Syracuse Basketball: SU among those in most contact with fast-rising wing

Syracuse basketball recruiting target Kaden Cooper, as we recently detailed, is totally blowing up with new scholarship offers amid stellar performances last month during NCAA live periods on the grassroots hoops circuit.

And it seems that, for the time being anyway, the Orange coaching staff is making a concerted push to stay in consistent contact with the soaring three-star wing.

At the end of April, the 6-foot-6 Cooper said on Twitter that he had received a scholarship offer from the ‘Cuse. A few days ago, scouting service Pro Insight said in a tweet that the Orange is recruiting him hard.

Cooper, a guard/small forward, played his junior season during the 2021-22 term for The Skill Factory in Atlanta. Last month, with college coaches in attendance, he crushed things while competing for the Oklahoma-based Team Trae Young in the Adidas league.

Syracuse basketball faces heated competition for three-star Kaden Cooper.

According to the Pro Insight tweet, Cooper says that, lately, those schools that have been in touch with him the most include the ‘Cuse, Gonzaga, LSU, Kansas and Texas Tech.

All in all, per recruiting services, media reports and his Twitter account, Cooper holds more than two-dozen offers, from squads such as Houston, Pittsburgh, TCU, Mississippi State, Xavier, Kansas, Illinois, Texas, Texas Tech, Kansas State, Georgia Tech, Creighton, LSU, Wake Forest, Oklahoma, St. John’s, Rutgers, DePaul, Oklahoma State, Omaha, Kent State, Oral Roberts, UNLV, Tulsa and SMU.

Additionally, those groups that are reportedly showing interest in Cooper include Kentucky, Gonzaga, Maryland, West Virginia, Oregon, Butler, Connecticut and the NBA’s G League.

Since Syracuse basketball offered him, I’ve perused a lot of articles and comments from national analysts and scouts regarding Cooper’s all-around game.

First and foremost, he is praised by experts for his athleticism, energy and enthusiasm on the court. Cooper is lauded for being a scrappy and tough defender, which I love hearing.

He’s an explosive, versatile scorer who finishes well through contact in the paint. Cooper is also given high marks for his court vision and passing, as well as his ability to connect on contested shots in key moments when the pressure is intense.

In summation, a bevy of recruiting analysts and scouts say that Kaden Cooper has raised his stock over the last month or so just about as much as anybody around the country in his class.

When I penned this column, the industry-generated 247Sports Composite placed Cooper at No. 195 overall in the 2023 cycle. As recruiting services refresh their player ratings for this class, Cooper should emerge as a four-star, top-100 prospect, if not higher than that on a national scale.