Syracuse Basketball: Orange in pursuit of 4-star, top-100 player from Texas

According to a national recruiting analyst, Syracuse basketball coaches are showing interest in a four-star, top-100 prospect from Texas in the junior class.

Kuol Atak is a 6-foot-9 power forward who attends Haltom High School in Haltom City, Texas.

In recent updates of 2024 national rankings from both 247Sports and Rivals.com, Atak made impressive leaps. Experts say they anticipate his rankings and his offer sheet to expand in the future.

Per recruiting services, Atak’s early offers are from teams such as Saint Louis, Mississippi State and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Syracuse basketball has interest in a four-star forward from Texas.

In recent articles from Rivals.com national analyst Travis Graf, college squads courting Atak include the Orange, Texas, TCU, California, SMU, Oklahoma and Northwestern, among others.

When 247Sports recently refreshed its 2024 national rankings, Atak jumped from No. 119 to No. 100 overall. At the time of this writing, the industry-generated 247Sports Composite placed him at No. 85 nationally, No. 14 at power forward and No. 5 in Texas.

"Eric Bossi, the national basketball director for 247Sports, recently said in part about Atak that he is “mobile, has length and he can really shoot the ball from deep. Guys with his size who can stretch floors that are also mobile and have a lot of physical upside, well they tend to see their stock soar. All Atak needs is for more coaches to take the time to go out and see him play and he could become one of the hottest names of the grassroots season.”"

Over at Rivals.com, in the past Atak was unranked in the 2024 cycle, then he checked in at No. 135. When Rivals.com made its most recent update, Atak moved up to No. 118 across the country.

"Graf said in part of Atak, “There’s not many 6-foot-9 forwards in any class that shoot the ball as well as Atak does. He shoots it very well off of (the) catch, off the bounce and off of movement.”"

To date, Syracuse basketball coaches have one verbal commitment in the 2024 class, from four-star shooting guard Elijah Moore out of Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, N.Y.

The Orange coaching staff is also pursuing numerous other 2024 players, including five-star point guard Boogie Fland, four-star point guard Curtis Givens III, four-star guard/wing Jalil Bethea and four-star big man Thomas Sorber.