Advertisement

4-star SG Dakari Spear, top-40 national prospect, scores Syracuse basketball interest

Neil Adler
Neil Adler

Inside the Loud House

Syracuse basketball coaches are in contact with 2026 4-star guard Dakari Spear, a top-40 national prospect from Texas. / Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Syracuse basketball coaches are showing an interest in 2026 four-star shooting guard Dakari Spear from Texas, according to a media report this week.

The 6-foot-4, 185-pound Spear is a junior at The Colony High School in The Colony, Texas. In the most recent AAU season, he earned high praise from national analysts and scouts for his performances for the 16U team of the Irving, Texas-based Drive Nation in Nike's EYBL league.

Per a report from top recruiting analyst Jake Weingarten, who is the founder of Stockrisers.com, the Orange staff has been in touch with Spear. To date, I don't believe that he has picked up a scholarship offer from the 'Cuse.

According to Weingarten's story, Spear holds offers from schools such as LSU, TCU, Oklahoma State, Alabama, SMU, Texas, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Arizona State, Texas Tech and Mississippi State. Spear is also receiving interest from the Orange, Kentucky, Miami, Vanderbilt and Oklahoma.

His bio on the ESPN Web site also states that Spear has a scholarship offer from Michigan State.

Syracuse basketball is getting into the mix for 2026 four-star guard Dakari Spear.

Per Weingarten, as a sophomore for The Colony in the 2023-24 campaign, Spear averaged 20.5 points per game and helped lead this program to a 29-5 overall record. He was named to the All-District 9-5A first team.

During the EYBL regular season this past spring, Spear averaged 12.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists per contest for Drive Nation. In July, when the EYBL held its annual Peach Jam tournament in North Augusta, S.C., he tallied averages of 12.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.

On a national scale within the 2026 cycle, multiple recruiting services currently place Spear in the top 40 overall, in the top eight at shooting guard and within the top three in Texas.

The fall recruiting period began earlier this month, with college coaches checking out prospects during open gyms at their high schools as well as conducting in-home visits.

In Weingarten's piece, Spear said of Syracuse basketball, "They are looking for a time to come in. They think I'm a top recruit and key focus for them."

As far as I can tell, the Orange staff has offered scholarships to at least 10 players in the 2026 class, including five-star shooting guard Jordan Smith Jr., five-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr., five-star guard/small forward Alex Constanza, and five-star wing Qayden Samuels, among others.

Late last month, 'Cuse coaches conducted their annual Elite Camp, with prospects from the 2026 cycle and several other classes competing at this event.

Neil Adler

Neil Adler

Since 2016, Neil has served as a writer with Inside The Loud House, while also taking on the role of editor in 2020. Neil, a graduate of Syracuse University in 2000, primarily covers 'Cuse basketball, football, recruiting, NIL and conference realignment issues. Neil has been an avid Syracuse sports enthusiast dating back to the 1980s. While with Loud House, Neil is regularly heard on the radio in Central New York, while also participating in numerous podcasts related to the 'Cuse. His exclusive reports are often picked up by other media outlets, too. When not writing about Syracuse sports, Neil also co-owns a marketing agency in the Washington, D.C., market. He loves playing hoops and buying basketball cards with his son, spending time with his parents, brother and nephews, and listening to Duran Duran.