Syracuse basketball a leading contender for 4-star PG, who enters top 100

Fast-rising 2025 prospect Nigel James from New York state took an official visit to Syracuse basketball last weekend, and I’m told his trip to the Hill went quite well.

The 6-foot James, a four-star point guard in the junior class, had an opportunity to check out the SU campus, while building up his relationship with coaches and players in the Orange program.

While his recruiting process likely has a way to go, I’ve learned that Syracuse basketball is one of the leading contenders for James at this juncture. Naturally, that could change, and he does have other campus visits lined up for the near future.

Published reports have indicated that, in the coming weeks, James plans to officially visit Providence, Rutgers and Wake Forest. He also would like to take visits to both Marquette and Oklahoma State.

Syracuse basketball is in a good spot with 2025 four-star point guard Nigel James.

James, who was born in New York City and grew up in the town of Huntington on Long Island, received a scholarship offer from the ‘Cuse coaching staff in late August, around the time that he competed in the team’s annual Elite Camp.

In the most recent grassroots basketball season, James had a breakout spring and summer while starring for the 16U team of the Boston-based Expressions Elite in Nike’s EYBL league.

As a sophomore, James played at the Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, Mass. However, for his junior year in the 2023-24 campaign, he will suit up for 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”).

According to high-school hoops experts, in 2023-24, Long Island Lutheran is expected to compete for a NIBC regular-season title as well as a berth in next spring’s GEICO Nationals. Another talented prospect on the Long Island Lutheran roster is Syracuse basketball 2025 target Kiyan Anthony, a four-star shooting guard who was offered by the Orange last November and will officially visit the ‘Cuse at some point.

Besides Syracuse basketball, per recruiting services, James’ 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.

Lately, James has seen his 2025 national ratings soar, and deservedly so. ESPN has him as four stars and a top-25 point guard across the country in this cycle.

When 247Sports recently updated its national rankings for this class, James vaulted into the top 100, arriving at No. 98 overall, No. 16 at point guard and No. 4 in New York.

At the time of this writing, the industry-generated 247Sports Composite placed him at No. 91 nationally, No. 14 at point guard and No. 4 in New York within the 2025 class.

Ever since James said a few months ago that he was hoping to hear from Syracuse basketball coaches, I’ve been high on him. He’s talented on the court, and by all accounts, he’s a terrific young man off of the court.

To reiterate, James’ recruitment has a way to go, and there’s no word of any sort of a commitment timeline. But based on information I’ve gathered, the Orange seems to have a great chance of being a major player in his recruiting process, and that’s exciting to me.