Syracuse basketball in 2022 stacks up fairly high against other SU classes

The Syracuse basketball six-member class in the 2022 cycle is one of the higher-rated classes for the Orange over the past two-plus decades, according to data from the industry-generated 247Sports Composite.

That being said, there are multiple ‘Cuse classes dating back to 2002 that were ranked higher than the team’s 2022 cycle, per the composite ratings.

Naturally, comparing Orange classes from year to year isn’t an entirely apples-to-apples exercise. What other teams around the country have done year after year will factor into where the ‘Cuse is nationally ranked.

More recently, the transfer portal’s explosion is something to monitor. And, by extension, what the Orange’s roster make-up is in a particular season can factor into how big – or small – a particular recruiting cycle is for the ‘Cuse.

Case in point, in the 2021 cycle, based on the squad’s roster construction, Syracuse basketball only had one incoming freshman commit, forward Benny Williams.

So this 2021 class for the Orange, understandably, wouldn’t get rated super highly on a national basis, even if the 247Sports Composite had Williams at No. 32 nationally, as well as a top-10 small forward.

Let’s see how the Syracuse basketball 2022 class compares to other recent cycles.

As we noted in another recent column, the ‘Cuse 2022 cycle is No. 18 overall, according to the composite. Rivals.com, though, does have this class at No. 7 nationally, but I often like to rely more on composite/consensus ratings, which aggregate rankings from numerous individual recruiting services.

The half-dozen Syracuse basketball signees in 2022 are four-star combo guard Judah Mintz, four-star shooting guard/small forward Justin Taylor, four-star small forward Chris Bunch, four-star point guard Quadir Copeland, three-star power forward Maliq Brown and three-star power forward/center Peter Carey.

The composite has team rankings for the Orange going back to 2002. It appears that the team’s 2022 class is in a tie for No. 8 with the 2016 cycle among all of these historical Syracuse basketball classes.

Ahead of 2022 are the cycles in 2002, 2007, 2010, 2015, 2013, 2003 and 2011. To reiterate, the number of commits in each of these classes will vary, so it’s not a perfect science in comparing them, but it’s safe to say that the ‘Cuse 2022 cycle is among the better ones (rankings-wise) over the past two decades on the Hill.

From 2002 to 2022, which covers 21 classes, Syracuse basketball has had six of them inside the top-10 nationally, per the composite, along with nine inside the top 20, 13 inside the top 35, 18 inside the top 50, and three outside the top 50, including 2021, when it was just Williams as the sole incoming freshman.

The Orange’s 2022 class covers all five positions and has a lot of promise. Is it a top-10 cycle, nationally speaking? Maybe, maybe not. Is it a top-20 class overall? I would think so.

These six 2022 commits are beginning to arrive on the Hill, and I and many other Syracuse basketball fans are eager to see them suit up for the ‘Cuse in the near future.

SU’s Team Recruiting Rankings By Year
Data From 247Sports Composite

2022: 18

2021: 78

2020: 42

2019: 33

2018: 43

2017: 38

2016: 18

2015: 8

2014: 38

2013: 8

2012: 43

2011: 15

2010: 4

2009: 265

2008: 28

2007: 2

2006: 25

2005: 143

2004: 35

2003: 9

2002: 2