Syracuse Basketball: 4-star, top-40 prospect has high interest in the ‘Cuse

As a sophomore in high school, his recruiting process likely has a way to go, however, 2026 four-star guard Imahri Wooten says he is “very interested” in Syracuse basketball, according to a recent media report.

Not too long ago, the 6-foot-5 Wooten took an unofficial visit to the Orange campus, and he also recently landed a scholarship offer from the Syracuse basketball coaching staff.

Wooten, who is from Troy, N.Y., is a top-40 national prospect in the 2026 recruiting cycle. Beyond the ‘Cuse, his offer sheet includes teams such as Albany, Arizona State, Auburn, Georgia Tech, IUPUI, Mississippi State, Missouri, NJIT, St. Bonaventure and Wichita State.

Even though college coaches can’t initiate direct communication with 2026 high-school players until June 15 of next year, Wooten has already hauled in some big-time offers, including from the Orange, which is a home-state squad for him.

Syracuse basketball has gotten involved with 2026 four-star Imahri Wooten early on.

Wooten is a sophomore at the powerhouse AZ Compass Prep, which is a member of the loaded 10-team National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (“NIBC”).

As a freshman during the 2022-23 season, Wooten was named to the Power 5 Conference AAA All-League first team as he starred for the Redemption Christian Academy in Troy.

Per a recent article from SyracuseOnSI publisher Mike McAllister, “Wooten’s mom and aunt both played basketball at Syracuse at the same time as (head) coach (Adrian) Autry. Wooten’s mom has kept in touch with coach Autry over the years as well.”

"According to McAllister, Wooten and Autry spent a good amount of time together on Wooten’s recent unofficial visit to the Hill. “We talked about how I would fit on the team and just saying how they would love to have me,” Wooten told McAllister. “I think he’s a great person and great coach.”"

As I noted above, Wooten’s recruiting process will likely have a way to go. Hopefully, he will return to the SU campus for an official visit down the line.

In the meantime, Syracuse basketball recruiting enthusiasts will have an opportunity to watch some of Wooten’s games during the upcoming 2023-24 stanza at AZ Compass Prep.

As a member of the NIBC, the Dragons will have some of their 2023-24 contests air on national broadcasts. One awesome match-up that is coming up in the near future pits AZ Compass Prep against the Link Academy from Branson, Mo.

Per top high-school basketball analyst Samad Hines, AZ Compass Prep will battle Link on November 21 at The 5 For The Fight National Hoopfest in Salt Lake City.

In 2022-23, Link won the GEICO Nationals this past spring, while the Dragons advanced to the title game of this annual event that crowns a national champion in high-school hoops.

This upcoming term, AZ Compass Prep has a stacked roster, so I’m not sure that Wooten will average a ton of minutes per game as a sophomore, but he’s a highly coveted player in the 2026 class, and it sounds like he has a high interest in the ‘Cuse.