Syracuse basketball 5-star target Baba Oladotun, No. 1 player, has 'world of upside'

Syracuse basketball coaches, in late June, offered a scholarship to 2027 five-star forward Baba Oladotun from the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, who is the nation's No. 1 overall prospect per ESPN.

While the 6-foot-9 small forward/power forward likely has a way to go in his recruiting process, being just a rising sophomore in high school, Oladotun has already amassed at least 15 high-major offers, according to recruiting services and social media posts from him.

What's more, college coaches won't be able to initiate direct communication with 2027 prospects until June 15 of next year, so for Oladotun's offer sheet to be sizable at this juncture is impressive.

In late June, as players suited up for their high school teams during an NCAA live period, the 'Cuse staff was on hand for Oladotun and his program, James Hubert Blake High School in Silver Spring, Md., at the Philly Live event, per a post on X from top scout Ari Rosenfeld, the owner of ELITE High School Scouting.

It was around that time Oladotun disclosed his scholarship offer from the Orange, via his X page. He is also a standout with the 15U squad of the Oxon Hill, Md.-based Team Durant in Nike's EYBL league.

New Syracuse basketball five-star recruit Baba Oladotun is seeing his recruitment blow up.

Since mid-June, Oladotun has landed offers from programs such as Syracuse basketball, Florida State, Cincinnati, Butler, Michigan, Rutgers, Southern California, UCLA, Tennessee and West Virginia. He also holds prior offers from schools including Louisville, Mississippi State, Virginia Tech, Howard and Bryant.

While competition will undeniably continue to grow for Oladotun, it's great to see the 'Cuse staff get involved with him early on, and Orange coaches do boast deep recruiting connections within the D.C. market.

In June, Oladotun scored high marks from national analysts and scouts for his performances at two coveted events, the National Basketball Players Association ("NBPA") Top 100 Camp in Orlando, Fla., and the Nike Elite 100 Camp in St. Louis.

Following the NBPA Top 100 Camp, On3 national analyst/scout Jamie Shaw wrote a piece where he discussed his top performers at this event. Shaw included Oladotun, saying that he "has a world of upside. Still thin and developing physically, the shot-making is very intriguing. Standing in the 6-foot-7 range, he is very confident and has range that extends beyond the arc."

From July 13 to July 21 in North Augusta, S.C., the EYBL's annual Peach Jam will take place. Team Durant is in the Peach Jam 15U field, and this tournament will occur amid two NCAA live periods.

I'll be curious to see whether the Syracuse basketball staff is in attendance for Oladotun during one, or both, of these upcoming evaluation periods. Oladotun had a solid spring amid a couple of EYBL sessions, averaging 15.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per contest, per that league's Web site.

Orange coaches are getting an early start with their 2027 recruiting efforts. Also not too long ago, the 'Cuse offered four-star power forward and top-20 national prospect Zion Green with Imhotep Institute Charter High School in Philadelphia and the New Jersey Scholars on the EYBL circuit.

In late June, Rosenfeld also reported that the Syracuse basketball staff checked out Green and Imhotep at Philly Live during the recent scholastic evaluation period.