Syracuse Basketball: 3-star NYC big man gives SU, finally, a 2023 commit

After offering scholarships to more than 20-plus prospects in the 2023 class, Syracuse basketball finally corralled its first verbal commitment in the senior cycle, as three-star big man William Patterson from New York City said on Instagram this week that he will be suiting up for the Orange down the line.

Last weekend, the emerging 7-foot-2 power forward/center took an official visit to the Hill, and Patterson was in attendance when the ‘Cuse hosted Duke.

Syracuse basketball, unfortunately, lost to the Blue Devils by 22 points, although the Orange did have more than 31,000 fans in attendance, the largest crowd to date during the 2022-23 term in Division I men’s basketball.

Once Patterson disclosed via Instagram that he would be announcing his college decision this past Monday, not long after his official visit to the ‘Cuse, I felt extremely confident that Syracuse basketball would hear its name called when Patterson revealed his commitment decision.

First and foremost, a huge congratulation to William Patterson and a big welcome from Orange Nation to him.

Syracuse basketball now has its first verbal commitment in the 2023 class.

Patterson was offered by the Orange coaching staff around the time of the team’s annual Elite Camp in late August of 2022. His offer sheet also included teams such as TCU, Oklahoma State and Rutgers.

A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Patterson is a senior at The Patrick School in Hillside, N.J. A year ago, he competed for the Bishop Walsh School in Cumberland, Md., which is a member of the loaded 10-team National Interscholastic Basketball Conference.

In several recent interviews prior to his commitment announcement, Patterson cited a strong relationship with Syracuse basketball coaches, led by Orange assistant coach Allen Griffin.

Most of the primary recruiting services don’t have Patterson within their 2023 national rankings. Patterson is praised by analysts and scouts for his shot-blocking prowess, his athleticism for a player of his size, and his defensive instincts.

Experts say that Patterson needs to continue working on his offensive skill set. In the senior cycle, On3 does rate him as three stars, No. 33 at center and No. 10 in New York state.

Of the 20-plus scholarship offers made by the ‘Cuse coaching staff to 2023 players, several of those offers went out to power forwards/centers, such as four-star Papa Kante (Michigan), four-star Joseph Estrella (Tennessee), four-star Drew Fielder (Providence), four-star Isaiah Miranda (N.C. State) and four-star Ugonna Kingsley (Kentucky).

While Patterson isn’t as highly touted in the senior cycle as these other former Syracuse basketball targets, he does have promise and potential as a multi-year player who could shine in the Orange’s zone defense.

Additionally, it’s been assumed that the ‘Cuse wouldn’t have a large 2023 class after hauling in a six-member 2022 cycle and an underclassman big-man transfer this past off-season.

But the Orange grabbing at least one high-school commit in the 2023 class is encouraging. Plus, Syracuse basketball remains in the mix for four-star small forward Marcus Adams Jr., who has the option to be in either the 2023 or the 2024 recruiting cycle.