Syracuse Basketball: 4-star Putnam Science, City Rocks wing eyes 'Cuse official visit

Four-star sophomore wing Imahri Wooten, a New York native, wants to take an official visit to Syracuse basketball at some point, he said in a recent interview and his dad said to me.

The 6-foot-5 Wooten, last October, took an unofficial visit to the Orange, around which time he picked up a scholarship offer from the ‘Cuse coaching staff.

Wooten, a talented shooting guard/small forward rated in the top 100 nationally, is one of eight players in the 2026 cycle who have been offered by the Orange, with Syracuse basketball coaches showing interest in several other high school sophomores.

In the 2023-24 season, Wooten started out playing for the AZ Compass Prep School in Chandler, Ariz., but mid-season, he transferred closer to home, competing for the Putnam Science Academy in Putnam, Conn., which recently wrapped up a stellar campaign.

Keep an eye out for four-star wing Imahri Wooten to officially visit Syracuse basketball.

In 2023-24, Putnam Science won the New England Basketball League title, according to a post on X from February.

Earlier this month, Putnam Science competed in this year’s National Prep Championship in Worcester, Mass. The Mustangs advanced to the championship game, where it lost, 76-63, to the Western Reserve Academy from Hudson, Ohio.

According to Wooten’s dad, Jimmy Wooten, at the recent National Prep Championship, ‘Cuse associate head coach Gerry McNamara was in attendance for one of Putnam Science’s games.

In 2023-24, Imahri Wooten led Putnam Science in minutes per game, while starting at shooting guard, his dad says. Playing on a powerhouse team with numerous older guys on the roster, Wooten this past season focused on his defense and facilitating for his teammates.

As a junior in 2024-25, I have every confidence that Wooten will be more of a focal point on offense as it pertains to scoring for the Mustangs.

To that end, in a recent interview with media outlet Pro Insight, Wooten said that his transition to Putnam Science was an easy one, as his coaches and his teammates welcomed him in right away.

Wooten says that over the course of this past season, he’s grown a lot. More mature in how he plays. Locking in on defense, and how that can lead to offense.

What struck me is that Wooten said to Pro Insight, more than once, how a key focus for him has proven being a strong teammate, being selfless and worrying about his Putnam Science colleagues before himself.

That shows high character, and candidly, you can’t necessarily teach that. It just seems like it’s innate in Wooten.

When asked by Pro Insight which college squads he’s hearing from the most these days, Wooten mentioned Syracuse basketball, along with Missouri and Wisconsin.

Regarding possible upcoming visits, he noted schools including the Orange, Wisconsin, Missouri and Mississippi State.

It’s early on in his recruiting process, but things will start to heat up in the coming months. For one, college coaches can begin initiating direct contact with 2026 prospects on June 15. On August 1, those players in this cycle can start taking official visits.

Wooten’s dad tells me that his son “definitely wants to take an official (to Syracuse basketball) at some point, but they haven’t set up anything yet.” Stay tuned on that.

Besides the ‘Cuse, Wooten’s early offer sheet includes Albany, Arizona State, Auburn, Georgia Tech, IUPUI, Mississippi State, Missouri, NJIT, St. Bonaventure and Wichita State, according to recruiting services. His bio on the 247Sports Web site notes interest from Miami as well.

Wooten hails from Troy, N.Y. As a freshman during the 2022-23 season, he was named to the Power 5 Conference AAA All-League first team as a young standout at the Redemption Christian Academy in Troy.

When I wrote this article on Wednesday, the industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking placed him at No. 83 overall and No. 21 at shooting guard within the 2026 class.

Per his dad, this spring and summer, Wooten will suit up for the 17U squad of the Albany City Rocks in Nike's EYBL league, an excellent grassroots basketball program that has sent numerous of its alumni to Syracuse basketball over the years.