Gerry McNamara and new Syracuse staff in touch with 5-star wing who visited last year

Kevin Wheatley Jr., a 2028 five-star wing, has heard from the new Syracuse basketball staff since the contact period for his class opened on June 15.

That's according to a recent post on X from MADE Hoops scouting analyst Trent Watson, who noted that the 6-foot-7, 202-pound Wheatley has picked up new scholarship offers from schools like Seton Hall, Utah and Florida State while hearing from teams such as Auburn, Georgia Tech, Boston College, Providence, BYU, VCU, UCF, Stanford, Texas, Virginia Tech and Notre Dame.

Ranked No. 23 overall in the 2028 cycle by the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, Wheatley took an unofficial visit to the Orange last December, around which time he was also offered by then-head coach Adrian Autry and his staff.

Since June 15, when college coaches could start initiating direct communication with 2028 prospects, Syracuse basketball first-year head coach Gerry McNamara and his staff have doled out offers to rising high school juniors while reaching out to numerous players in this cycle.

Syracuse basketball is showing an interest in 2028 five-star wing Kevin Wheatley Jr.

Wheatley, who hails from Rahway, N.J., near New York City, previously suited up for Our Saviour Lutheran High School in the Bronx, N.Y., and the Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H.

In the upcoming 2026-27 season, he is playing for the Masters Academy International in Stow, Mass., which is led by legendary head coach Jason Smith, the former long-time head coach at Brewster. Masters Academy, per reports and social media posts, will be a part of the loaded Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Scholastic ("EYBL Scholastic"), a super conference of sorts that will have 15 members in 2026-27.

According to recruiting services, Wheatley's early scholarship offer sheet includes squads such as Auburn, Georgia Tech, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Utah, Florida State, California, Ole Miss, TCU, West Virginia and Washington State, among others.

This spring and summer on the AAU circuits, Wheatley is competing for the 16U team of the Bronx, N.Y.-based PSA Cardinals in Nike’s EYBL league. He's averaging 17.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while connecting on 56.8 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from beyond the arc and 88.2 percent from the free-throw line.

Several of Wheatley's PSA Cardinals teammates in the 16U division are also receiving interest from McNamara and his assistants. They include 2028 three-star power forward Damian Mojica, who plans to unofficially visit the Orange on Monday, 2028 five-star point guard Malik Moore and 2028 guard/wing Kingsley Rogers.

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