Syracuse Basketball: ‘Cuse prioritizing 4-star D.C. guard, wants him to visit

Derek Dixon, a 2025 four-star combo guard from Washington, D.C., has said in a couple of recent interviews that Syracuse basketball is among the schools he’s hearing from the most these days.

The 6-foot-4 Dixon, a top-100 national prospect in his class per several recruiting services, received a scholarship offer from the Orange coaching staff on June 15, which is when the contact period opened up for the 2025 cycle, permitting college coaches to begin initiating direct communication with rising high-school juniors.

Additionally, Dixon has said that he’s interested in taking a visit to the ‘Cuse at some point. Some recent media reports of late have also indicated that Syracuse basketball coaches would like to get him on the SU campus for a visit.

In a recent tweet from recruiting analyst Jake Lieberman, Dixon said that the schools he hears from the most include the Orange, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, Providence and Virginia.

Syracuse basketball seems to be prioritizing 2025 four-star combo guard Derek Dixon.

Dixon is a rising junior at Gonzaga College High School in D.C., an excellent hoops program that is part of the talent-rich Washington Catholic Athletic Conference.

On the AAU circuit, he is a standout for the 16U squad of the Washington, D.C.-based Team Takeover in Nike’s EYBL league.

In early July, at the EYBL’s annual Peach Jam tournament in North Augusta, S.C., Dixon played at a high level. As I noted in another recent column, he averaged 16.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game at Peach Jam, while connecting on 39.6 percent from the field, 34.6 percent from beyond the arc and 83.3 percent from the free-throw line.

Donnie Freeman, a 2024 four-star power forward, verbally committed to Syracuse basketball in May. The 6-foot-9 Freeman was a key contributor for Team Takeover’s 17U group, which captured a Peach Jam crown last month in this division.

Additionally, both Orange head coach Adrian Autry and assistant coach Brenden Straughn previously served as assistants with the Team Takeover program. Straughn offered the scholarship to Dixon in mid-June, per reports.

Although his recruiting process is still in a relatively early stage, Dixon continues to see his offer sheet grow. Besides Syracuse basketball, his offer list includes teams such as Virginia Tech, Villanova, Virginia, Xavier, Penn State, Maryland, Providence, Saint Joseph’s, Pittsburgh, Kansas State, Bryant, George Mason, Fordham, East Carolina and Norfolk State.

All of the primary recruiting services rate Dixon as four stars. Multiple recruiting Web sites rank him in the top 100 overall, as well as a top-15 combo guard/shooting guard and a top-two prospect in our nation’s capital within the 2025 class.

In late July, Dixon suited up at the NCAA College Basketball Academy in Memphis, Tenn. Adam Finkelstein, the director of scouting for 247Sports, was on hand and saw this Orange target compete.

"Finkelstein wrote, “Dixon has played predominately with the ball in his hands this grassroots season and shown that he’s capable of evolving into a big lead guard. While he’s best known for his skill-set, he also has a very good natural and instinctive feel for the game. That, along with the threat of his jumper, has made him a versatile and efficient playmaker for TTO (Team Takeover).”"