4-star Elijah Moore gives Syracuse basketball critical recruiting momentum

At the end of March in 2022, Syracuse basketball received a commitment from 2022 four-star guard Judah Mintz, and he was the last high-school player who had pledged to the Orange until this past Saturday, when 2024 four-star shooting guard Elijah Moore announced his verbal commitment to the ‘Cuse.

It’s been thoroughly documented by myself and many other Syracuse basketball writers out there that the ‘Cuse still has yet to land a commitment in the 2023 class, despite having offered more than 20 prospects in the senior cycle, and the 6-foot-4 Moore is the team’s first pledge in the junior class.

Now, in all fairness, Mintz was part of a six-member 2022 class for the Orange, and the squad also picked up a young big-man transfer. So by design, unless the ‘Cuse sees a lot of players on its current roster hit the NCAA’s transfer portal after the current 2022-23 stanza, Syracuse basketball coaches were always likely expecting a small 2023 recruiting cycle.

But, from my perspective – and multiple national analysts have chimed in on this topic – the optics of the Orange having offered more than 20 guys in the senior class and not landing one commitment to date don’t look good.

Syracuse basketball got a strong recruiting jolt with the commitment of 2024 four-star shooting guard Elijah Moore.

A big topic of discussion these days, among recruiting experts, journalists and ‘Cuse fans, centers on Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim. When will Boeheim retire, and who is going to replace him? What are Boeheim and his assistant coaches telling recruits?

Is the uncertainty over the Orange’s head-coaching succession plan something that other college teams are trying to use against Syracuse basketball on the recruiting trail? (I personally believe the answer to this question is “yes.”)

In the days after Moore announced his verbal commitment to the ‘Cuse, numerous national recruiting analysts and scouts noted that his pledge to Syracuse basketball should give the Orange a boost of recruiting momentum.

"As Rivals.com national analyst Rob Cassidy wrote in a recent article, “It’s been a while since Syracuse landed a high school commit. The Orange still have not signed a prospect in the 2023 recruiting class and, until today, were also staring down an empty cupboard in 2024. The selective nature is, in part, due to a young roster, but a tad of worry about the team’s performance on the trail had begun to set in. Either way, the hot-shooting Moore is a welcomed slump-buster.”"

Adam Finkelstein, 247Sports’ director of scouting, said of Moore’s commitment to the Orange, “Beyond his impact between the lines, he also gives them a clear boost of recruiting momentum on the trail. (Jim) Boeheim is currently 78 years old and Syracuse’s recruiting efforts in recent years have undoubtedly been challenged by the university’s lack of a succession plan. While that surely remains an issue for some, landing one of the top prospects in the northeast region, while he remains in the junior class, should provide some optimism about Syracuse’s immediate future that they can parlay with similarly talented local recruits.”

Over the weekend, Moore picked the ‘Cuse over other finalists Alabama, Arkansas, Miami and Oklahoma State. He is rated as a top-80 national prospect and a top-20 shooting guard in the 2024 class, according to several recruiting services.

Moore is a junior at Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, N.Y., and he competes on the AAU circuit for the Bronx, N.Y.-based Wiz Kids in the Adidas league. He had officially visited Syracuse basketball in October of last year and also took an unofficial visit to the Hill last August to participate in the Orange’s annual Elite Camp.

Beyond the lack of commitments in the 2023 cycle, the ‘Cuse has also offered about 15 players in the 2024 class, with some unfortunate misses lately. But the Orange prioritized Moore ever since offering him a scholarship in April of 2022, and he provides them with an awesome first pledge in the 2024 cycle.

Moore has verbally agreed to a major NIL deal with businessman and top SU booster Adam Weitsman. Weitsman has also made big NIL offers to several other high-school players in the 2023 and 2024 classes who hold Syracuse basketball scholarship offers.