Syracuse basketball 5-star recruits vie for spots on a USA Basketball national team

Two Syracuse basketball five-star recruiting targets will compete for spots on the 2024 USA Basketball U18 national team.

In a recent press release, USA Basketball announced that 30 high school prospects across the 2024, 2025 and 2026 classes are expected to participate at an upcoming training camp in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Per the announcement, the training camp will begin on Thursday, May 23, with the 12-member USA Basketball U18 national team being announced before the squad departs for the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup, which is slated for June 3 to June 9 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

High school players attending the upcoming trials were selected by the USA Basketball junior national team committee.

A pair of Syracuse basketball five-star recruits is eyeing the USA Basketball national team.

Among the 30 expected participants at this upcoming training camp are several 2024 and 2025 prospects who have held offers from the Orange coaching staff, including Patrick Ngongba II, Nikola Bundalo, Jerry Easter II and Malachi Moreno.

However, the two main ‘Cuse targets at this juncture who have made the cut for this training camp are 2025 five-star forward Sadiq White Jr. from North Carolina and 2026 five-star guard/small forward Alex Constanza from Florida.

The 6-foot-8 White, out of Myers Park High School in Charlotte, N.C., and the Charlotte-based Team United in Nike's EYBL league., is rated in the top 30 nationally in the high school junior class, according to several recruiting services.

He was offered a scholarship by the Syracuse basketball staff in late April of 2023. White currently has the Orange among his seven finalists, and I’m curious to see if and when he schedules an official visit to the Hill.

He has unofficially visited the ‘Cuse twice - in mid-September of last year, and in late February of 2024.

Constanza, meanwhile, is a standout for the Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and the Miami-based Nightrydas Elite in Nike’s EYBL league. The top-10 national prospect picked up a scholarship offer from Syracuse basketball in January of this year, and his dad has told me that Constanza is highly interested in visiting the Orange at some point in the future.

A huge congrats from ‘Cuse Nation to Alex and Sadiq on this wonderful achievement.

The 2024 USA Basketball U18 national team staff is led by head coach Tommy Lloyd (Arizona) as well as assistant coaches Grant McCasland (Texas Tech) and Micah Shrewsberry (Notre Dame).