Syracuse Basketball: ‘Cuse 4-star, 5-star recruits dominate AAU showcase

At a recent AAU event in Pennsylvania, multiple four-star and five-star Syracuse basketball recruiting targets proved among the best performers at this showcase, according to experts.

I came across a handful of comments from national recruiting analysts and scouts that spoke to the stellar outputs given by at least three top-flight prospects who hold scholarship offers from the Orange coaching staff.

This event, by the way, is known as the KYDA Invitational, and a bunch of really good grassroots basketball squads suited up during the showcase that took place in Scranton, Pa.

Syracuse basketball recruits balled out at an event that featured top AAU teams.

Several analysts and scouts said that among the stand-outs at the KYDA Invitational were 2023 four-star guard Elmarko Jackson, 2024 five-star big man Derik Queen and 2024 elite shooting guard Elijah Moore.

National scouting service ELITE High School Scouting said via Twitter that the 6-foot-4 Jackson tallied 26 points in one contest, “showing a great blend of pace + skill with his elite athleticism.”

The ‘Cuse offered Jackson last month and has seemingly made him a priority target in the 2023 cycle. His AAU squad is WE R1, and Jackson attends the Academy of the New Church in Bryn Athyn, Pa.

He has said more than once of late that he would like to take an official visit to the Orange campus.

In one game at this event, the 6-foot-9 Queen “had his way offensively,” per a tweet from ELITE High School Scouting.

Queen, a highly talented power forward/center from Baltimore, is a significant contender for the No. 1 national ranking in the 2024 cycle.

He was offered by Syracuse basketball last October and recently got an invite to the upcoming training camp for USA Basketball’s U18 national team, where he will vie for a spot on this squad’s roster to compete at the 2022 FIBA U18 Americas Championship in Tijuana, Mexico, next month.

On the AAU circuit, Queen plays for the Baltimore-based Team Thrill. In addition to playing well at the recent KYDA Invitational, Queen was lauded by experts for his performances in April during NCAA live periods.

He goes to the powerhouse Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla., which in recent years has proven the top independent hoops academy around the country.

Last but not least, ELITE High School Scouting owner Ari Rosenfeld said on Twitter that the 6-foot-4 Moore was also among his shining stars at the KYDA Invitational.

Moore, out of New York City, has performed at an ultra-high level of late on the AAU circuit. He is out of the Bronx, N.Y.-based Wiz Kids as well as Cardinal Hayes High School, which is also in the Bronx.

The ‘Cuse offered Moore not too long ago, and he is absolutely a fast-rising prospect in the 2024 class.

As college coaches can begin making direct contact with 2024 prospects in mid-June, I fully expect Moore’s offer sheet to grow quite quickly.