MJ Madison, the fast-rising 2026 prospect originally from Atlanta who played alongside Kiyan Anthony during the most recent season, says that he's developing a strong relationship with Syracuse basketball general manager and ace recruiter Alex Kline.
The 6-foot-9, 214-pound Madison, a four-star power forward, is evolving as a national prospect, and he's got some serious interest from the Orange, led by Kline. Candidly, it wouldn't surprise me one iota if the 'Cuse ultimately offers a scholarship to Madison.
In a recent interview with top writer Sam Lance of zagsblog.com, Madison said of his contact with the Orange: "I’ve been talking to their recruiter, coach Alex Kline. Really good guy. He’s shown a lot of interest in me and I’m always receptive to him and listening to him. That’s my guy. I try to talk to him as much as I can and try to stay in contact with him."
Madison attends Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y., which wrapped up the 2024-25 term as a top-10 national program, according to multiple media outlets. The Crusaders were one of 10 teams to participate in early April's Chipotle Nationals, held in Fishers, Ind., near Indianapolis.
In late March, Long Island Lutheran won The Throne, a national tournament that took place in East Rutherford, N.J. The program's 2024-25 roster included Anthony, a four-star shooting guard and member of the Orange's 2025 class, along with 2026 five-star point guard Dylan Mingo and 2027 five-star wing/forward Moussa Kamissoko.
Similar to Madison, Mingo is garnering interest from the Syracuse basketball staff, while the 'Cuse offered a scholarship to Kamissoko in late December of last year.
Syracuse basketball is in pursuit of 2026 four-star power forward MJ Madison.
According to recruiting services, Madison's offer sheet features schools such as the College of Charleston, Georgia, Penn State, West Virginia, Virginia Tech and Kennesaw State. Teams displaying an interest in him, per Lance, include the Orange, Alabama, Auburn and Seton Hall.
Within the 2026 cycle, the industry-generated 247Sports Composite currently places Madison at No. 63 overall, No. 13 at power forward and No. 3 in New York. On3, not too long ago, updated its rankings for this class, putting Madison at No. 39 nationwide, No. 8 at power forward and No. 4 in the Empire State.
Top national analyst/scout Jamie Shaw of On3 noted that Madison's national rating soared from No. 79 to No. 39.
The AAU circuit is just getting underway, and this spring and summer, Madison will compete for the Albany, N.Y.-based City Rocks in Nike’s EYBL league, a terrific grassroots hoops program that, over the years, has sent numerous of its alumni to the 'Cuse.
When live periods occur on the AAU circuit in the coming months, I'd expect Kline or other members of the Syracuse basketball staff to be in attendance for Madison and the City Rocks.