Syracuse Basketball: How 5-star commit, 4-star targets fared in country’s toughest league

A Syracuse basketball commit and several Orange recruiting targets have finished up their 2023-24 regular season in arguably the nation’s top high school hoops conference.

Over the weekend, the 12-game regular season of the 14-member Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Scholastic (“EYBL Scholastic”) wrapped up.

This conference features some of the top high school programs around the country, including various independent basketball academies as well as prep schools.

From a Syracuse basketball recruiting perspective, the three EYBL Scholastic teams to monitor are the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y., and the La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind.

Orange 2024 signee Donnie Freeman is a standout for IMG. Long Island Lutheran’s stacked backcourt includes ‘Cuse 2025 recruits Nigel James and Kiyan Anthony. One of the stars for La Lumiere is Orange 2025 target Jerry Easter II.

Let’s see how Syracuse basketball recruits did in the top league.

From a team perspective, in the EYBL Scholastic regular season, Long Island Lutheran finished at 10-2. Both IMG and La Lumiere were 7-5.

Long Island Lutheran was No. 2 in the EYBL Scholastic standings behind the 12-0 Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla. IMG and La Lumiere finished in a tie for the No. 5 spot.

The eight-team Chipotle Nationals, which will take place in early April in Brownsburg, Ind., will crown a high school national champion. Experts have told me that Long Island Lutheran is a virtual lock to make the field. IMG and La Lumiere are contenders as well.

Donnie Freeman
The 6-foot-9 Freeman, who is officially signed with Syracuse basketball, is a five-star prospect. On3 rates him as the No. 10 overall player and the No. 1 power forward in the 2024 class. Freeman has been selected to several upcoming All-America games.

•16.55 points, 8.36 rebounds and 2.18 assists per game
•53 percent from the field, 30 percent from deep and 75 percent from the free-throw line

Among EYBL Scholastic Leaders:
Points per game, No. 7
Rebounds per game, No. 2
Field-goal shooting percentage, No. 6
Blocks per game, No. 17
Steals per game, No. 21

Nigel James
The 6-foot James, a four-star prospect, is a top-20 point guard and a top-100 national prospect in the 2025 cycle. He holds a scholarship offer from the Orange and officially visited Syracuse basketball last September.

•11.92 points, 2.58 rebounds and 4.25 assists per game
•54 percent from the field, 44 percent from deep and 78 percent from the free-throw line

Among EYBL Scholastic Leaders:
3-pointers made per game, No. 21
Assists per game, No. 10
Assist/turnover ratio, No. 12
Steals per game, No. 19

Kiyan Anthony
The 6-foot-5 Anthony, a four-star junior, is a top-40 overall prospect and a top-10 shooting guard, per multiple recruiting services. He has an offer from the ‘Cuse and went on an official visit to the program last October.

•8.17 points, 1.50 rebounds and 2.25 assists percent game
•38 percent from the field, 32 percent from deep and 78 percent from the free-throw line

Jerry Easter II
The 6-foot-4 Easter is rated five stars by the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. He is a top-25 national prospect in the 2025 class, as well as a top-five point guard/combo guard. Easter owns an offer from the Orange and has said he would like to visit Syracuse basketball at some point.

•18.17 points, 5.92 rebounds and 2.17 assists per game
•43 percent from the field, 40 percent from deep and 75 percent from the free-throw line

Among EYBL Scholastic Leaders:
Points per game, No. 4
Rebounds per game, No. 11
Field-goal shooting percentage, No. 15
Free-throw shooting percentage, No. 11
Steals per game, No. 8