Might Georgia State junior guard Lucas Taylor, a four-star transfer in the portal, possibly be on a commitment watch to Syracuse basketball?
We'll have to wait and see.
But as I noted in a post via X on Tuesday, based on an Instagram story post, it does look like the 6-foot-5, 200-pound Taylor has been on a visit to the Orange, which is an encouraging sign.
There was a dead period in recruiting initiatives that ran from May 22 through June 2, and I was hoping that after this ended, we might see Taylor on the Hill for a visit to Syracuse basketball.
Taylor, who entered the portal on March 18 per Rivals.com, has received interest from numerous other college squads, although a recent report from top analyst Mike McAllister of 247Sports stated that the 'Cuse staff and Taylor were discussing a potential upcoming official visit.
Syracuse basketball seems to be hosting Georgia State junior guard Lucas Taylor, a 4-star transfer, on a visit.
Taylor, who hails from Raleigh, N.C., averaged 30.7 minutes, 14.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per contest as a junior in the 2023-24 campaign at Sun Belt Conference member Georgia State, according to ESPN statistics.
In 2023-24, he hit on 40.7 percent from the field as a whole, 35.4 percent from 3-point land, and 78.7 percent from the charity stripe.
In its national transfer rankings this off-season, 247Sports currently places Taylor, who started his collegiate career at fellow Atlantic Coast Conference school Wake Forest, as four stars, No. 200 overall and No. 38 at shooting guard.
Per media reports, other college teams that have shown some level of interest in Taylor this off-season include TCU, UNLV, West Virginia, UCF, Temple, Loyola Chicago, George Mason, Arizona State, St. John’s, George Washington and Oregon State, among others.
This off-season, the Syracuse basketball staff has significantly overhauled its roster for the upcoming 2024-25 term. Seven players from the team's 2023-24 roster have hit the portal, while sophomore point guard Judah Mintz is headed to this summer's NBA Draft.
Five guys from a season ago are expected to return. The Orange's 2024 recruiting class includes two high school seniors and three college transfers to date, meaning that ahead of 2024-25, the 'Cuse still has three open scholarships available.
My own personal opinion is that based on the current Syracuse basketball roster for next season, the biggest remaining needs could entail securing another guard, such as Taylor, a 3-point specialist out on the wing, and a big man who can play power forward and center.
I hope that Lucas' visit to Central New York is going well, and I'd love to see him don an Orange uniform in 2024-25. He would provide veteran leadership and further bolster the team's depth in its backcourt.