Syracuse Basketball: Expert prediction not a good sign in battle over 4-star

Based on recent media reports and interviews given by 2023 four-star shooting guard Reid Ducharme, it seems that Syracuse basketball is among three suitors presently recruiting him the hardest.

That trio of contenders for the 6-foot-6 Ducharme, who is a top-100 national prospect according to several recruiting services, includes the Orange, Penn State and Xavier.

Ducharme, a rising senior at the powerhouse Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H., recently took official visits to all three of those schools.

Syracuse basketball coaches have appeared to prioritize Ducharme in the 2023 cycle for quite some time now, perhaps dating back to when the ‘Cuse offered a scholarship to him last August at the team’s annual Elite Camp.

Ducharme always speaks highly of the Orange program in interviews, and he has a strong relationship with the ‘Cuse coaching staff, particularly assistant coach Gerry McNamara.

However, one of his other suitors is starting to get some analyst buzz in Ducharme’s recruitment.

Syracuse basketball continues to pursue 2023 four-star guard Reid Ducharme.

On July 18, On3 national analyst Jamie Shaw logged a prediction in the direction of Big East Conference member Xavier for Ducharme. Shaw, who is one of the best in the business from my perspective, gave his projection a 75-percent confidence level.

Now, I’ve yet to see any predictions from national analysts or other recruiting insiders on the 247Sports Web site or Rivals.com. So I wouldn’t suggest here that Ducharme picking Xavier is a 100 percent guarantee.

We all know how the recruiting processes of top-flight prospects can ebb and flow. And one prediction worries me less than, say, three, four, five or six projections all to the same collegiate destination.

But still, I trust Jamie’s reporting a lot. As such, I’m not getting a warm and fuzzy feeling at this juncture that Ducharme will end up selecting Syracuse basketball.

According to recruiting services, he recently landed an offer from Virginia Tech. Ducharme’s full offer sheet features the Orange, Miami, Xavier, Rhode Island, Northwestern, Columbia, Connecticut, Iowa, Providence, Penn State, Creighton, DePaul, Stanford, Harvard, Brown and UMass.

In a recent article from Sam Lance on zagsblog.com, Ducharme discussed in some detail what appeals to him about Syracuse basketball, Xavier and Penn State.

"Ducharme, who has been excellent of late in grassroots basketball for the Boston Amateur Basketball Club in Nike’s EYBL league, said in part about Xavier, “I feel like it’s a really great opportunity because of Sean Miller coming back to Xavier. He’s won there as a coach already, he’s been successful at Arizona. Xavier is a really big basketball school, just basketball. I feel like when I get there, there will be a lot of spaces open. There’s only like five, maybe six kids returning when I get there my freshman year. So I feel like that’s a really great opportunity.”"

After I read that quote, it got me thinking. The ‘Cuse does have two senior guards on its 2022-23 roster in Joe Girard III and Symir Torrence, but the team also possesses a six-member 2022 recruiting class that includes multiple guards who are only a year ahead of Ducharme.

Might playing time on the Hill be a concern for Ducharme? I wouldn’t pretend to have any inside information on his recruitment, but this is something to consider, especially if the Orange ends up missing out on Ducharme.

The zagsblog.com piece noted that Ducharme doesn’t plan to take any other official visits over the summer. He could revisit some of his main contenders this fall, and he’s open to other college squads that may show interest in him.

Ultimately, Lance wrote that Ducharme is aiming to make a commitment announcement before his senior season at the Brewster Academy commences.