Syracuse Basketball: 4-star commit Elijah Moore putting in the work; it will pay off

I've made no secret of my admiration and respect for Syracuse basketball 2024 four-star commit and incoming freshman Elijah Moore from New York City.

The 6-foot-5 shooting guard, who I'll always maintain is vastly under-rated in the high school senior cycle, is on the SU campus this summer and according to some recent social media posts, he's grinding. Moore, per these posts, is hard at work, putting in the hours late into the night.

Moore had a strong senior year suiting up for the Our Saviour Lutheran School in the Bronx, N.Y., which is part of the Atlanta-based professional league Overtime Elite, operating there as JellyFam.

In mid-March, on Our Saviour Lutheran's senior night, Moore went off to the tune of scoring 67 points. And while most recruiting services, in final 2024 rankings, placed him in the top 100 overall and in the top 25 at his position, I'll always contend that Moore should have been a consensus top-50 national prospect and a top-five shooting guard in his class.

Then again, now that he's on the Hill and gearing up for the 2024-25 season with the Orange, these sorts of recruiting rankings don't mean much at all. Moore, in the upcoming campaign, is part of a deep and talented 'Cuse backcourt, and it will be interesting to see how much run Elijah scores as a college freshman.

Syracuse basketball incoming freshman Elijah Moore is working his butt off to prepare for the upcoming season.

Moore verbally committed to the Orange in late January of 2023 and then officially signed with Syracuse basketball last November.

He's part of a 'Cuse 2024 recruiting class that currently features two high school seniors, four college transfers, and was ranked No. 10 across the country on the On3 Web site when I wrote this article.

As I've closely followed his recruitment over the past two-plus years, what's impressed me about Moore is how he's been laser-focused on enhancing his all-around game. For a while, national analysts and scouts hailed him as primarily a long-range shooter.

And don't get me wrong: Elijah is lethal from beyond the arc. Yet experts say Moore has evolved into more of a three-way scorer, while improving his defensive, rebounding, ball-handling, and facilitating for others, among other things.

Even though he's an incoming freshman, I believe that in short order, Moore will prove a key leader on this Orange team. He loves Syracuse basketball, and he has said more than once that he wants to do whatever possible to help the squad win games, while also playing an important role in the greater 'Cuse community.

Additionally, as far as I can tell, Moore is a high-character young man. To that end, I regularly check in with analysts and reporters who extensively cover high school hoops and recruiting in New York City and throughout the Empire State, and these folks often rave about Moore's character and integrity.

So we can discuss Elijah's prowess at putting points on the scoreboard, and all the other positive attributes that surround his skill set on the court. For me, though, Moore's character, integrity and work ethic are what matter the most.

I think that I accurately speak for a bevy of Syracuse basketball fans in saying that we are lucky to have "Choppa" as a part of our program.