Syracuse basketball doesn’t appear a big contender for soaring 4-star wing

Kaden Cooper, who received a Syracuse basketball scholarship offer at the end of April, has absolutely blown up this spring and summer. I say this in regards to both the talented wing’s national rankings and his list of offers.

The 6-foot-6 guard/small forward is a fast-rising, four-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting cycle, and Cooper has proven one of the hottest players in recent months on the AAU circuit.

His offer sheet is around 30 and growing. Cooper has entered the top-50 overall in the rising-senior class lately, according to multiple recruiting services. And per recent media reports, Cooper has gone on a couple of official visits and has more planned.

Unfortunately, I’m not seeing any mention of the Orange as it pertains to official visits, which leads me to believe that the ‘Cuse may not be a significant contender in Cooper’s recruiting process.

Syracuse basketball looks like a long shot to land four-star wing Kaden Cooper.

Cooper attends The Skill Factory in Atlanta, and in grassroots basketball, he runs with the Oklahoma-based Team Trae Young in the Adidas league.

Besides being a stand-out on the AAU tour, he also performed at a high level at the prestigious Pangos All-American Camp recently held in Las Vegas, which only further boosted his stock.

College basketball heavyweight Gonzaga recently offered Cooper. So, too, did UCLA and Alabama. His other offers include from Iowa, Connecticut, Missouri, 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.

Known for his explosive athleticism, defensive skill-set and versatile scoring prowess, Cooper took official visits to Oklahoma and Gonzaga in June.

According to an article from On3 senior national recruiting analyst Gerry Hamilton, Cooper is eyeing official visits in September to LSU and Kansas, a blue-blood program that captured the 2022 national championship.

I’m not a recruiting analyst nor in Cooper’s inner circle, however, if he doesn’t end up taking an official visit to the Hill, I can’t imagine that Syracuse basketball is going to win out in his recruitment.

When Rivals.com recently updated its 2023 national ratings, Cooper made one of the biggest jumps across the country, going from unranked to No. 38 overall and No. 13 at small forward.

Over at 247Sports, when that recruiting service refreshed its 2023 player rankings not too long ago, Cooper vaulted to No. 47 nationally and No. 8 at small forward.

I’m really high on Kaden Cooper. It’s a bummer if he doesn’t have interest in the Orange at this time, but I know he will shine wherever he ends up.