Syracuse Basketball: Former 4-star big-man target to reopen recruitment

Drew Fielder, a former Syracuse basketball 2023 recruiting target, has de-committed from Providence and will reopen his recruitment back up, according to an article from 247Sports national analyst Travis Branham.

The 6-foot-9 Fielder, a four-star power forward/center, committed to the Friars back in September of 2022. He received a scholarship offer from the Orange coaching staff in late August of last year, and media reports said that he was eyeing a possible official visit to the Hill in late September.

However, he gave a verbal commitment to Big East Conference member Providence before that official visit was to potentially take place.

Not too long ago, the Friars’ head coach, Ed Cooley, took on the same role with another Big East squad, Georgetown. Given the head-coaching change at Providence, Fielder said he would reopen his recruitment, per Branham’s piece.

We’ll have to wait and see if Syracuse basketball pursues 2023 four-star big man Drew Fielder again.

Fielder is a senior at the Southern California Academy in Northridge, Calif. His stock rose a ton in 2022 during the spring and summer months as he played quite well on the grassroots basketball circuit for the Los Angeles-based West Coast Elite in the Under Armour Association league.

Throughout his recruiting process, Fielder has picked up nearly 30 scholarship offers from a range of high-major programs, including the Orange, Providence, Southern California, Boston College, Arizona State, Creighton, Iowa, Maryland, Miami, Nebraska, St. John’s and TCU.

Several recruiting services rank Fielder as a top-125 national prospect and a top-20 center within the 2023 cycle.

To date, the ‘Cuse has one commitment from a high-school player in the senior class. Last month, 2023 three-star big man William Patterson out of The Patrick School in Hillside, N.J., said that he would suit up for Syracuse basketball.

As far as the current Orange roster, it’s unclear whether senior center Jesse Edwards will return for a fifth year granted by the NCAA due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Center Mounir Hima is a sophomore, while freshman power forward/center Peter Carey is expected to take a medical redshirt after missing the majority of the 2022-23 stanza following a surgical procedure on his right knee.

Should Edwards not come back for another term in Central New York, Syracuse basketball could end up having a relatively young group of centers ahead of the 2023-24 campaign. I do not know if there is any interest between Fielder and the Orange these days.

I’ll certainly track his recruitment moving forward. Perhaps Fielder will end up following Cooley to Georgetown.