Syracuse Basketball: Chances with 4-star Joseph Estrella looking better

I published a piece on Tuesday night stating that three Duke predictions for 2023 four-star big man Joseph Estrella were removed from the 247Sports Web site, and I wondered to myself how this might “help” Syracuse basketball.

In all fairness, the 6-foot-11 Estrella holds around 25 offers at this juncture, and some of the main competition for the ‘Cuse includes a handful of strong programs.

Now, as I saw on Tuesday that those Blue Devils projections were no longer present on the 247Sports Web site, that got me thinking as to whether Duke was still heavily involved with this talented power forward/center, and also whether Estrella would still end up taking his planned official visit to the Blue Devils.

Those questions got answered on Wednesday, as On3 national analyst Jamie Shaw reported that Estrella was canceling his official visit to Duke on July 31. Additionally, Shaw reported that the “assumption is that the Blue Devils are no longer in the mix” for Estrella.

Syracuse basketball appears to have a good shot to prevail for Joseph Estrella.

Okay. With Duke potentially out of the picture for Estrella, I think it’s safe to say that this is a positive sign for the Orange’s chances with him.

However, to suggest that Syracuse basketball will end up landing Estrella simply because the Blue Devils may no longer be a factor is a foolish thing to suggest.

For one, Estrella has already taken official visits to Marquette and Tennessee. He’s about to take an official visit to Iowa, and then he will travel to the Hill for an official visit beginning on August 4, as first reported by SyracuseOnSI publisher Mike McAllister.

What’s more, Estrella has said in recent interviews that suitors such as Kansas and UConn have been recruiting him hard lately.

According to recruiting services, Louisville recently offered him, and the Cardinals are led by head coach Kenny Payne, who is an ace recruiter at the collegiate level.

But in my own personal opinion, I do think that Syracuse basketball seems in a solid spot with Estrella, who recently wrapped up a wonderful spring and summer AAU circuit with the New England-based Middlesex Magic out of the Under Armour Association league.

Naturally, we’ll have to see how his official visit to Central New York goes. That Iowa visit concerns me, and Kansas just won the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

Estrella, who will spend his senior year at the Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H., has said he’s planning to cut his list soon and would like to announce a commitment before his 2022-23 campaign at the Brewster Academy begins.

I imagine that Syracuse basketball will make Estrella’s list of finalists. On Wednesday, when news of the Duke official visit getting canceled came out, the Orange jumped into a slight lead in Estrella’s recruitment, according to the On3 recruiting prediction machine.

Under his bio on the 247Sports Web site, the ‘Cuse as of Wednesday was the only school to have a “warm” interest level for Estrella.

Take both of these things with a grain of salt. Do I feel better about the Orange’s chances with Estrella though? Absolutely, I do.