Syracuse Basketball: 4-star Cam Ward caps off All-America term with storybook ending

Four-star junior and top-100 national prospect Cam Ward, who holds a Syracuse basketball scholarship offer, ensured that his Maryland high school would not again be denied a state title like it was a season ago.

The 6-foot-7 forward, a standout for Largo High School in Upper Marlboro, Md., and one of the top prospects coming out of the talent-rich Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, put up a ridiculous stat line in leading the Lions to a Maryland championship over the weekend.

In the title game of the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (“MPSSAA”) Class 2A state tournament, held on Saturday at the University of Maryland’s College Park campus, Ward stole the show.

Largo, which a stanza ago fell in the Class 2A state tourney final contest to New Town High School out of Owings Mills, Md., reversed course on Saturday, defeating Baltimore’s Carver Vo-Tech, 66-52, to claim a Maryland championship at the culmination of the 2023-24 campaign.

Syracuse basketball target Cam Ward is a state champion.

According to posts on X, Ward finished with a game-high 29 points, 16 rebounds, one assist, five steals and six blocks in the Lions’ triumph over Carver Vo-Tech.

Ward connected on 10-of-17 from the field, 1-of-2 from beyond the arc and 8-of-11 from the free-throw line.

His performance in the Class 2A championship encounter was just the latest example of Ward’s stellar junior year in which he has played like an All-American for Largo.

The Lions are 25-2 overall in 2023-24, and Ward is a huge reason why. Check out some of his impressive junior-season statistics via the MaxPreps Web site.

The Orange coaching staff offered a scholarship to Ward in late April of last year. Not too long ago, a post on X from recruiting expert 24/7 High School Hoops noted that Syracuse basketball was among numerous suitors the most involved in Ward’s recruitment these days.

He has more than 20 offers from schools such as Virginia, Michigan State, Louisville, Villanova, Saint Louis, Notre Dame, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Penn State, Kansas State, Texas A&M, Old Dominion, Texas, Iowa, Providence, Tennessee, VCU, Georgetown, Arkansas, Illinois, Maryland, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, George Mason, George Washington and Bryant.

Ward has officially visited Florida State and Notre Dame. He’s also taken unofficial visits to local squads Maryland and Georgetown. More visits will come soon, and I’ll monitor whether Ward makes a trip to the Hill.

The Orange did reach out to him in mid-June of 2023, when the contact period for 2025 prospects opened up. Last September during the fall recruiting period, the Syracuse basketball coaching staff was reportedly in attendance for Ward doing a Largo open gym.

When I wrote this article on Sunday, both industry-generated rating systems, the 247Sports Composite and the On3 Industry Ranking, placed Ward in the top 60 nationally, the top 15 at small forward/power forward and No. 1 in Maryland within the 2025 class.

ESPN ranks him at No. 39 overall in his cycle. Rivals.com recently updated its national rankings for the junior class, jumping Ward 29 spots to No. 94 overall. This, to me, is still far too low.

Ward, during the most recent AAU season last spring and summer, was a top-10 scorer in the 16U division, averaging nearly 20 points per game for the Oxon Hill, Md.-based Team Durant in Nike’s EYBL league.

From my perspective, Cam Ward should push for five-star status and is a top-40 national prospect in the 2025 cycle.