Syracuse Orange news: 4-star in big battle, Nick Monroe, fall sports, more

Get your popcorn ready, as one of the top recruiting targets for Syracuse Orange basketball in the 2024 class will face off with one of the nation’s premier teams on Sunday night at a showcase high-school hoops event.

Per Thomas Frey on maxpreps.com, on Sunday, Jan. 15, beginning at 9 pm, Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, N.Y., will go toe to toe with the Imhotep Institute Charter High School in Philadelphia as part of the 2023 Spalding Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass.

The Spalding Hoophall Classic, annually, is one of the best, if not the premier, high-school basketball showcase, and it has a loaded field in 2023, with games taking place between January 12 and January 16 at the Blake Arena on the campus of Springfield College.

Frey has included the full line-up of contests in his piece, along with television and live-streaming information. But we’re focused on Cardinal Hayes versus Imhotep Institute Charter. One of the stars for Cardinal Hayes is 2024 four-star shooting guard Elijah Moore, who just put Syracuse Orange basketball in his top five and has visited the Hill twice.

Imhotep Institute Charter, one of the best squads nationwide in the current 2022-23 season, is led by 2023 five-star small forward Justin Edwards, who has pledged to Kentucky and had held a scholarship offer from the Orange.

Edwards, when I wrote this piece, was rated the No. 1 national prospect across the country in the 2023 cycle, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite.

We will certainly keep tabs on this enticing affair. It’s appointment TV, in my humble opinion.

Other Syracuse Orange news

Wishing Peter Carey a speedy recovery
After Syracuse Orange basketball defeated Virginia Tech at home by 10 points last Wednesday night, head coach Jim Boeheim said that, unfortunately, freshman big man Peter Carey will miss the rest of the 2022-23 stanza.

According to Boeheim, the 6-foot-11 center recently had a surgical procedure done on his right knee and will take a medical redshirt this season.

Carey, part of a solid six-member 2022 class for the ‘Cuse, has barely played in 2022-23, and I kind of figured he might redshirt anyway. But of course, we don’t want him to be injured, and we’re hoping he recovers quickly.

Assuming senior center Jesse Edwards doesn’t return for a fifth year, Carey could be in the mix for consistent minutes at the center spot in 2023-24.

Nick Monroe opens up
There have been a bunch of coaching changes on the Syracuse Orange football staff of late, and word broke a few days ago that Nick Monroe would be departing the Hill to become the co-defensive coordinator at Big Ten Conference member Minnesota.

Monroe is an excellent recruiter who came to the ‘Cuse in 2016 and, most recently, served as the team’s defensive passing game coordinator. Many Syracuse Orange football fans, myself included, are bummed about Monroe moving on, but I’m also wishing him all the best in the Big Ten.

In a recent and poignant Q&A with SyracuseOnSI publisher Mike McAllister, Monroe shared a lot of lovely insights about why he’s going to Minnesota and what his time in Central New York has meant to him. Please carve out some time for this interview.

Bring your dogs to the Dome!
‘Cuse fans have been encouraged to bring their dogs to the JMA Wireless Dome for Doggy Day on Sunday, Jan. 15, when the Syracuse Orange women’s basketball squad will host No. 7 Notre Dame beginning at 2 pm.

If you’re interested, all of the pertinent details that you’ll need are found in this press release from SU Athletics. The ‘Cuse (13-4, 4-2 in the ACC), in its last outing, won at Boston College, 83-73, this past Thursday evening.

NCAA/recruiting news

ACC crushed things in fall sports
Sticking with the Syracuse Orange but branching out to all of collegiate athletics, the Learfield Directors’ Cup Division I fall standings were recently unveiled. Eight Atlantic Coast Conference programs are in the top 20, which is fabulous.

In this all-around fall sports competition, the ‘Cuse is No. 5 nationally, an awesome achievement. In total, five Syracuse Orange sports teams made it to post-season play this past fall, and those squads were men’s soccer, field hockey, football, and men’s and women’s cross country.

As we all know by now, Syracuse Orange men’s soccer captured the team’s first-ever national title, defeating Indiana in penalty kicks in a thrilling NCAA championship game.