’ve yet to see any predictions regarding Ducharme’s potential collegiate destination from experts on the 247Sports Web site, the On3 Web site or Rivals.com.

Most of the primary recruiting services rate him as a four-star prospect in the 2023 class. On3 places Ducharme at No. 62 overall and No. 19 at shooting guard in this cycle.

He is No. 98 nationally and No. 25 at shooting guard, per the On3 Consensus. Rivals.com puts Ducharme at No. 105 across the country, while the 247Sports Composite ranks him as three stars, No. 143 overall and No. 31 at shooting guard.

We’ll continue to monitor Ducharme’s recruitment, including whether he elects to take an official visit to the Hill at some point in the future.