Syracuse Basketball: 5-star recruit, the No. 1 junior, totally crushing EYBL

Syracuse basketball 2023 five-star recruit D.J. Wagner has put on a show so far during the spring AAU circuit.

Last month, there were two live NCAA live periods as the shoe-sponsored grassroots basketball leagues held contests at various locations around the country.

The 6-foot-3 Wagner, a five-star point guard who is the consensus No. 1 player in the junior class, performed at an ultra-high level for his AAU squad, the New Jersey Scholars Elite Basketball Club, which competes in Nike’s EYBL league.

In fact, according to a tweet from Courtside Films, Wagner leads or at least had been leading the EYBL in scoring, as he was averaging an impressive 21.3 points per contest.

Syracuse basketball coaches reportedly remain in contact with five-star D.J. Wagner.

In the 2021-22 campaign, Wagner put forth an All-American season for Camden High School in Camden, N.J., which was one of the top public high-school squads nationwide.

Not only does Wagner boast elite offensive skills, whether scoring or facilitating for others, but he’s also getting praise for his defensive instincts.

To that end, high-school hoops analyst and scout Samad Hines recently shared a tweet where he listed off some of the best defenders in the 2023 cycle, and Hines included Wagner here.

As we’ve noted in past columns, according to media reports, the ‘Cuse coaching staff has attended some of Wagner’s games for both the New Jersey Scholars Elite Basketball Club and Camden High School in recent months.

Without question, the buzz among national analysts and recruiting insiders as it relates to Wagner’s recruitment has, lately, headed in the direction of in-state rivals Kentucky and Louisville.

However, Wagner has intimated in multiple interviews of late that he’s open to other college teams. He’s also said that, besides Kentucky and Louisville, other suitors continue to pursue him, including Syracuse basketball.

Per recruiting services, Wagner has landed scholarship offers from Kentucky, Louisville, Memphis, Villanova and Temple. Reports suggest that additional squads showing interest in him include Michigan, Arkansas, Seton Hall and Auburn, among others.

In all fairness, though, Kentucky and Louisville seem like they could be considered the front-runners in Wagner’s recruiting process. Both of those squads have received predictions for Wagner on the 247Sports Web site, Rivals.com and the On3 Web site.

Orange coaches, by the way, offered Wagner last August at the annual Elite Camp hosted by Syracuse basketball. I’ll always acknowledge that the ‘Cuse is likely a long shot for D.J. Wagner, but credit the Orange for making a run at him.