Syracuse basketball 5-star commit, 4-star targets to play for top-10 teams this season

Syracuse basketball 2025 five-star commit Sadiq White Jr. and various four-star and five-star recruiting targets are set to compete for top-10 national teams in the upcoming 2024-25 season, according to an expert.

Samad Hines, a top high school hoops analyst and scout, recently published a post to his X page where he looked at programs that, as of now, are likely to reside in the top 10 of preseason national rankings for 2024-25.

White, who verbally committed to the Orange in late May, and numerous top targets for the 'Cuse in the 2025 and 2026 classes will play for elite squads likely to be in the top 10 ahead of the upcoming campaign, per Hines.

Let's explore this a bit further.

Syracuse basketball recruits will play for top-flight high school teams in 2024-25.

Those groups included in Hines' recent post on social media include the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y., St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, Va., and Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C.

IMG is the new home of White, a top-20 national prospect in his class who transferred to the Ascenders for his senior season. IMG is a member of the loaded 14-team Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Scholastic ("EYBL Scholastic").

Ahead of 2024-25, Hines and other high school basketball experts have told me that the Ascenders are a significant contender for the EYBL Scholastic title and to go on a potential deep run at next spring's Chipotle Nationals.

A rising senior at Long Island Lutheran is Syracuse basketball 2025 four-star priority target and top-30 national prospect Kiyan Anthony, who has the Orange in his top six and officially visited the 'Cuse in late October of last year. Long Island Lutheran is also an EYBL Scholastic school.

This past spring, St. Paul VI finished as the runner-up at the 2024 Chipotle Nationals, and the Panthers are arguably the preeminent high school program in the talent-rich D.C. market. One of the standouts for St. Paul VI is All-American Jordan Smith Jr., a 2026 five-star shooting guard and top-five national prospect who has said he's likely to go on an official visit to Syracuse basketball in the future.

Staying in the Washington metropolitan region, another excellent squad is Gonzaga. A key player with this group is 2025 four-star combo guard and top-60 national prospect Derek Dixon. He has the 'Cuse in his top six, and Dixon went on an official visit to the Orange in late September of 2023.