Early preseason team top 25 features Syracuse basketball 4-star, 5-star recruits

Numerous Syracuse basketball four-star and five-star recruiting targets finished on highly ranked teams in the 2023-24 campaign, and the same could apply for next season.

It's true that 2023-24 just wrapped up last month, but it's never too early to think about the following stanza, right?

To that end, MaxPreps national basketball editor Jordan Divens recently published his way-too-early top 25 for the 2024-25 term, and there are various Orange recruiting connections here.

Please note that Divens' top 25 only includes high school programs that compete for state-affiliated championships. He has a separate national top 10 that features independent basketball academies and prep schools that don't compete for state-sponsored titles during their seasons.

Where Syracuse basketball targets reside in a preseason team top 25.

No. 3, St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, Va.
35-3 in 2023-24, No. 1 in the final MaxPreps top 25
A standout for St. Paul VI is 2026 five-star shooting guard Jordan Smith Jr., who is a top-10 national prospect and will take an unofficial visit to the Orange next month. Another 'Cuse recruit is 2026 four-star point guard Anthony Brown, who played for St. Paul VI this past season but recently said he will transfer to a new high school.

No. 4, Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C.
28-6 in 2023-24, No. 23 in the final MaxPreps top 25
One of the stars for Gonzaga is 2025 four-star combo guard and consensus top-80 national prospect Derek Dixon. He holds a Syracuse basketball offer and took an official visit to the Hill in late September of last year.

No. 20, Riviera Preparatory School in Miami
25-8 in 2023-24
This past term, Riviera Prep won its second consecutive Florida High School Athletic Association ("FHSAA") Class 3A state tournament championship. One of the team's leaders is 2025 four-star shooting guard Dante Allen, who picked up an offer from the Orange staff in late April. These days, the 'Cuse is one of several college squads in the most frequent contact with Allen, who as a junior averaged 21.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.4 steals and 3.0 assists per encounter.

No. 23, Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
23-6 in 2023-24
Starring for Westminster is 2026 five-star guard/small forward and top-10 overall player Alex Constanza, who secured a Syracuse basketball offer last January and is interested in visiting the Orange, his dad has told me. MaxPreps named Constanza to its 2023-24 sophomore All-America third team, when he averaged 20.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.8 blocks per game.

No. 24, Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C.
27-4 in 2023-24, No. 20 in the final MaxPreps top 25
In late April, the 'Cuse offered 2025 four-star combo guard Acaden Lewis, a top-70 national prospect who stars for Sidwell Friends. Lewis, who captured a ton of awards and honors for his brilliant 2023-24 campaign, is highly interested in visiting Syracuse basketball in the near future as the current AAU season winds down.