Syracuse basketball 4-star west coast target can reach 5 stars, expert says

Maximo Adams, a four-star small forward in the 2026 class who received a Syracuse basketball scholarship offer this past February, continues to see his offer sheet grow, and a recruiting expert says the 6-foot-6, west coast product can make a run at five-star status in this cycle.

Adams, in early July, put together some strong performances for the 15U squad of the Los Angeles-based Team Why Not, as Nike’s EYBL league conducted its annual Peach Jam tournament in North Augusta, S.C.

A portion of Peach Jam occurred during an NCAA live period where college coaches, national analysts, scouts and others could watch high-school prospects compete in person. Over four games at Peach Jam, Adams averaged 17.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest, while connecting on 57.8 percent from the field.

Across the entire 15U division at Peach Jam, Adams’ 17.3 points per encounter put him in a tie for No. 7 overall, which is stellar. Top analyst Eric Bossi, the national basketball director for 247Sports, said in part that Adams “has a great looking shot, length, skill and some bounce in traffic.”

Syracuse basketball 2026 four-star recruit Maximo Adams is a hot prospect in his class.

According to his Twitter page, Adams already holds nearly 20 scholarship offers, even though college coaches can’t initiate direct communication with him until mid-June of next year. Besides the Orange, his early offer list includes West Virginia, Missouri, Kansas, BYU, Kansas State, St. John’s, Texas, Xavier, Oregon, TCU and Mississippi State, among others.

Adams is the younger brother of 2023 four-star small forward Marcus Adams Jr., who had Syracuse basketball among his small group of finalists before committing to Kansas. Not too long ago, Marcus Adams Jr. entered the NCAA’s transfer portal and then committed to Gonzaga.

Besides the comments from Bossi, I’ve come across several reports from other recruiting analysts and scouts that speak to Maximo Adams being a fast-rising player in the 2026 class.

"Tony McNiff, a scouting analyst with MADE Hoops, recently wrote that Adams “is a well-built and tough athlete with a versatile offensive skillset. Physical slasher at the point of attack who is a legitimate grab & go threat as well. Powerful, tough, & bouncy rim-finisher who doesn’t shy away from contact or traffic in the lane. Smooth and fluid spot-up scorer who possesses strong mechanics off the catch. Explosive finisher who has the vertical pop to be utilized as a lob threat in transition or off back-door screens. A productive rebounder for a wing that holds his own on the glass. Will need to sharpen his handle & expand his confidence off the dribble, although there’s plenty of skill to like in the present.”"

Rob Cassidy, a national analyst with Rivals.com, recently said in part that Adams “has all the tools to make a bid for five-star status if his perimeter game develops.”

Adams is a rising sophomore at Narbonne High School in the Harbor City area of Los Angeles. In his freshman term for Narbonne during the 2022-23 season, he averaged nearly 11 points per game, according to the MaxPreps Web site.

Most of the primary recruiting services have yet to publish their inaugural national rankings for the 2026 class. However, ESPN places Adams as four stars, No. 25 overall, No. 7 at power forward and No. 5 in California.

To date, Syracuse basketball coaches have offered a scholarship to at least one other 2026 player. In early May, five-star shooting guard Jordan Smith Jr. said on Twitter that he landed an Orange offer.

The 6-foot-3 Smith attends St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, Va., and is a member of the Washington, D.C.-based Team Takeover on the EYBL circuit.