Syracuse Basketball: 4-star, 5-star targets star at USA Basketball minicamp

Last weekend, several Syracuse basketball recruiting targets were deemed among the top performers by national analysts and scouts for their play at a USA Basketball junior national team minicamp in Colorado.

According to social media posts and published reports from recruiting experts, 2025 four-star shooting guard Kiyan Anthony from New York City, 2026 four-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr. from Brooklyn, N.Y., and 2026 five-star shooting guard Jordan Smith Jr. from the Washington, D.C., area, all stood out at the recent USA Basketball minicamp at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

https://twitter.com/EliteHSscouting/status/1710680524652495162

Anthony, Rippey and Smith all hold scholarship offers from the Orange coaching staff. Syracuse basketball coaches offered Anthony last November, Smith in early May and Rippey in late August.

More than 80 high-school prospects in the 2025 and 2026 classes suited up at the three-day minicamp, where they participated in drills, scrimmages and educational programs.

Syracuse basketball recruits were stellar at a USA Basketball junior national team event.

The 6-foot-5 Anthony, a junior at Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y., is a top-40 national prospect. He will take an official visit to the Hill later this month.

The 6-foot-3 Smith, a top-25 overall player, attends St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, Va. He said in a recent interview that he would like to visit the Orange at some point.

The 6-foot-2 Rippey, a sophomore at the Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J., is a top-25 national player. He, too, has an interest in taking a visit to Syracuse basketball in the future, his dad has told me.

"In a piece, 247Sports national analyst/scout Brandon Jenkins wrote that Rippey “opened eyes when he got downhill. He blew by defenders and attacked the rim with elite speed, strength, and quickness. He also displayed great explosion at the cup and was effective as a shot-maker from the perimeter. Rippey noticeably played with a chip on his shoulder and showed a lot of confidence in between the lines. His aggression was among the best of those in his class.”"

Jamie Shaw, a top scout/national analyst at On3, praised Smith for his defensive prowess. “He is such a tough-nosed defender, able to guard the ball and play in the passing lanes. Always plays with purpose.”

"Shaw and numerous other analysts/scouts said that Anthony was a standout performer at the USA Basketball minicamp. In one of his stories where he detailed stock risers at this event, Shaw wrote that “Kiyan Anthony is developing a comfort level scoring the ball. He has an array of hesitation and change of pace moves with the ball in his hands, and he showed touch at multiple levels. Continuing to gain strength will continue progressing his game forward.”"