For Syracuse basketball, competition widens as top recruits grab big offers

With two NCAA live periods having occurred last month, Syracuse basketball coaches and their peers around the country had an opportunity to watch high-school prospects in person.

As some of these players put forth really excellent performances, that naturally has led to them receiving additional scholarship offers from a range of high-major programs in recent weeks.

For the purposes of this column, we’re taking a look at a bunch of ‘Cuse four-star and five-star recruits who have picked up impressive new offers of late.

These new offers, of course, will further expand the competition that the Orange coaching staff faces in trying to prevail in the recruitments of various prospects in both the 2023 and 2024 cycles.

Just as an FYI, I’m relying on media reports, recruiting services and players’ Twitter accounts for the offers that I’m relaying here.

Syracuse basketball is vying for numerous players in the sophomore and junior classes.

Let’s start with a couple of 2023 prospects. From my perspective, in this cycle, the ‘Cuse is prioritizing four-star shooting guard Reid Ducharme, four-star guard Elmarko Jackson and big man Joseph Estrella, who will soon enter the national rankings.

Creighton recently offered Estrella. Jackson received an offer from Notre Dame. And some of Ducharme’s recent offers include from Xavier, Rhode Island, Northwestern and Columbia.

Syracuse basketball recently offered fast-rising 2023 wing/forward Tafara Gapare, and even after that offer, other schools like Washington State, Hawaii and UMass have gotten into the mix for him.

Switching over to the 2024 class, we’ll begin with five-star point guard Elliot Cadeau, who seems to be a priority target for the Orange in this cycle. Maryland recently offered him.

The Terrapins also recently offered 2024 four-star point guard Robert Wright III, who has said lately in interviews that the ‘Cuse is recruiting him hard as well.

Damarius Owens is a 6-foot-7 guard/forward in the 2024 class who was offered by Syracuse basketball not too long ago. Owens, who hails from Upstate New York, more recently got an offer from Creighton.

Yves Missi, a four-star center in the 2024 cycle, holds a ‘Cuse offer and is one of the hottest prospects in his class. Baylor, which captured the 2021 national championship, just offered him.

One of the premier shooters in the 2024 class is Elijah Moore, a 6-foot-4 guard offered by Syracuse basketball last month. More recently, he picked up an offer from Xavier.