Syracuse basketball, according to the Verbal Commits Web site, was the first high-major team to offer 2023 four-star point guard Aden Holloway, and I had been hoping that the Orange getting involved in his recruitment early on would prove a big-time advantage for the ‘Cuse.
Based on several recent media reports and interviews given by the 6-foot-1 Holloway of late, it doesn’t seem that he will be taking an official visit to the Hill, and I don’t get the sense that the Orange is a major player in his recruiting process.
Of course, I could be totally off base here, and I am not in Holloway’s inner circle. But he has taken official visits to Auburn and Wake Forest, and Holloway also had one scheduled for Tennessee early this week.
Additionally, Holloway said in a recent interview with 247Sports national analyst Travis Branham that he is planning on one more visit, to Michigan, and then he plans to commit before the prestigious Peach Jam tournament over the summer.
Syracuse basketball doesn’t appear to be a huge contender for point guard Aden Holloway.
In Branham’s piece, Holloway said that the teams reaching out to him the most these days are Tennessee, Auburn, Wake Forest, Notre Dame and Michigan.
The Wolverines only recently offered Holloway, who landed an Orange offer in July of 2019, per Verbal Commits. Holloway’s other offers include from Tennessee, Arizona State, Creighton, LSU, Cincinnati, Auburn, Wichita State, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Texas A&M, Wake Forest and Winthrop.
If Tennessee, Auburn, Wake Forest, Notre Dame and Michigan end up being the official or unofficial five finalists for Holloway, then that’s a really strong group of suitors for him.
Not too long ago, Holloway wrapped up a stellar junior term at the powerhouse La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind., during a 2021-22 campaign where he was named 6th man of the year in the top-flight National Interscholastic Basketball Conference.
He also performed quite well during an NCAA live period for the Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Team Cp3, which is one of the best AAU groups on Nike’s EYBL circuit.
ESPN ranks Holloway at No. 31 across the country and No. 7 at point guard in the 2023 class. Most recruiting services rate him as a top-50 overall prospect and a top-10 point guard in this cycle.
I really had hoped that Syracuse basketball would be a factor in Holloway’s recruitment, but it doesn’t seem that is the case. I credit the ‘Cuse coaching staff for identifying the talent that Holloway possesses so early on in his recruitment.
We’ll continue to monitor his recruiting process to gauge whether there is any sliver of hope that the Orange could end up landing him, although I would expect Holloway to ultimately choose a college besides the ‘Cuse.