Syracuse Basketball: Orange is making push to land a special 2024 class

Syracuse basketball recently landed its first verbal pledge in the 2024 class, four-star shooting guard Elijah Moore from New York City.

And while high-school prospects in the junior cycle could have a bit further to go in their respective recruitments, the Orange does appear to have some relatively strong recruiting momentum in 2024, according to experts.

One of the more recent developments is that the ‘Cuse coaching staff offered a scholarship to 2024 four-star point guard Curtis Givens III, a consensus top-100 player who competes for the nation’s No. 1 team, the powerhouse Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla.

Now, what I find interesting here is that Syracuse basketball coaches do have offers out to other 2024 point guards, so I’m curious how the Givens’ offer will play out in that respect.

Syracuse basketball is pursuing multiple 2024 four-star and five-star recruits.

Rivals.com national analyst Rob Cassidy recently said that the Orange is recruiting five-star point guard Boogie Fland from New York state hard.

Additionally, the ‘Cuse appears to be in the mix for four-star point guard Jalik Dunkley-Distant from Canada, although at 6-foot-7, I’ve seen recruiting services characterize him as a shooting guard/small forward (i.e., wing player) as well.

It’s possible the sentiment here is that Fland is likely a one-and-one player, while Givens and Dunkley-Distant are viewed as guys who would potentially stay in college for more than one season.

Naturally, some of my fellow ‘Cuse fans opined that after Syracuse basketball offered Givens, that meant the Orange must have fallen out of the running for Fland. Respectfully, I do not agree with that.

So that covers the point guard position. Moore, who I believe is trending toward top-50 status in the 2024 class, is a lethal shooting guard.

Now we move to the wing spot. Syracuse basketball, as far as I can tell, is in a great place with four-star Jalil Bethea from the Philadelphia area, who is characterized by some recruiting services as a point guard or shooting guard.

However, I could envision Bethea also evolving into a wing/small forward, similar to current freshman Justin Taylor. Bethea could handle the point if needed, but would more likely be a No. 2 or a No. 3.

The Orange is also firmly in the mix for four-star small forward Marcus Adams Jr. from California, who has the option available to be a member of either the 2023 or the 2024 class.

At power forward/center, keep an eye out for four-star Thomas Sorber from the Philadelphia region, four-star Donnie Freeman from Washington, D.C., and fast-rising Okku Federiko from Finland.

The ‘Cuse only recently offered Federiko. Media reports have said that Syracuse basketball coaches recently got back into the recruitment of Freeman. Sorber, to me, looks like more of a long shot.

Of course, as I said at the onset, the 2024 class is still a bit further out. We don’t know at this time what the Orange’s existing roster will look like, how many scholarships the team will ultimately have available in 2024, and what other players in the junior cycle the ‘Cuse may end up offering.

It’s true that Syracuse basketball didn’t hear its name called for former 2024 four-star or five-star targets such as Ian Jackson (North Carolina), Elliot Cadeau (UNC), Yves Missi (Baylor), Robert Wright III (Baylor) and Damarius Owens (Marquette).

And the Orange doesn’t appear a formidable contender for four-star wing Tyler Betsey, five-star wing Vyctorius Miller and five-star big man Derik Queen.

However, the ‘Cuse absolutely is in contention for some of the other 2024 players we talked about in this piece. And if Syracuse basketball can secure commitments from a few top-flight juniors to team up with Moore, the 2024 cycle has the makings of a special class for the Orange.