Syracuse Basketball: 2022 champs, Big East foe new suitors for 4-star big

National analysts and scouts have prognosticated that Syracuse basketball recruiting target Ugonna Kingsley would see both his national rankings and his offer sheet soar in the near future. These experts proved right.

The 7-foot center, a sizzling prospect in the 2023 class, recently vaulted into the top-40 overall, and even higher in some instances, as several recruiting services updated their national rankings for the junior cycle.

What’s more, Kingsley’s list of scholarship offers continues to grow, and he’s added some big-time suitors of late that will of course make the competition tougher for the Orange coaching staff if it hopes to prevail in this young man’s recruitment.

For some context, Kingsley was terrific as a junior for the undefeated Putnam Science Academy in Putnam, Conn., which recorded a ridiculous 38-0 mark during the 2021-22 term and claimed the 2022 National Prep Championship in West Hartford, Conn.

According to media reports, it appears that on the AAU circuit, Kingsley is a member of the Team New England Basketball Club as well as the NY Jayhawks.

Syracuse basketball offered four-star center Ugonna Kingsley this past February.

Besides the ‘Cuse, Kingsley has landed offers from squads such as Mike Hopkins-led Washington, LSU, Ohio State, Kansas State, Ole Miss, Georgia, Providence, Georgetown, Texas Tech, Washington State, Clemson, Seton Hall, California and Iowa, according to reports and recruiting services.

More recently, per some tweets that I came across online, including one from the Team New England Basketball Club and another one from Pro Insight director of scouting Andrew Slater, two new scholarship offers for Kingsley have arrived from long-time Big East Conference rival UConn and Kansas, which in early April won the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

https://twitter.com/Andrew__Slater/status/1521960514179551240?cxt=HHwWkMC-ncTBi58qAAAA

Yikes. I would imagine it will prove tough for the Orange to beat out those kinds of programs. Additionally, Slater recently included in a tweet that Kentucky, Oregon, Baylor and Duke are showing interest in Kingsley.

For the time being, Kingsley isn’t nationally rated by 247Sports, but I feel confident that will change, and rather quickly. He is four stars and No. 87 overall via Rivals.com. Again, that’s going to change.

ESPN, when it updated its 2023 ratings not too long ago, put Kingsley at four stars, No. 36 nationally and No. 3 at center in the entire class.

On3 and the On3 Consensus rate Kingsley as four stars each. The On3 Consensus has him at No. 23 across the country, No. 3 at center and No. 1 in Connecticut.

On3, meanwhile, places Kingsley at No. 25 nationwide, No. 3 at center and No. 2 in Connecticut.