Syracuse Basketball: Heavy analyst buzz for Vols for 4-star Joseph Estrella

Syracuse basketball 2023 priority recruiting target Joseph Estrella is receiving a bunch of analyst predictions in the direction of another suitor.

While I always say to take these sorts of projections with a grain of salt, because they’re not always correct, it is a little concerning for the Orange that at least a half-dozen experts, as of Tuesday, are forecasting Estrella’s collegiate destination to be Southeastern Conference member Tennessee.

Of course, this analyst buzz doesn’t guarantee that the talented 6-foot-11 power forward/center will pick the Volunteers in early September.

Let’s not forget that numerous experts were projecting 2022 four-star guard Judah Mintz to DePaul, and he ended up choosing the ‘Cuse at the end of March.

Syracuse basketball continues to recruit four-star Joseph Estrella hard.

Joseph Estrella, a rising senior at the Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H., has said that he plans to reveal his commitment announcement on September 2 at the XL Sports World in Saco, Maine.

As of Tuesday, at least six predictions were made in the direction of Tennessee for Estrella between the 247Sports Web site, Rivals.com and the On3 Web site. There was also one projection to Iowa for Estrella on the 247Sports Web site.

It’s worth noting that of these Tennessee predictions, at least three were from national analysts, Travis Branham of 247Sports, Travis Graf of Rivals.com and Jamie Shaw of On3.

Both Branham and Shaw are giving their projections a high-confidence rating, and Shaw has put his at 95 percent.

This spring and summer on the AAU circuit, Joseph Estrella proved one of the best all-around performers in the 2023 cycle as he suited up for a terrific team, the New England-based Middlesex Magic in the Under Armour Association league.

As such, his scholarship offer sheet soared to more than two dozen, and Estrella has jumped in the 2023 national rankings. Multiple recruiting services now have him in the top 50, while On3 has placed Estrella in the top 20.

According to media reports and comments from recruiting insiders, Estrella is likely to commit to one of the four schools that he officially visited this summer, and those squads are Syracuse basketball, Tennessee, Iowa and Marquette.

The Orange coaching staff was the first team to offer a scholarship to Joseph Estrella, with that offer arriving last August at the squad’s annual Elite Camp.

That ‘Cuse coaches identified Estrella’s stellar skill-set early on, I’m hoping, will mean a lot to this young man when it comes time to announce his commitment.