Syracuse Basketball: 4-star Matt Gilhool, who had officially visited SU, names top 7

Syracuse basketball is not a finalist for 2025 four-star big man Matthew Gilhool from Philadelphia.

On Monday afternoon, via his Instagram page, the talented 6-foot-10 power forward/center disclosed a top seven of Iowa, Utah, Mississippi State, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Alabama and LSU.

While not privy to the inner workings of Gilhool's recruitment, I have to say, I'm a bit surprised that the Orange didn't make his list of finalists.

Gilhool has visited the Hill at least three times, including an official visit to the 'Cuse in late September of last year.

In late June, according to top national analyst/scout Jamie Shaw of On3, Syracuse basketball head coach Adrian Autry was on hand to watch Gilhool at the DMV Live event during a scholastic live period where prospects suited up for their high school programs.

Syracuse basketball is out of the running for 2025 four-star big man Matthew Gilhool.

Gilhool, a top-80 national prospect in his class per multiple recruiting services, is a standout rising senior at the William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia.

During the current AAU season, he has been running with the 17U squad of the Philadelphia-based Team Final in Nike's EYBL league.

Throughout his recruitment, Gilhool has received more than two dozen scholarship offers. The Orange staff offered him in late August of 2023, around the time that he unofficially visited the program to play in the team's annual Elite Camp.

This past February, on Jim Boeheim Day, Gilhool also went on an unofficial visit to Syracuse basketball.

Now, this spring, former 'Cuse associate head coach Gerry McNamara left to become Siena's head coach. GMac had been serving as the Orange's lead recruiter for Gilhool.

Despite that, Syracuse basketball of late had been among the schools that Gilhool had been hearing from the most, per 247Sports national analyst/scout Brandon Jenkins. In late June, Jenkins wrote in a post on X that Gilhool was hearing the most from Alabama, Michigan, Penn State and the Orange.

I am also a tad surprised not to see Penn State, an in-state school for Gilhool, on his finalist list. The Nittany Lions, per Verbal Commits, offered him a scholarship more than two years ago.

If we're looking at 2025 big men who are being pursued by the Orange staff, I'd keep an eye on four-star Asher Elson of South Shore High School in Brooklyn, N.Y., and five-star Chris Cenac Jr. of the Link Academy in Branson, Mo.

Syracuse basketball offered Elson in mid-April. Cenac landed his 'Cuse offer in early June. On Sunday, Cenac and the USA Basketball U17 national team won the gold medal at the FIBA World Cup in Istanbul, Turkey.

Throughout this international event, 'Cuse assistant coach Brenden Straughn was in the house for Cenac and another Orange recruit, 2026 five-star shooting guard Jordan Smith Jr. of St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, Va.