Syracuse Basketball: SU prioritizing City Rocks wing, who will officially visit

Damarius Owens, who received a Syracuse basketball scholarship offer this past April, is expected to officially visit the Orange program this coming weekend, according to a report from Mike Waters of Syracuse.com.

The 6-foot-7 wing, who entered the national rankings for the 2024 class not too long ago, will take an official visit to the Hill from October 14 to October 15, per Waters.

His trip to Central New York, by the way, coincides with No. 18 Syracuse football (5-0) hosting top-15 N.C. State this coming Saturday afternoon at the JMA Wireless Dome.

While Owens, a talented and underrated guard/forward, is presently a three-star, top-150 national prospect according to several recruiting services, some experts have said of late that Owens could continue to see his 2024 ratings rise in the future.

Syracuse basketball will soon host three-star wing Damarius Owens on an official visit.

Owens is a member of the Albany City Rocks in Nike’s EYBL league, a strong grassroots basketball program that has seen numerous of its alumni go on to play for the ‘Cuse.

He is a junior at the Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio, although Owens previously suited up for the Aquinas Institute in Rochester, N.Y.

Amid the fall recruiting period where college coaches can watch recruiting targets in off-campus settings like open gyms, the Syracuse basketball coaching staff was recently in attendance at the Western Reserve Academy, Owens said on Twitter.

He is starting to grab some big-time offers, with Alabama and Virginia Tech among those who recently offered scholarships to Owens.

His offer sheet also includes Dayton, Marquette, St. Bonaventure, Creighton, Iona, Cincinnati, UMass, UMBC and Siena.

I’m highly encouraged that Owens is taking an official visit to the Orange. As Waters also reported, 2024 four-star shooting guard Elijah Moore from New York City will also travel to the ‘Cuse this coming weekend for an official visit.

While Syracuse basketball coaches have offered a range of 2024 prospects, including numerous five-star players who are ranked inside the top 25 in this cycle, I’m getting a sense that Owens and Moore have emerged as high-priority recruits for the Orange in this class.

Both of these underrated 2024 prospects participated in the ‘Cuse Elite Camp in late August. So for them to schedule official visits to Syracuse basketball not too long after they made unofficial visits for the Orange’s annual Elite Camp is a tremendously encouraging sign.

When I penned this column, Owens was No. 111 nationally from 247Sports, No. 129 via On3, No. 131 per the industry-generated On3 Consensus, and No. 149 according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite.

He is also deemed a top-25 forward in the 2024 cycle, according to several recruiting Web sites.