Syracuse basketball priority 4-stars honored for performances at UAA finals

Two of the top recruiting targets for Syracuse basketball in the 2023 class were among the best all-around performers when the Under Armour Association (“UAA”) league recently held its season-ending tournament in the Chicago area.

In a recent piece, Sam Lance of zagsblog.com named four-star point guard Elmarko Jackson to his All-UAA Finals first team, while four-star big man Joseph Estrella received inclusion on the All-UAA Finals second squad.

In the UAA league, the 6-foot-4 Jackson suits up for the Delaware-based WE R1. During the recently held UAA finals, Jackson averaged 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game, according to Lance.

Meanwhile, the 6-foot-11 Estrella, a fast-rising power forward/center, is a stand-out for the New England-based Middlesex Magic, which was one of the top UAA groups during spring and summer competitions in grassroots basketball.

Per Lance’s piece, Estrella averaged 14.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per encounter, while connecting on 50.7 percent from the field as a whole.

Two Syracuse basketball four-star recruits were stellar during the UAA finals.

Jackson, offered by the Orange this past April, is a rising senior at the South Kent School in South Kent, Conn. His offer sheet is massive, with scholarship offers from teams such as Louisville, Ohio State, UCLA, Villanova, Kansas, Michigan, Texas, Indiana, Virginia, LSU, Oklahoma, Tennessee, DePaul, Pittsburgh, Nebraska, Rutgers, Notre Dame, Kansas State, St. John’s, Penn State, Miami, Minnesota, Maryland, VCU, Bryant, La Salle, Ole Miss, Seton Hall and California.

According to various media reports, Jackson plans to trim down his list of contenders in the next few weeks, and I’m hopeful that the ‘Cuse makes the cut.

Not too long ago, Jackson told Lance of zagsblog.com that the eight teams that have been recruiting him the hardest were Miami, Maryland, Virginia, Michigan, UCLA, Ohio State, Indiana and VCU.

Estrella is planning to take an official visit to the Hill beginning on August 4, as first reported by SyracuseOnSI publisher Mike McAllister.

He will spend his senior year at the Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H. Estrella is one of the hottest prospects in the 2023 cycle, and he has amassed around two-dozen offers.

As we noted in a recent piece, some recent developments have us encouraged that Syracuse basketball is going to be a significant contender for Estrella, and we believe that the ‘Cuse has a good shot to potentially land him.

By the way, at the UAA finals’ championship game, the Baltimore-based Team Thrill defeated the Los Angeles-based West Coast Elite, 51-49, to win the grand prize.

A star for Team Thrill is 2024 five-star big man Derik Queen, who was offered by Syracuse basketball last October. The 6-foot-9 power forward is a rising junior at the powerhouse Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla.

Queen was named to the All-UAA Finals second team after averaging 13.8 points and 11.0 rebounds a game while hitting on 49.3 percent from the field in Bedford Park, Ill.