Syracuse Basketball: 4-star recruit scores second-team All-America honors

The 2022-23 season recently wrapped up, and Syracuse basketball 2025 four-star target Jerry Easter II from Ohio put forth an absolutely sensational sophomore campaign.

As such, the fast-rising, 6-foot-4 guard was named an All-American not too long ago for his sophomore-year performance.

Easter, offered a scholarship by the Orange coaching staff last summer, averaged a ridiculous 32.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 3.5 steals per game for the Emmanuel Christian School in Toledo, Ohio.

He played a huge role in Emmanuel Christian sporting a 21-4 overall mark and capturing its first Toledo Area Athletic Conference (“TAAC”) championship dating back to 1998, per the Toledo Blade.

Syracuse basketball faces steep competition for 2025 four-star guard Jerry Easter II.

Not too long ago, Jordan Divens, the national basketball editor of MaxPreps, published his various All-America teams for the 2022-23 season within the 2025 cycle.

Divens placed Easter as a second-team All-American in the sophomore class, and that is a well-deserved honor for this ‘Cuse recruiting target.

Divens noted that in 2022-23, Easter scored 30 or more points in 16 of his 24 games for Emmanuel Christian. Easter also tallied at least 40 points on several occasions, including a monster quadruple-double where he had 40 points, 13 rebounds, 12 steals and 10 assists.

By the way, a recent media report from the Toledo Blade stated that Easter doesn’t plan to return to Emmanuel Christian for the 2023-24 campaign, and I’ll have more on that in another column in the near future.

Last July, Syracuse basketball coaches offered Easter, and it was the team’s first offer in the 2025 recruiting cycle.

Although his recruiting process likely has a way to go, Easter’s offer sheet is already extensive. It includes St. John’s, Illinois, Southern California, Louisville, Memphis, Michigan State, Ohio State, Mississippi State, Mike Hopkins-led Washington, UCLA, Cincinnati, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Arizona State, Missouri, New Mexico State, Bowling Green, Morgan State, Northern Illinois, Oakland, Toledo and Cleveland State.

Several recent reports have also suggested that blue-blood programs such as Kansas and Kentucky are showing interest in Easter.

A report from a couple of months back said that Easter was possibly eyeing a future visit to the Hill, and it would prove huge if the Orange coaching staff could secure a visit from this talented, prolific-scoring guard at some point.

In 2022-23, besides his MaxPreps honor, Easter was named the All-Blade player of the year, the District 7 Division III player of the year, and the TAAC player of the year.

Additionally, Easter was selected to the Division III All-Ohio first squad, and he was also a finalist for the 2023 Ohio Mr. Basketball award.

Numerous recruiting services rate Easter as a top-50 national prospect and a top-10 point guard across the country in his class.