Syracuse basketball 4-star target sets UCLA visit, won’t unofficially visit SU

Four-star small forward Marcus Adams Jr. and his younger brother will not take an unofficial visit to Syracuse basketball this coming weekend for the Orange’s 2022-23 regular-season finale on Saturday, March 4, against Wake Forest at the JMA Wireless Dome.

Instead, from March 3 to March 5, the 6-foot-8 Adams will take an official visit to UCLA, he said on Twitter.

On February 28, Adams said that he was planning to announce a top three list of contenders still in the running for him, but he said on social media that he was delaying that news.

https://twitter.com/marcusadams21/status/1630663938630356993

I noted in a column not too long ago, that Adams, his younger brother (‘Cuse recruit Maximo Adams, a 2026 small forward), their parents and their AAU coach were eyeing an unofficial visit to the Hill for the Wake Forest game.

But now Marcus Adams Jr. will be making an official visit to the Bruins instead.

Syracuse basketball faces stiff competition for four-star small forward Marcus Adams Jr.

Adams, a top-65 player nationally according to 247Sports, is a standout at Narbonne High School in the Harbor City area of Los Angeles and suits up in AAU competitions for the Los Angeles-based Elev8 Elite, an Adidas-sponsored program.

He received a scholarship offer from the ‘Cuse last December. In late January, he took an official visit to Syracuse basketball. A few days later, Adams included the Orange in his top five, but he has said his recruitment remains open.

https://twitter.com/marcusadams21/status/1630618859748335618

In recent interviews, Adams has also said that he is planning to unveil a new list of his top schools. Last weekend, he took an official visit to Kansas, which won the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

Media reports indicate that his trip to the Jayhawks went quite well. Cory DeSanti, the head coach of Elev8 Elite, has told me that Adams’ official visit to the ‘Cuse also went well, and Adams is high on the Syracuse basketball program.

That being said, if Kansas and UCLA end up being the biggest threats to the Orange winning out in Adams’ recruitment, this is a tough challenge for the ‘Cuse to overcome.

Not only did Kansas cut down the nets in early April of 2022, but the Jayhawks are poised to be a No. 1 seed in this spring’s Big Dance and possibly repeat as national champions.

The Bruins, meanwhile, are Adams’ hometown college squad. UCLA, similar to Kansas, is a significant contender for a No. 1 seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament and clinched the Pac-12 Conference’s regular-season crown a couple of days ago.

In an article published on February 28 by 247Sports national analyst Dushawn London, Adams said that “if everything goes as planned,” he could make a college decision “in two weeks.”

I’ll of course continue to closely monitor Adams’ recruiting process. He has the option available to be a member of either the 2023 or the 2024 class.