Syracuse Basketball: Orange’s 2024 class is ‘sneaky good,’ per top analyst

The Syracuse basketball 2023-24 roster includes 13 scholarship players, and no seniors, so I always kind of figured that the Orange’s 2024 recruiting class would prove somewhat small.

Of course, we could see some ‘Cuse players hit the transfer portal following the current term, but regardless, Syracuse basketball coaches have done a fantastic job in securing commitments from two top-flight 2024 prospects in high-school hoops.

Given that the Orange’s senior cycle has only two commitments, it’s unrealistic to think that the ‘Cuse would end up seeing its 2024 class ranked in the top 10 nationally. It’s a numbers game, my friends.

However, what the Orange may somewhat lack in quantity, the ‘Cuse has more than made up for with the quality of its 2024 commits. In fact, a top national recruiting analyst/scout recently dished out some high praise for the team’s senior class.

Syracuse basketball has two top-60 national prospects in its 2024 recruiting cycle.

The Orange’s senior class consists of four-star power forward Donnie Freeman from Washington, D.C., and four-star shooting guard Elijah Moore from New York City.

The 6-foot-9 Freeman signed his national letter of intent (“NLI”) to play for the ‘Cuse on Wednesday, according to recruiting analysts, as the early signing period for 2024 high-school players opened up on November 8 and will run through November 15 of this year.

The 6-foot-4 Moore, meanwhile, was expected to ink his NLI to suit up for Syracuse basketball on Saturday, per college basketball insider Adam Zagoria.

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Freeman verbally committed to the Orange in May over Alabama, Iowa, Texas and Georgia Tech. He was just installed as the No. 20 national prospect in the 2024 class, per On3, and a top analyst has told me that Freeman could push for five-star status in this cycle.

He was a key contributor in early July when the D.C.-based Team Takeover won the 17U championship at Peach Jam on the Nike EYBL circuit. Freeman, in his senior year, is playing for the powerhouse IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., where he is probably going to compete for a high-school national title at the conclusion of the 2023-24 campaign.

Moore verbally pledged to the ‘Cuse in late January over other finalists Alabama, Arkansas, Miami and Oklahoma State. He’s hovering around the top 50, per multiple recruiting Web sites, and is also one of the best shooting guards around the country in the 2024 class.

In the most recent AAU season, Moore scored top offensive honors as he averaged nearly 20 points per game, while shooting roughly 46 percent from beyond the arc, for the 17U team of the Bronx, N.Y.-based Wiz Kids in the Adidas 3SSB league.

Much as Freeman, Moore will reside on a big national stage in his senior term, as he is playing for the Our Saviour Lutheran School in the Bronx, which is part of the Atlanta-based professional league Overtime Elite.

Now, because the Syracuse basketball 2024 class has just two members in it, the Orange isn’t super highly rated on a national basis. When I penned this column, various recruiting services ranked the ‘Cuse senior cycle anywhere from No. 15 to No. 29 nationwide.

Brandon Jenkins, a national recruiting analyst/scout with 247Sports, recently published a piece where he looked at college squads that have 2024 cycles ranked outside of the top 15, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, but “have put together some sneaky good recruiting classes.”

"Syracuse basketball is included here, I’m pleased to say. Jenkins wrote in part, “Donnie Freeman’s game has significant upside on the offensive end given his size and mobility. However, defensively, he will bring great versatility and discipline from the jump. Moore is a long-range marksman who has asserted himself as one of the best shooters in the class. … The two will arrive with significant calling cards attached to their hip as they project to carve out roles as contributing puzzle pieces in Syracuse’s return to glory.”"