Syracuse Basketball: Recruit Darius Adams jumps into top 20, eyes 5 stars

Darius Adams, who received a scholarship offer from Syracuse basketball nearly a year ago, has proven a big stock riser this spring and summer due to his strong play on the AAU circuit.

The 6-foot-3 combo guard, a consensus four-star, top-50 national prospect in the 2025 class, finds himself within the top 25 overall, according to several recruiting services. However, he’s pushed inside the top 20 overall, per recently updated 2025 national ratings from MADE Hoops.

That recruiting Web site now has Adams at No. 17 across the country in the rising-junior cycle, an increase of 10 placements, according to MADE Hoops scouting analyst Max Feldman.

Darius Adams put together an All-American sophomore year for Manasquan High School in Manasquan, N.J., and he earned a lot of high praise from national analysts and scouts for his performances over the last few months while competing for the 16U squad of the Bronx, N.Y.-based PSA Cardinals in Nike’s EYBL league.

At No. 17 via MADE Hoops and in the top 25 according to other recruiting services, Adams is inching closer to five-star status in the 2025 class.

Four-star Darius Adams, who holds a Syracuse basketball offer, is a hot prospect in his cycle.

In the 2022-23 term, Darius Adams helped lead Manasquan High School to the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (“NJSIAA”) Group 2 tournament championship. In early July, word broke that he would spend his junior year in 2023-24 at the powerhouse La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind., which is a member of the loaded 10-team National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (“NIBC”).

About a month before that, another ‘Cuse recruit, 2025 five-star point guard Jerry Easter II, said that he would transfer to La Lumiere for 2023-24 after being a two-time All-American at the Emmanuel Christian School in Toledo, Ohio.

In late August of 2022, Adams took an unofficial visit to the Hill when he attended the Orange’s annual Elite Camp, at which time he picked up a Syracuse basketball offer. When college coaches could begin initiating direct communication with 2025 players on June 15 of this year, reports stated that Adams heard from the Orange, among many other schools.

Lately, Darius Adams has seen his offer list grow, with some impressive suitors entering the mix. Besides Syracuse basketball, his offer sheet includes Virginia, Xavier, Tennessee, Villanova, Oklahoma State, Providence, Rutgers, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Mike Hopkins-led Washington, Fordham, Florida State, Penn State, Nebraska and Virginia Tech.

In early July, at EYBL’s annual Peach Jam tournament in North Augusta, S.C., Adams averaged 17.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.

From late April to late May, during the EYBL’s 2023 regular season, Adams tallied averages of 14.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per contest.

Tony McNiff, a terrific scouting analyst with MADE Hoops, watched Adams suit up in mid-July at the Marquee Hoops Summer Jumpoff in Manalapan, N.J. At this showcase event, McNiff named Adams as one of his 16U standouts.

"McNiff wrote: “Top-25 2025 guard Darius Adams strung together some impressive showings over the weekend as well. The blend of his mature approach, shotmaking ability & creative scoring caught my eye. Smooth pull-up scorer with a high & fluid release point off the bounce. Reliable spot-up scorer with extensive range, plus he has the feel & handle to attack closeouts. Plays at a composed pace with the ball in his hands & rarely gets sped up.”"