Syracuse Basketball: Superb sophomore season for new 5-star recruit Alex Constanza

New Syracuse basketball 2026 five-star recruiting target Alex Constanza is playing like an All-American so far in his sophomore year.

The 6-foot-8 guard/small forward, a standout at the Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has put up some big-time numbers to date in the 2023-24 campaign, as the Lions have sported an 11-5 overall mark against top-flight competition.

Constanza, a consensus top-15 national prospect in his class, recently received a scholarship offer from the ‘Cuse coaching staff, as I first reported last weekend. Assistant coach Allen Griffin is the Orange’s lead recruiter for Constanza.

Through Westminster Academy’s first 16 games, Constanza is averaging 20 points, nine rebounds, four assists and nearly two blocks per game, according to his dad, Ed Constanza.

Alex Constanza, in 2023-24, is connecting on 55 percent from the field, 48 percent from beyond the arc, and 80 percent from the free-throw line.

Syracuse basketball recently offered 2026 five-star Alex Constanza from Florida.

Not too long ago, Westminster played two games at this season’s Flyin’ To The Hoop, a top high school showcase that was held at the Trent Arena in Kettering, Ohio, near Dayton.

The Lions went 1-1, according to social media posts I came across. In the first game, Westminster defeated Archbishop Alter High School from Kettering, 72-71.

Constanza went 10-of-18 from the field, including 3-of-5 from long range, and he finished with 25 points.

In the Lions’ second battle, they took on an excellent squad, Richmond Heights High School from Richmond Heights, Ohio, near Cleveland.

A star for Richmond Heights is 2025 four-star shooting guard Dorian Jones, who picked up a scholarship offer from the ‘Cuse in late August of last year. Jones recently unveiled a top 10 that didn’t include Syracuse basketball.

Richmond Heights beat Westminster, 73-65, although Constanza was terrific. He hit on 9-of-16 from the field, including 3-of-5 from deep. Constanza tallied 24 points and seven boards in the setback.

When I wrote this article, MaxPreps ranked the Lions at No. 28 nationally and No. 7 in Florida.

Earlier in 2023-24, Westminster notched a high-quality win over Archbishop Ryan High School in Philadelphia, a team that is led by 2024 four-star center Thomas Sorber.

Sorber, a top-50 national prospect in the senior cycle, held a scholarship offer from the Orange, although he ended up committing to Georgetown.

The Lions also hung tough with two of the top high school programs around the country, Christopher Columbus High School from Miami and Gonzaga College High School from Washington, D.C.

Gonzaga’s 2023-24 line-up includes 2025 four-star combo guard Derek Dixon, who is a priority recruit for Syracuse basketball coaches in the junior class.

Dixon, a top-75 overall player, was offered by the ‘Cuse in mid-June of 2023, when the contact period first opened up for the 2025 cycle. In late September of last year, Dixon went on an official visit to the Hill.

Constanza is now one of eight players in the 2026 class who have secured Syracuse basketball offers. His dad says that Constanza is excited about the ‘Cuse scholarship offer and is interested in visiting Syracuse basketball at some point.

His full offer sheet, per his dad, includes Florida Gulf Coast, Georgia, Ole Miss, LSU, Mississippi State, Washington, St. John’s, Florida, Miami, Florida State, Alabama, Dayton, Creighton, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Arizona State, Auburn and Illinois.

Other college squads, including Kentucky, Michigan State, Indiana and Oregon, are showing interest in Constanza, who received high marks from national analysts and scouts for his play at the loaded City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Fla., held last month.

Currently, both the industry-generated 247Sports Composite and the industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking place Constanza in the top 8 overall, the top 5 at small forward and the top 2 in Florida within the sophomore class.

Constanza, who is rated as high as No. 5 nationwide by On3, was a standout performer during the most recent AAU season while playing for the 15U team of the Miami-based Nightrydas Elite in Nike’s EYBL league.

I’ll continue to track how Constanza and Westminster are faring in the 2023-24 season. If he continues to perform the way he has been for the Lions, I expect Constanza to significantly contend for All-America honors in the current campaign.