Syracuse basketball expected to make cut when City Rocks wing trims list

Syracuse basketball coaches continue to prioritize several recruits in the 2024 cycle, including Rochester, N.Y., native Damarius Owens, who is a fast-rising three-star wing in the junior class.

The 6-foot-7 Owens, who has seen his 2024 national rankings climb while his offer sheet keeps on growing, took an official visit to the Hill in mid-October. Per media reports, Owens’ trip to the ‘Cuse went quite well.

However, Owens has said that he is exploring other college teams and plans to make other official visits.

According to a recent article from SyracuseOnSI publisher Mike McAllister, Owens “hopes to be able to decide around this time next year.”

Syracuse basketball is prioritizing 2024 three-star wing Damarius Owens.

Previously, Owens competed for the Aquinas Institute in Rochester, but these days he is a junior for the Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio.

In grassroots basketball, Owens suits up for the Albany City Rocks in Nike’s EYBL league, which is an AAU program that Orange coaches know extremely well.

This past April, Syracuse basketball offered a scholarship to Owens. One of his more recent offers is from Big East Conference member Xavier.

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

When I penned this column, multiple recruiting services rated Owens as a three-star player in 2024, although I’ve come across numerous reports and observations on social media from experts that suggest Owens can continue to climb up the national rankings in his class.

At the time of this writing, Owens was No. 111 from 247Sports, No. 129 from On3, No. 131 from the industry-generated On3 Consensus, and No. 149 from the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. Additionally, ESPN deems him a four-star prospect.

In addition to his official visit to the Orange last month, Owens also went on an unofficial visit to the ‘Cuse in late August to participate in the squad’s annual Elite Camp.

"Regarding his official visit, Owens said to McAllister that his trip “gave me a better understanding with what they have planned for me and what they want to do as a program. Syracuse will definitely be one of my choices when I decide to cut down my options of schools but I’m excited to see what other programs have planned for me and my future.”"