Analyst lauds Syracuse basketball 5-star commit Sadiq White as IMG beats top-10 team

Five-star forward Sadiq White Jr., who is officially signed with Syracuse basketball in its 2025 class, is just getting his senior season underway at the powerhouse IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

The 6-foot-8 White, who is rated as high as No. 15 nationally in the 2025 cycle by ESPN, is expected to contend for an invite to the annual McDonald's All-America game and other All-America showcases that will transpire next spring, national analysts and scouts say.

White, this past Monday, showed why. IMG, from November 25 to November 27, is participating in an event called the 5 for the Fight National Hoopfest, which is taking place at Pleasant Grove High School in Pleasant Grove, Utah.

In the Ascenders' first game, IMG went toe to toe with another terrific high school program, the La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind. Both are deemed as top-10 national squads by various high school hoops experts, and each is also a member of the loaded 14-team Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Scholastic ("EYBL Scholastic").

Ultimately, IMG would prevail over La Lumiere in a hard-fought 64-54 victory. White, who is one of four 2025 prospects officially signed with the Orange, played quite well in the Ascenders' triumph.

A top expert praises Syracuse basketball 2025 5-star commit Sadiq White Jr.

Per a box score provided on X, in IMG's win, White logged 22 minutes. He went 8-of-9 shooting from the field and finished with 16 points and five rebounds.

Eric Bossi, the national basketball director for 247Sports, noted that White "was the beneficiary of some" passes by IMG's 2025 five-star point guard and Arkansas commit, Darius Acuff Jr. Bossi added that White "also used his long and athletic frame to make things happen at the rim. White finished at point blank range time and time again and only missed one shot during his 16-point and five rebound outing."

According to a schedule posted on X, IMG was scheduled to play again in the afternoon on Wednesday, Nov. 27, against another top-10 national group, the AZ Compass Prep School in Chandler, Ariz.

AZ Compass Prep is also an EYBL Scholastic member. In recent weeks, several national analysts and scouts have told me that they expect IMG, AZ Compass Prep and La Lumiere to contend for berths to the eight-team Chipotle Nationals, an annual event held in the spring that crowns a national champion in high school basketball.

Another squad in the hunt for a Chipotle Nationals bid, and a contender for an EYBL Scholastic regular-season title, is Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y. A senior at Long Island Lutheran is 2025 four-star shooting guard Kiyan Anthony, who committed to the 'Cuse earlier this month over Southern California.

The Orange's 2025 cycle, currently in the top 10 overall via the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, features White, Anthony, four-star guard Luke Fennell from Melbourne, Australia, and three-star wing Aaron Womack from the Milwaukee area.