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Syracuse Basketball: 5-star Canadian target, in top 10, ‘top-drawer athlete’

Neil Adler
Neil Adler

Inside the Loud House

Syracuse basketball (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)

As a member of the 2025 class, ultra-talented Canadian wing Efeosa Oliogu likely has a way to go in his recruiting process, although he’s already amassed nearly 20 scholarship offers from a range of high-major programs, including Syracuse basketball.

The Orange coaching staff officially got into the fray for the 6-foot-6 guard/forward last August, when the ‘Cuse offered him while Oliogu competed in the team’s annual Elite Camp.

Per his Twitter page, one of his more recent offers arrived from Big Ten Conference member Maryland. But the Orange and the Terrapins are just the tip of the iceberg for Oliogu, who is rated four or five stars depending on the recruiting service.

His offer sheet also includes teams such as Alabama, Oregon, Providence, TCU, Rutgers, UCF, Seton Hall, DePaul, Washington State, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and Siena, among others.

Analysts and scouts rave about the athleticism of Syracuse basketball recruit Efeosa Oliogu.

Oliogu is a sophomore at the United Scholastic Academy in Toronto. In the most recent AAU circuit, he ran with the Toronto-based Canada Elite in the Under Armour Association league.

Not all of the primary recruiting services have included Oliogu in their 2025 rankings, and a reason why is that not all recruiting Web sites include Canadian prospects in their ratings. Personally, I think that’s lame, but it is what it is.

In any event, within the 2025 cycle, let’s examine where Oliogu resides.

At this juncture, On3 is the most bullish on him, placing Oliogu at No. 6 overall, No. 3 at small forward and No. 1 in Ontario. Next Up Recruits rates him at No. 28 overall.

Over at 247Sports, Oliogu is No. 40 overall, No. 9 at small forward and No. 1 in Ontario.

And the industry-generated On3 Consensus, at the time of this writing, had Oliogu at No. 35 overall, No. 6 at small forward and No. 1 in Ontario.

Based on his play and a lot of comments that I’ve read about him from recruiting experts, I could envision Oliogu ending up as a consensus five-star, top-25 player in his class.

In late January, Oliogu suited up at the R1A Classic in the Baltimore area.

According to Cerebro Sports, in two games, Oliogu averaged 15 points, 5.5 rebounds, three assists, three steals, and one block in just 22.5 minutes per encounter. He also hit on an impressive 68.4 percent from the field.

In a write-up for Cerebro Sports, Tyler McKittrick said that Oliogu is “a powerful, top-drawer athlete with exceptional bounce. Thrives as a slasher and is dynamic in transition.”

Dushawn London, a national analyst with 247Sports, was also at the R1A Classic. He included Oliogu among his stand-out performers at the event.

"London wrote in part that Oliogu “has broad shoulders, gets downhill, finishes through contact, and is a creative finisher. His athleticism allows him to be a lob threat and an overall scoring threat.”"

I imagine that many more impressive suitors will start entering Oliogu’s recruitment. I do hope that Syracuse basketball can become a viable contender for him.

Neil Adler

Neil Adler

Since 2016, Neil has served as a writer with Inside The Loud House, while also taking on the role of editor in 2020. Neil, a graduate of Syracuse University in 2000, primarily covers 'Cuse basketball, football, recruiting, NIL and conference realignment issues. Neil has been an avid Syracuse sports enthusiast dating back to the 1980s. While with Loud House, Neil is regularly heard on the radio in Central New York, while also participating in numerous podcasts related to the 'Cuse. His exclusive reports are often picked up by other media outlets, too. When not writing about Syracuse sports, Neil also co-owns a marketing agency in the Washington, D.C., market. He loves playing hoops and buying basketball cards with his son, spending time with his parents, brother and nephews, and listening to Duran Duran.