Syracuse basketball recruiting fanatics, myself included, have been hoping that rapidly rising 2023 four-star big man Joseph Estrella would end up taking an official visit to the Hill, and it looks like that is going to happen.
The 6-foot-11 Estrella, a power forward/center who is among the hottest prospects in the rising-senior class these days, said in an interview that he plans to officially visit the Orange, although I didn’t see a specific date in the piece by Sam Lance on zagsblog.com. Quick update here. SyracuseOnSI publisher Mike McAllister later reported that Estrella will head to the Orange from August 4 to August 6.
I can’t stress enough the importance of the ‘Cuse coaching staff landing an official visit from Estrella if the Orange ultimately hopes to prevail in his recruitment.
Personally, I’m such a fan of Joseph Estrella. He’s a hard-working, humble and polite young man. I’m rooting for him wherever he ends up going to college, although of course I want him to pick the ‘Cuse.
Four-star priority recruit Joseph Estrella is eyeing an official visit to Syracuse basketball.
Estrella, who has been lights-out on the AAU circuit this spring and summer for the New England-based Middlesex Magic in the Under Armour Association league, has seen his number of scholarship offers balloon to more than two dozen.
Orange coaches were the first to offer him a scholarship, and that occurred last August at the team’s annual Elite Camp. In several recent interviews, Estrella has noted his strong relationship with Syracuse basketball coaches, and how they’ve been prioritizing him for a long time.
On numerous occasions in recent months, ‘Cuse head coach Jim Boeheim and his assistants have watched Estrella play in grassroots basketball during NCAA live periods, including at the Under Armour Association finals that have been going on the past few days at the Wintrust Sports Complex in the Chicago area.
Several head coaches have made their way to the @UANextBHoops finals for the start of bracket play. This includes…
— Sam Lance (@slancehoops) July 22, 2022
Jim Boeheim — Syracuse
Rick Barnes — Tennessee
Tommy Lloyd — Arizona
Tad Boyle — Colorado
Kevin Willard — Maryland
Bobby Hurley — Arizona State pic.twitter.com/pPeGlOWreX
In the zagsblog.com article, Estrella said that he will release a list of his top finalists in the near future. He also said that six suitors are presently recruiting him the hardest, and they are Syracuse basketball, Tennessee, Duke, Iowa, Kansas and UConn.
Last month, Joseph Estrella made official visits to Marquette and Tennessee. He’s traveling to Iowa and Duke soon, and then there’s his official visit to Central New York.
I have no inside information, but if I had to venture a guess, I’d say the top teams to most likely make Estrella’s list cut are the Orange, Duke, Tennessee, Iowa, Kansas, UConn and Marquette.
Given that he’s planning to officially visit the ‘Cuse, I’d be surprised if Syracuse basketball isn’t among his top finalists when they get revealed.
The Blue Devils are receiving some analyst buzz in Estrella’s recruitment on the 247Sports Web site, but the Orange appears very much a significant contender for Estrella, who will suit up during his senior year for the powerhouse Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H.
By the way, during the latest round of games for the Under Armour Association in Chicago, the Middlesex Magic took on the Delaware-based WE R1 and another Syracuse basketball 2023 priority recruit, four-star point guard Elmarko Jackson.
The 6-foot-4 Jackson, who will attend the South Kent School in South Kent, Conn., for the 2022-23 stanza, tallied 15 points, five assists and three rebounds to help lead WE R1 to a 54-51 triumph.
In the setback, Joseph Estrella generated 15 points and five boards, while connecting on a highly efficient 7-of-11 from the field.