Syracuse Basketball: Which 2023 prospects might visit in coming months?

Syracuse basketball will welcome one of its top 2023 targets, four-star shooting guard Reid Ducharme out of the Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H., to the Hill next month for an official visit, per the fantastic Mike McAllister, the publisher of SyracuseOnSI.

So with the 6-foot-6 Ducharme locked in, we’re discussing here what other high-school players in the rising senior class may elect to travel to the ‘Cuse in the near future.

As we’ve noted on many occasions in recent months, Orange coaches have offered scholarships to a bunch of guys in the 2023 cycle.

However, based on media reports, interviews given by high-school players and comments from national recruiting analysts, there are numerous 2023 prospects who hold Syracuse basketball offers, but for which the ‘Cuse at this juncture doesn’t seem to be significantly in the running.

I’m talking about guys such as four-star big man Papa Kante, four-star wing Gavin Griffiths, four-star point guard Aden Holloway, five-star guard/wing Matas Buzelis, five-star wing Elijah Fisher and four-star power forward/center Isaiah Miranda.

Five-star point guard D.J. Wagner, the consensus No. 1 player in 2023, has said in recent interviews that the Orange continues to pursue him, but let’s face it. The ‘Cuse is likely a huge long shot in his recruitment.

Keep an eye out for these Syracuse basketball 2023 targets in terms of potential visits.

Besides Ducharme, my sense is there are five others in the 2023 cycle who could make an official visit to Central New York. They are four-star guard Elmarko Jackson, talented big man Joseph Estrella, four-star center Ugonna Kingsley, fast-rising wing/forward Tafara Gapare and three-star wing Kaden Cooper, who is a hot prospect in this class.

The 6-foot-4 Jackson, who attends the Academy of the New Church in Bryn Athyn, Pa., has said in several recent interviews that he plans to officially visit the Orange.

The 6-foot-10 Estrella, who will play his senior year at the Brewster Academy, has said that the ‘Cuse is recruiting him hard, although he has already lined up visits to Marquette and Tennessee, according to the 247Sports Web site.

Estrella, who will soon enter the 2023 national ratings, also has a bevy of blue-blood squads in pursuit of him. I really hope that Syracuse basketball grabs an official visit from him. We’ll have to wait and see on that.

The 7-foot Kingsley, whose offer sheet and national rankings have blown up of late, received an Orange offer in February. At least one recent media report suggests that the ‘Cuse is in consistent contact with Kingsley, who is a stand-out for the Putnam Science Academy in Putnam, Conn.

That brings us to the 6-foot-6 Cooper and the 6-foot-10 Gapare, both of whom were offered by Syracuse basketball at the end of April.

Cooper is out of The Skill Factory in Atlanta, while Gapare attends the South Kent School in South Kent, Conn.

As we noted a few days ago, per On3, Cooper has reportedly set up an official visit to Gonzaga, with other possible visits to LSU, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State also in the works.

Gapare, meanwhile, recently made an official visit to DePaul and an unofficial visit to Maryland, per 247Sports. He’s also weighing whether to stay in the 2023 cycle or move up to the 2022 class.

We’ll obviously continue to track the recruitments of these Syracuse basketball targets. I’d expect the Orange to land an official visit from Jackson, but beyond that, it’s not entirely clear to me.