Syracuse Orange news: 4-star recruits explode, lacrosse rankings, more

Syracuse Orange basketball 2025 four-star priority recruiting target Jerry Easter II is having some kind of sophomore season for his high-school team in Ohio.

The 6-foot-4 guard, who was an All-American as a freshman when he averaged 25 points per game for the Emmanuel Christian School in Toledo, Ohio, has proven equally as awesome, if not better, during the current 2022-23 stanza.

Per social media posts, the consensus four-star Easter recently reached 1,000 career points for Emmanuel Christian while still in his sophomore term. He is reportedly the fastest player in team history to achieve that milestone, doing so in 34 contests.

https://twitter.com/TylerSeggerman/status/1624732202868129793?cxt=HHwWgoC-8ZHVmowtAAAA

Lately, Easter put up 51 points in one game, 37 points in a second encounter, and recorded a ridiculous quadruple-double in a third recent contest.

Per one tweet that I came across, in his two seasons for Emmanuel Christian, Easter is averaging around 30 points per affair. That’s impressive.

https://twitter.com/glhoward109/status/1624811766164213762?cxt=HHwWhMC-0arsvowtAAAA

Offered a scholarship by the Orange coaching staff last July, Easter has a slew of high-major offers and is generally deemed a top-50 prospect in his class. Candidly, I believe he is a five-star, top-25 player in the 2025 cycle.

As we noted in a recent column, Easter is mulling some potential upcoming campus visits, and Syracuse Orange basketball has been mentioned as a possible trip for him. Stay tuned.

Separately, another priority recruit for the ‘Cuse, 2024 four-star guard Jalil Bethea, recently dropped 40 points in a game for Archbishop Wood Catholic High School in Warminster, Pa.

The 6-foot-4 Bethea is having a stellar junior year for Archbishop Wood, and he is one of the top targets for the Orange in the 2024 cycle.

He has said in several recent interviews that Syracuse Orange basketball is recruiting him hard. The ‘Cuse offered Bethea last September. The following month, he took an official visit to the Hill.

Other Syracuse Orange news

Lacrosse teams climb in rankings
In this week’s ILWomen/IWLCA national rankings, the Syracuse Orange women’s lacrosse team (1-0) moved up one spot to No. 4 across the country, per SU Athletics.

The then-No. 5 ‘Cuse defeated then-No. 4 Northwestern, 16-15, at the JMA Wireless Dome this past Saturday in the 2023 campaign opener.

Up next for the Syracuse Orange women’s lacrosse squad is a home battle against No. 2 Maryland this Friday, Feb. 17, beginning at 3 pm. Talk about a challenging early slate for the ‘Cuse.

Heading over to the men’s side, the Syracuse Orange lacrosse group entered the top 20 after starting out the 2023 season at 3-0. To date in the young 2023 term, the ‘Cuse has conquered Vermont, Albany and Holy Cross, with all of these victories coming at home.

According to SU Athletics, in this week’s USILA/Dynamic Coaches poll, the ‘Cuse is No. 15. Over at the Inside Lacrosse Media poll, the squad is No. 18.

The Syracuse Orange men’s lacrosse team will next play in College Park, Md., against No. 4/No. 9 Maryland. The Terrapins and the ‘Cuse will get going at 1 pm on Saturday, Feb. 18.