Syracuse Basketball: Analyst prediction for 4-star target Joseph Estrella

Syracuse basketball is set to welcome 2023 high-priority recruiting target Joseph Estrella to the Hill for an official visit starting on August 4, and the Orange appears to be one of several schools still in the running for the talented four-star big man.

The 6-foot-11 power forward/center, whose stock has blown up this spring and summer as he has shined in grassroots basketball for the Middlesex Magic in the Under Armour Association league, has around 25 scholarship offers from a range of high-major programs.

However, according to numerous recent media reports, it seems that Estrella may have a handful of suitors that he’s most focused on, including the ‘Cuse, Iowa and Tennessee.

He officially visited the Volunteers earlier this summer and made a trip to Iowa just a few days ago. Estrella has also taken an official visit to Marquette, and two other teams that have been reportedly linked to him lately are Kansas and Gonzaga.

Syracuse basketball needs to wow four-star Joseph Estrella on his official visit.

On August 3, David Eickholt logged a prediction in the direction of Iowa for Estrella on the 247Sports Web site. Eickholt, who is an Iowa Hawkeyes insider for 247Sports, gave his projection for Estrella a medium confidence level at this juncture.

Under Estrella’s bio on the 247Sports Web site, Syracuse basketball, Tennessee and Iowa are listed as having a “warm” interest level in his recruiting process.

Over on the On3 Web site, the recruiting prediction machine seems to have the Orange, the Volunteers and the Hawkeyes as among the perceived favorites for Estrella at this juncture.

Is Iowa the leader for Estrella at present? Maybe. Maybe not. I have read some chatter online that his recruitment could come down to Iowa and Tennessee, with Syracuse basketball presently on the outside looking in.

That being said, if the Orange crushes things with Estrella on his official visit to Central New York, things may look different in a few days’ time.

As I’ve opined on numerous occasions, Syracuse basketball coaches were the first to offer Estrella, with that offer coming about a year ago, and he has said the ‘Cuse offering him first means something.

We’ve already detailed that Duke is no longer in the picture, which to me helps all of Estrella’s top remaining suitors. We’ve also seen how these sorts of crystal-ball predictions can ebb and flow.

So I’m passing along the information about the Iowa projection in Estrella’s recruitment, because I know that a lot of my fellow Syracuse basketball fans are watching his recruiting process closely.

By no means, however, do I personally think that Iowa is guaranteed to land Estrella, or that the Orange doesn’t have a chance here.

Let’s see how the next few days go for the rising senior at the Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H., as it pertains to his official visit with the ‘Cuse.

Syracuse basketball coaches have a golden opportunity to showcase what they believe Estrella can do on the Hill were he to suit up in an Orange uniform down the line.