Syracuse basketball landing an official visit from senior big man is critical

Syracuse basketball coaches are still looking for their first commitment in the 2023 cycle, after having offered scholarships to more than 20 prospects in the senior class.

At this juncture, and to the best of my knowledge, the Orange is in pursuit of two high-school players with ties to the 2023 class. One is big man William Patterson from New York City.

The other is four-star small forward Marcus Adams Jr. of Narbonne High School in Los Angeles and the Los Angeles-based Elev8 Elite, which is an Adidas-sponsored AAU program.

The 6-foot-8 Adams, offered by the ‘Cuse in late December, took an official visit to the Hill in late January. He has the option available to be a member of either the 2023 or the 2024 class.

Now word has come out that 2023 big man William Patterson will make a trip to Syracuse basketball.

Patterson, an underrated 7-foot-2 power forward/center, was offered by the Orange coaching staff around the time of the team’s annual Elite Camp in late August of 2022.

Per an article from SyracuseOnSI publisher Mike McAllister, Patterson is expected to take an official visit to the ‘Cuse this coming weekend, and he plans to be in attendance when Syracuse basketball hosts fellow Atlantic Coast Conference squad Duke in the early evening on Saturday, Feb. 18.

Patterson’s offer sheet also includes college squads such as TCU, Oklahoma State and Rutgers. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native is a senior at The Patrick School in Hillside, N.J.

According to McAllister’s report, Patterson is eyeing a potential commitment announcement in April, so I’ll of course continue to monitor his recruiting process.

In some recent interviews, Patterson has spoken highly of the Orange program, saying he has developed a strong relationship with the ‘Cuse coaching staff.

Getting Patterson on campus this weekend for an official visit, after he took an unofficial visit to Central New York last August, is big-time development as Syracuse basketball attempts to prevail in his recruitment.

Hopefully, the Orange can knock off the Blue Devils this Saturday evening. Not only will Patterson be at the JMA Wireless Dome then, but Adam Weitsman has said his courtside guest for that ACC encounter is expected to be Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin.

Because the ‘Cuse hauled in a six-member 2022 class, and a young big-man transfer, this past off-season, by design, the Orange’s 2023 cycle was always likely to be relatively small.

However, if Syracuse basketball could land a commitment from either Patterson or Adams – or potentially even both of them – that would provide a solid recruiting boost for the team moving forward.