Syracuse basketball has landed verbal commitments from two four-star prospects in the 2024 class, and the Orange remains in pursuit of numerous other talented players in this cycle.
Recently, power forward Donnie Freeman from Washington, D.C., verbally committed to the ‘Cuse, picking SU over other finalists Alabama, Iowa, Texas and Georgia Tech.
In late January, shooting guard Elijah Moore from New York City selected Syracuse basketball over Alabama, Arkansas, Miami and Oklahoma State.
Most recruiting services have the 6-foot-9 Freeman as a top-40 national prospect in this class, while the 6-foot-4 Moore is deemed by some recruiting Web sites as a top-70 overall player in the 2024 cycle.
When all is said and done, I have a dream scenario in mind for what I’d love the Orange’s 2024 class to end up looking like, with one player at each position.
Naturally, this is pie-in-the-sky stuff, and we don’t know at this point in time what the ‘Cuse roster will entail in the future, given the transfer portal. So how many 2024 prospects the Orange would likely secure in this cycle remains to be seen.
But here’s what I’m hoping for as it pertains to the Syracuse basketball class in the junior recruiting cycle.
Point Guard, Mikey Lewis
Not too long ago, the ‘Cuse coaching staff offered a scholarship to four-star point guard Mikey Lewis. The 6-foot-3 Lewis is out of Accelerated Prep in Lakewood, Colo., and he runs with the Oakland, Calif.-based Oakland Soldiers in Nike’s EYBL league.
Since being offered by the Orange, Lewis has said that he would like to take a visit to the Hill at some point.
The ‘Cuse also has offers out there to five-star point guard Boogie Fland and four-star point guard Curtis Givens III. I think that the 6-foot-3 Fland is a huge long shot, while I’m not sure how aggressively Syracuse basketball coaches are recruiting the 6-foot-3 Givens these days.
Shooting Guard, Elijah Moore
Moore, an Orange commit, is a standout for Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, N.Y., and he competes for the Bronx-based Wiz Kids in the Adidas 3SSB league.
Guard/Wing, Jalil Bethea or Caleb Williams
Syracuse basketball is prioritizing four-star guard Jalil Bethea, who recently vaulted into the top 10. He has officially visited the Hill, although the 6-foot-4 Bethea has seen his recruitment blow up, thus making the competition really tough for the Orange to prevail.
He is listed as a combo guard, although if he grows another inch or two, he could definitely suit up out on the wing. Bethea is a star for Archbishop Wood Catholic High School in Warminster, Pa., and the Philadelphia-based Team Final in Nike’s EYBL league.
Assuming Syracuse basketball doesn’t prevail for Bethea, I’m a big fan of four-star wing Caleb Williams. The 6-foot-7 Williams, offered by the Orange in late April, is out of the Sidwell Friends School in D.C. and the Washington-based Team Takeover in Nike’s EYBL league.
He is a top-100 national player in the 2024 class, according to several recruiting Web sites.
Power Forward, Donnie Freeman
The ‘Cuse is all set at this position, with Freeman having recently given a verbal commitment to the team. He attends St. John’s College High School in D.C. and plays alongside Williams with Team Takeover.
Center, Patrick Ngongba II
Another Team Takeover standout in the 2024 cycle who holds a Syracuse basketball offer is four-star center Patrick Ngongba II. The 6-foot-10 center picked up a ‘Cuse scholarship offer toward the end of April, and he goes to the powerhouse St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, Va.
Four-star center Thomas Sorber from Philadelphia, who has an Orange offer, recently revealed a top four that didn’t include the ‘Cuse. So to me, Ngongba is the best bet for Syracuse basketball at this juncture as a 2024 center prospect.
Ngongba, a top-10 center and a top-70 national prospect in the junior cycle, has said he would like to take a visit to the Orange at some point.
It’s worth noting that Syracuse basketball head coach Adrian Autry and assistant coach Brenden Straughn both used to serve as assistants with the Team Takeover program, where Ngongba, Freeman and Williams all compete. Also, Autry was formerly an assistant coach at St. Paul VI Catholic.
To reiterate what I said above, I don’t think it’s super realistic that Syracuse basketball will end up with a 2024 class that includes all of Lewis, Moore, Bethea/Williams, Freeman and Ngongba. I can dream, though, right?