Syracuse Basketball: Big developments as 4-star transfers to visit 'Cuse this weekend

Syracuse basketball coaches are in store for a big upcoming weekend, with news that two four-star college transfers are planning to visit the Hill, per multiple media reports.

Those expected to visit the Orange this weekend are Delaware senior forward Jyáre Davis and Mount St. Mary's senior guard Dakota Leffew.

On3 national reporter Joe Tipton first reported the news about Davis. Mike Waters of Syracuse.com first had the scoop on Leffew. While Waters' report was a subscriber-exclusive piece, his Syracuse.com colleague, Brent Axe, noted Leffew's visit in a post on X.

This is highly encouraging stuff for Syracuse basketball and its fan base. The transfer portal opened on Monday, March 18, and it will run for 45 days. Since then, at least six players from the 'Cuse 2023-24 roster have either entered the portal or plan to, as Tipton said via his X page on Wednesday night that junior center Mounir Hima will be entering the portal.

Besides Hima, those entering the portal include sophomore big man Maliq Brown, sophomore center Peter Carey, sophomore guard/wing Quadir Copeland, sophomore guard/wing Justin Taylor, and junior forward Benny Williams, who was dismissed from the program in early February.

Given all those transfers out, understandably, some Orange fans were feeling a bit anxious. Last week, the 'Cuse did get a commitment from Colorado senior center Eddie Lampkin Jr., a four-star transfer prospect himself.

Two highly rated college transfers will visit Syracuse basketball this weekend.

Sophomore point guard Judah Mintz isn't likely to return to the Orange in the 2024-25 season. The 'Cuse coaching staff, meanwhile, has reached out to a variety of college transfers since the portal opened, and some of the team's biggest needs this off-season probably have focused on landing a center, which the Orange did, along with at least one or two guards and a 3-point specialist out on the wing.

To that end, Syracuse basketball will soon get visits from the 6-foot-5, 185-pound Leffew and the 6-foot-7, 215-pound Davis. Both of these prospects entered the portal last month, per recruiting services.

During 2023-24, as a senior at Coastal Athletic Association ("CAA") member Delaware, Davis averaged 17.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per contest, while connecting on 46.6 percent from the field, 81.4 percent from the free-throw line, and 25.6 percent from beyond the arc.

Over at Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference ("MAAC") school Mount St. Mary's, as a senior in 2023-24, Leffew averaged 17.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game, while hitting on 43.0 percent from the field, 36.5 percent from beyond the arc, and 76.5 percent from the free-throw line.

On Wednesday evening when I wrote this article, in national transfer rankings, On3 had Davis at No. 141 overall, while he checked in at No. 68 nationally, per Rivals.com, as well as No. 116 around the country, according to the industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking.

Leffew, meanwhile, was No. 81 nationwide from 247Sports, No. 189 from On3 and No. 131 per the On3 Industry Ranking.