Syracuse basketball, surprisingly, is not in top 5 for 4-star City Rocks guard

We noted in a column a couple of weeks ago that 2023 four-star combo guard Elijah Gertrude “absolutely” was eyeing an official visit to Syracuse basketball at some point, according to a recent interview he gave with college hoops insider Adam Zagoria.

Well, it doesn’t appear that such a visit is now going to happen. The 6-foot-3 Gertrude, one of the fastest-rising prospects in the rising-senior class, has disclosed a top five via his Twitter page, and the Orange didn’t make the cut.

To me, this is somewhat of a surprise, given the comments Gertrude recently made as it pertained to visiting the Hill. The ‘Cuse coaching staff offered a scholarship to him at the beginning of July, and some media reports said that Orange coaches have been in attendance for some of Gertrude’s AAU contests this summer.

Gertrude’s top five, by the way, consists of fellow Atlantic Coast Conference squad Virginia, 2022 national champion Kansas, Seton Hall, St. John’s and Rutgers.

Syracuse basketball is no longer in contention for four-star guard Elijah Gertrude.

During the 2022-23 season, Gertrude will be a senior at Hudson Catholic Regional High School in Jersey City, N.J. On the AAU circuit, he has proven a standout for the Albany City Rocks in Nike’s EYBL league.

A story from On3 national analyst Joe Tipton reports that over the summer, Gertrude tallied averages of 11.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per encounter, while connecting on 55 percent from the field and 43 percent from beyond the arc.

Throughout his recruitment, besides Syracuse basketball, Gertrude has landed offers from teams such as Kansas, Virginia, St. Bonaventure, Seton Hall, Pittsburgh, St. John’s, Iona, Saint Peter’s, Rutgers and Temple.

In Tipton’s piece, Gertrude said that he plans to take visits to each of his five finalists, and he’s planning for a commitment announcement in late September.

The primary recruiting services rate him as either three or four stars. When On3 recently refreshed its 2023 national rankings, Gertrude vaulted to four stars, No. 108 overall, No. 12 at combo guard and No. 7 in New Jersey.

I’m certainly disappointed that the Orange isn’t in the mix at this juncture for Gertrude, who by all accounts is a stellar guard in the rising-senior cycle.

That being said, as we recently noted, Syracuse basketball coaches continue to pursue several other top-flight guards in the 2023 class.