Syracuse Basketball: 4-star recruits notch a thrilling win over 5-star Donnie Freeman

On Friday night in the Sunshine State, Syracuse basketball recruiting enthusiasts got treated to a terrific game that pitted two heavyweight high school programs with multiple ties to the 'Cuse.

The powerhouse IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., hosted another juggernaut in high school hoops, Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y. Both squads are part of the country's top high school conference, the 14-member Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Scholastic (“EYBL Scholastic”).

IMG's roster includes Syracuse basketball 2024 commit Donnie Freeman, a five-star power forward who has climbed to No. 10 across the country in the senior cycle, per recruiting service On3.

Long Island Lutheran's stacked backcourt features two Orange priority recruits in the 2025 class. They are four-star shooting guard Kiyan Anthony and four-star point guard Nigel James. Both hold 'Cuse scholarship offers and took official visits to the Hill last October (Anthony) and last September (James).

Syracuse recruiting targets picked up a victory over an Orange commit in the 2024 cycle.

This game between the Long Island Lutheran Crusaders and the IMG Ascenders was a top-15 national encounter, according to the latest top 25 from ESPN. That recruiting service had Long Island Lutheran at No. 4 overall, while IMG had moved up to No. 13, buoyed by some strong recent triumphs, including one over No. 5 Prolific Prep from Napa Valley, Calif., at the Grind Session in Puerto Rico.

Playing this past Friday evening at IMG, the Crusaders scored a terrific road win over the Ascenders. Per information courtesy of Legit Sport Stats, Long Island Lutheran prevailed against IMG, 83-81 in overtime.

The box score from Legit Sport Stats shows that James tallied seven points, four rebounds, four assists and one block. Anthony had four points, four rebounds and three assists. Both of them struggled shooting the ball from the field.

Freeman, meanwhile, finished with 12 points. He was 5-of-12 from the field and 2-of-6 from beyond the arc. Additionally, Freeman had four rebounds, one assist and one block. To date in the 2023-24 campaign, he has been a top-10 scorer and a top-five rebounder during EYBL Scholastic competition.

The Ascenders shot the ball at a high clip, going 46 percent from the field, 50 percent from deep and 76 percent from the free-throw line.

However, what proved key in the Crusaders' win was a 41-31 rebounding edge, along with leads of 38-22 in paint points, 8-0 in fast-break points and 11-3 in bench points.

On Saturday afternoon on IMG's home floor in two EYBL Scholastic affairs, Long Island Lutheran was set to take on the Veritas Academy in Santa Fe Springs, Calif., while the Ascenders were scheduled to square off against the No. 14 Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va.