Syracuse Basketball: 4-star, 5-star recruits score honors in AAU live period

The second of two April live periods in grassroots basketball recently concluded, and various Syracuse basketball recruiting targets played quite well, earning them high praise from national analysts and scouts.

On Nike’s EYBL circuit, the most recent live period enabled college coaches to watch prospects suit up during games held at the end of April from Legacy Park in Mesa, Ariz.

The experts at The Circuit have published a list of their various award winners stemming from the EYBL’s second session in Arizona.

Let’s review which Syracuse basketball recruits were honored for their AAU performances.

On The Circuit’s All-EYBL first team are two 2024 players who hold scholarship offers from the Orange. They are four-star guard Jalil Bethea with the Philadelphia-based Team Final and five-star point guard Boogie Fland, who runs with the Bronx, N.Y.-based PSA Cardinals.

Lately, the ‘Cuse coaching staff has recruited the 6-foot-4 Bethea quite hard. He is a standout for Archbishop Wood Catholic High School in Warminster, Pa. During this latest EYBL session, Bethea averaged 19.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, according to The Circuit.

The 6-foot-3 Fland, meanwhile, has said that he is keeping an eye on how the new Syracuse basketball coaching staff does this year. That being said, I’m not sure that the Orange is a significant contender in his recruitment, at least right now.

For the PSA Cardinals, Fland averaged 18.3 points, 4.8 boards, 2.5 dimes and 2.5 steals per encounter. He was also named to The Circuit’s All-Defensive squad.

The All-EYBL second team includes new Syracuse basketball recruit Mikey Lewis, a 2024 four-star point guard. The 6-foot-3 Lewis, who has said he would like to visit the Hill, averaged 14.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals per affair.

He competes for the Oakland, Calif.-based Oakland Soldiers and is a junior at Accelerated Prep in Lakewood, Colo.

The All-EYBL third team features 2025 four-star point guard Jerry Easter II, who was also named to the All-Underclassman squad, and 2024 four-star point guard Curtis Givens III. Both the 6-foot-4 Easter and the 6-foot-3 Givens have Syracuse basketball offers.

Easter averaged 17.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per contest for the Columbus, Ohio-based All Ohio Red. He was an All-American as a sophomore for the Emmanuel Christian School in Toledo, Ohio, but a recent media report stated that Easter will have a new high-school home next season.

Givens averaged 15.5 points, 1.5 boards, 3.0 dimes and 1.5 steals a game for the Overland Park, Kan.-based MoKan Elite. He is a junior at the powerhouse Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla.