Syracuse Basketball: Blue-bloods UNC, Kentucky prioritizing 5-star target

Media reports in recent months have suggested that Syracuse basketball coaches are in regular communication with 2024 five-star prospect Elliot Cadeau, who is ranked the No. 1 point guard in this class, per several recruiting services.

In fact, I’ve read a couple of interviews where the 6-foot-1 Cadeau has said that the Orange, Texas Tech and Tennessee were reaching out to him the most.

That being said, the contact period opened up for 2024 players on June 15, which means Cadeau’s number of suitors is naturally going to grow, given that he’s a top-tier point guard and a top-10 overall prospect in the rising-junior cycle.

Some of his more recent scholarship offers have arrived from squads such as North Carolina, which was the runner-up in this spring’s NCAA Tournament, Louisville, Georgetown and Norfolk State.

The Orange offered Cadeau last November, and his other offers include from 2022 national champion Kansas, Maryland, Seton Hall, Providence, St. John’s, Texas Tech, Tennessee, Oklahoma State, TCU, UMass, Howard and Siena.

Syracuse basketball faces heated competition for five-star PG Elliot Cadeau.

In a recent interview with On3 national analyst Jamie Shaw, Cadeau said that he’s taking an official visit to Texas Tech on September 24. He added that he plans to go on an official visit to UNC.

Besides those two squads, Cadeau said in the On3 piece that he’s hearing a lot from Tennessee, 2021 NCAA Tournament winner Baylor and recruiting juggernaut Kentucky.

I didn’t see a mention of Syracuse basketball in Shaw’s article, which is a bummer, but that doesn’t mean the Orange isn’t in pursuit of Cadeau, who was really good on the recently concluded AAU circuit.

In grassroots basketball, he runs with the New York City-based New Heights Lightning in Nike’s EYBL league. At the EYBL’s recently held Peach Jam tournament in North Augusta, S.C., Cadeau was lauded by national analysts and scouts for his play.

What’s more, according to reports, the Orange coaching staff was in attendance for at least one of his games during Peach Jam in late July.

As a sophomore, Cadeau went to Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell, N.J. But we’ve noted a couple of times lately that Cadeau is transferring for his junior year to the Link Academy in Branson, Mo., which was one of the top prep-school squads across the country in the 2021-22 term.

If I had to venture a guess, I’d say that it’s probably an uphill battle for Syracuse basketball to prevail in Cadeau’s recruitment.

"He said in part to Shaw, “I obviously want to go to a team that wins a lot. I want to play for a coach with a play style that allows me to showcase my talents and make me stand out to NBA scouts.”"