Syracuse Basketball: ‘Cuse pursuing talented 4-star big man in 2023 class

Syracuse basketball is reportedly showing interest in 2023 four-star big man Drew Fielder, who plays prep-school and AAU ball on the west coast.

According to a tweet from Pro Insight director of scouting Andrew Slater, the Orange is among a bevy of teams in the hunt for the 6-foot-9 power forward/center.

Fielder, who holds more than two-dozen scholarship offers, is rated as four stars by both 247Sports and On3. He is entering his senior year at the Southern California Academy in Northridge, Calif.

In recent months, Fielder earned a lot of praise from national recruiting analysts and scouts for his performances on the AAU circuit for the Los Angeles-based West Coast Elite in the Under Armour Association league.

In July, West Coast Elite made it to the UAA final in Bedford Park, Ill., where it fell by two points to the Baltimore-based Team Thrill, a squad led by 2024 five-star big man Derik Queen.

The 6-foot-9 Queen, a rising junior at the powerhouse Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla., was offered a scholarship by the ‘Cuse last October.

Syracuse basketball has interest in 2023 four-star big man Drew Fielder.

Per Slater’s tweet, Fielder is expected to take an official visit to Southern California in the near future. Besides the Orange and USC, other teams in pursuit of Fielder are Iowa, Boston College, Miami, TCU, Nebraska, St. John’s, Providence, Colorado, Boise State, Oregon State, Loyola Marymount and St. Mary’s.

I reviewed the primary recruiting services, and it looks like Fielder has amassed more than 25 offers. His offer sheet includes Arizona State, Maryland, TCU, Southern Cal, St. John’s, Providence, Boston College, Miami, Iowa, Nebraska, Creighton and Washington State.

When I wrote this column, 247Sports had Fielder at No. 111 overall and the No. 16 center in the 2023 cycle. On3, meanwhile, put him at No. 103 nationally and No. 20 at power forward.

Adam Finkelstein, the director of scouting for 247Sports, recently published a detailed evaluation of Fielder’s skill-set that you can check out by clicking here.

A few days ago, we published an article stating that, to date, Syracuse basketball has offered more than 20 prospects in the 2023 class, with no commitments as of yet.

A long-time priority recruit for the Orange, 2023 four-star big man Joseph Estrella of the Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H., will announce his college choice on September 2. Analysts expect that he will pick Tennessee.

As such, the ‘Cuse recently offered 2023 big man William Patterson out of the Bishop Walsh School in Cumberland, Md. The 7-foot power forward/center just participated in the Orange’s annual Elite Camp.

And now, according to Slater, Syracuse basketball may be making a run at Fielder. We’ll of course continue to monitor his recruiting process moving forward.