Recruiting is a tough business. There's no doubt about it.
College coaches, including the Syracuse basketball staff, can put in countless hours pursuing a priority target over the span of several years. Then, another team can swoop in at the last minute and prevail, breaking the collective heart of a fan base - especially if the player is from a team's home state.
These days, financial considerations have also changed the landscape of high school recruiting. Schools pay their athletes directly in rev-share, and third-party name, image and likeness ("NIL") deals are also available.
Plus, with the transfer portal's explosion in recent years, and programs eyeing prospects overseas, Orange coaches and their peers are managing a lot when it comes to their recruiting efforts.
While the 'Cuse has landed plenty of big fish throughout the team's history, there have also been rough recruiting misses, including some that involved New York-based prospects. Here's a look at a few that have transpired since 2010. Please note that this list isn't necessarily meant to be fully comprehensive, but I'd love your feedback on what I got right, and what I got wrong.
In-state recruiting misses for Syracuse basketball in recent years.
Deron Rippey Jr., 2026 five-star point guard
The Orange staff recruited the Brooklyn, N.Y., native hard for more than two years. He took both an unofficial and an official visit to the Hill. Ultimately, Rippey committed to fellow Atlantic Coast Conference school Duke. Candidly, the 'Cuse probably didn't have a great shot to land him, due to the team's struggles and the likelihood that then-head coach Adrian Autry and his staff, who recruited Rippey, would be gone after the 2025-26 season. That, in fact, did happen, leading to Gerry McNamara being hired as the next SU head coach.
Nigel James Jr., 2025 four-star point guard
James, who is from Huntington, N.Y., took an official visit to Syracuse basketball. But he opted to head to Marquette. As a freshman this past season, James averaged 16.4 points, 4.9 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game, although the Golden Eagles struggled, going just 12-20 overall. In his sophomore campaign, national and Big East Conference observers expect James to be one of that league's top players.
Roddy Gayle Jr., 2022 four-star shooting guard
Gayle, who hails from Niagara Falls, N.Y., unofficially visited the Orange and had SU in his top six before committing to Ohio State. He played for two seasons with the Buckeyes before hitting the transfer portal. Syracuse was in touch with him after he entered the portal, but Gayle ended up at Michigan, where he won a national championship this past spring.
Kyle Filipowski, 2022 five-star center
The native of Westtown, N.Y., was heavily recruited by the 'Cuse. He took an official visit to the Orange and said many positive things about the program during his recruiting process. However, Filipowski committed to Duke. He now plays for the Utah Jazz in the NBA.
Andre Jackson Jr., 2020 four-star guard
Jackson, from Amsterdam, N.Y., took an official visit to Syracuse basketball. The Orange staff recruited him hard for multiple years. The 'Cuse was the rumored leader for Jackson, but he decided to sign with UConn over Syracuse. Jackson won a national title with the Huskies in 2023 and now plays in the NBA.
Isaiah Stewart, 2019 five-star center
The Rochester, N.Y., native took an official visit to Syracuse basketball. He would end up playing for one season at Washington, where former SU player and assistant Mike Hopkins was the head coach. Stewart and Hopkins had an extremely strong relationship. Stewart, who has carved out a solid NBA career, is currently with the Memphis Grizzlies after being traded there by the Detroit Pistons earlier this month.
Kevin Huerter, 2016 four-star shooting guard
Huerter, who is from Clifton Park, N.Y., held an offer from Syracuse basketball, but it was for the 2017 season, which would have required him to do a post-grad year before suiting up for the Orange. He went to Maryland for two seasons and has since carved out a long NBA career, most recently with Detroit.
Thomas Bryant, 2015 five-star center
The Orange pursued Bryant, who is from Rochester and was a top-15 national prospect in his class. He took an official visit to Syracuse basketball, but headed to Indiana, where he had two solid terms for the Hoosiers. Since then, Bryant has played in the NBA for 11 seasons, most recently with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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