Syracuse Basketball: 4-star PG from New York to officially visit the Orange

Nigel James, a fast-rising 2025 four-star point guard who received a Syracuse basketball offer in late August, will officially visit the Orange later this month, according to a media report.

The 6-foot James, who hails from New York state and recently transferred to one of the top high-school programs around the country, is set to take an official visit to the Hill on September 15, according to the X account 365 Recruits.

This is terrific news. James, earlier this year, had said he wanted to hear from the ‘Cuse. Then, late last month, he picked up an offer from Syracuse basketball after competing in the team’s annual Elite Camp.

Now, James is preparing to officially visit the Orange. By the way, per 365 Recruits, James will take official visits to Providence on September 29, Rutgers from October 6-8, and Wake Forest on October 20.

Syracuse basketball will soon welcome 2025 four-star PG Nigel James on an official visit.

James had a strong spring and summer on the AAU circuit, earning high marks from national analysts and scouts for his play while suiting up for the 16U team of the Boston-based Expressions Elite in Nike’s EYBL league.

In early August, he said on X that he would transfer for his junior year in the 2023-24 campaign from the Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, Mass., to the powerhouse Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y., which is a member of the loaded 10-team National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (“NIBC”).

At Long Island Lutheran, James, who was born in New York City and grew up in the town of Huntington on Long Island, will join another 2025 priority recruit for the ‘Cuse, four-star shooting guard Kiyan Anthony, who was offered by the Orange last November and plans to officially visit Syracuse basketball at some point.

Long Island Lutheran, in 2022-23, finished second in the NIBC regular-season standings and received an invite to this spring’s GEICO Nationals. Looking ahead to 2023-24, top high-school analyst Samad Hines has the Crusaders at No. 3 in his preseason top-25 rankings.

The primary recruiting services rate James as either three stars or four stars, and some recruiting Web sites have him ranked inside the top 130 of his class. As 2025 national rankings are updated, I envision James moving into the top 100, based on his performances in recent months on the AAU circuit.

Besides the Orange, his offer sheet includes Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, Seton Hall, George Mason, Iowa, Marquette, UMass, Minnesota, Providence, Rutgers, St. John’s, Southern California, Wake Forest, Xavier, Manhattan, Saint Joseph’s and UAB, among others.

Marquette, by the way, has also been mentioned in reports as a possible official-visit destination for James.

September 15 is shaping up to be huge for Syracuse basketball from a recruiting perspective. In addition to James taking an official visit then, 2025 five-star forward Sadiq White from Charlotte, N.C., is planning to take an unofficial visit in the middle of this month. White was offered by the ‘Cuse in late April.

Additionally, on September 15, 2024 five-star guard Jalil Bethea from the Philadelphia area will take a second official visit to the Orange. Bethea has a top five of the ‘Cuse, Alabama, Kansas, Miami and Villanova.

A consensus top-20 national prospect in the senior cycle, Bethea was offered by Syracuse basketball in September of 2022 and took his first official visit to the Hill the following month.