Syracuse Basketball: Nation’s top two teams feature 5-stars with SU offers

In new high-school hoops rankings this week, the country’s No. 1 and No. 2 teams boast line-ups that include five-star juniors who hold scholarship offers from Syracuse basketball.

Without question, the 2022-23 season for high-school squads is in its infancy, but so far in the present term, two teams that have proven impressive are the AZ Compass Prep School in Chandler, Ariz., and the Link Academy in Branson, Mo.

Both of these powerhouse groups earned invites to the prestigious 2022 GEICO Nationals this past spring, and each is viewed as a significant national-championship contender in the 2022-23 stanza, according to many high-school hoops experts.

When The HS Circuit disclosed its updated top 25 this week via Twitter, the AZ Compass Prep School checked in at No. 1 nationally, while the Link Academy is No. 2 overall.

Five-star prospects with Syracuse basketball offers play on juggernaut squads.

One of the standouts for the AZ Compass Prep School is 2024 five-star wing Vyctorius Miller.

The 6-foot-5 shooting guard/small forward transferred to AZ Compass Prep from Crean Lutheran High School in Irvine, Calif., for his junior year.

Per several recruiting Web sites, Miller has received an offer from the Orange, although it’s not clear to me when that offer might have been doled out by the ‘Cuse.

In a new article from On3 national analyst Jamie Shaw, Miller notes that he has taken an unofficial visit to Kansas. He is discussing possible visits to Southern California and LSU, and Kentucky is showing interest in Miller, according to the On3 report.

For the 2022-23 stanza, AZ Compass Prep was one of two new teams to join the loaded National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (“NIBC”), which now has 10 members.

And how’s this for its NIBC debut? Over the past week or so, AZ Compass Prep beat the Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla., and the Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kan.

In the 2021-22 campaign, for context, the Sunrise Christian Academy captured the NIBC title, while the Montverde Academy cut down the nets at the GEICO Nationals.

By the way, the runner-up at the 2022 GEICO Nationals was the Link Academy, whose roster features 2024 five-star point guard Elliot Cadeau.

At the end of October, the 6-foot-1 Cadeau put Syracuse basketball in his top six, along with North Carolina, Louisville, Kansas, Texas Tech and Texas.

Cadeau, who previously suited up for Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell, N.J., has recently taken official visits to Louisville, North Carolina and Texas Tech. He has said he may look to travel to the Orange for an official visit as well.