Syracuse Basketball: New big-man target poised to enter national rankings

New Syracuse basketball recruiting target Nikola Bundalo is set to enter the national rankings for his class in the near future, according to experts.

On May 10, top scout Andrew Slater sent out a tweet that the Orange coaching staff had offered a scholarship to Bundalo, a 6-foot-9 power forward in the sophomore cycle who attends Green High School in Uniontown, Ohio.

The 247Sports recruiting service plans to update its 2025 national rankings in the near future, and Bundalo should be making his ratings debut when that refresh occurs, per national analysts with 247Sports.

This spring, Bundalo is receiving high praise from analysts and scouts for his play on the AAU circuit, where he is a member of the Charleston, W.Va.-based Wildcat Select in the Adidas 3SSB league.

Syracuse basketball recently got into the mix for fast-rising 2025 big man Nikola Bundalo.

Besides the ‘Cuse, other recent offers that have arrived for Bundalo include Georgetown and Cincinnati. His early offer sheet also features Illinois, Iowa, Ohio State, Seton Hall, Xavier, Rutgers, Kent State and Bryant.

The contact period for the sophomore class will open up in mid-June, at which time college coaches will be able to initiate direct communication with 2025 prospects. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Bundalo sees his offer sheet significantly expand around that time.

In a recent roundtable, 247Sports national analysts and scouts debated several 2025 players who are expected to make their national rankings’ debut soon, including Bundalo.

Travis Branham, a national analyst with 247Sports who has watched Bundalo in person on the AAU circuit while competing for Wildcat Select, discussed this new Syracuse basketball recruit during this roundtable with his colleagues.

Branham noted that Bundalo is a versatile lefty big man who can effectively play in the interior on offense, as well as further out on the perimeter.

The 247Sports national analyst says that Bundalo is “willing to get physical,” is tough, has a high IQ, can create off the bounce, and stretches the floor well because he can step back and hit shots from beyond the arc.

Bundalo is one of the numerous players in the 2025 class who have received scholarship offers from the Syracuse basketball coaching staff over the past month or so. Others include five-star point guard Tyler Jackson from Baltimore, five-star shooting guard Darryn Peterson from Ohio, four-star forward Sadiq White from North Carolina and four-star wing Cam Ward from the Washington, D.C., area.

The Orange is also prioritizing, in the sophomore cycle, prospects such as four-star point guard Jerry Easter II from Ohio and four-star shooting guard Kiyan Anthony from New York City.