Syracuse Basketball: 4-star target transfers to program that finished No. 1 in one poll

Four-star shooting guard Dakari Spear, a top-30 national prospect in the 2026 class from Texas who holds a Syracuse basketball offer, is changing programs for his final season of high school.

The 6-foot-4, 185-pound Spear received a scholarship offer from the Orange last October. The 'Cuse staff has visited him on multiple occasions dating back to the fall of 2024, according to recruiting analysts.

Sam Kayser, a top analyst with League Ready, reports via X that Spear will spend his senior year in the 2025-26 campaign at Dynamic Prep in Irving, Texas, whose head coach is former NBA star Jermaine O'Neal.

Per MaxPreps, in 2024-25, Dynamic Prep finished 34-5 overall and reached the final game of this past spring's Chipotle Nationals, where it fell to Christopher Columbus High School in Miami. In MaxPreps' final top 10 of high school programs that don't compete for state-affiliated titles, Dynamic Prep was No. 1 around the country.

Other Syracuse basketball targets have transferred to new teams, too.

Spear, the No. 28 national prospect and the No. 6 shooting guard in his class per ESPN, previously suited up for The Colony High School in The Colony, Texas. This spring and summer, he's competing for the 17U team of the Irving, Texas-based Drive Nation in Nike's EYBL league.

According to the EYBL Web site, so far in the current season, Spear is averaging 13.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Drive Nation is expected to play next month in the EYBL's season-ending Peach Jam tournament in North Augusta, S.C.

Per recruiting services, Spear's full offer sheet includes schools such as Stanford, Alabama, Arizona State, LSU, Miami, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, SMU, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech.

Earlier this month, 2026 four-star wing/small forward Vaughn Karvala revealed that he will transfer from Oregon High School in Oregon, Wis., to CIA Bella Vista in Phoenix. Karvala holds a 'Cuse offer, has unofficially visited the Hill and may take an official visit to Syracuse basketball at some point.

In late May, I reported that 2026 five-star guard/small forward Alex Constanza would transfer from the Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to the Spire Academy in Geneva, Ohio. Constanza has an Orange offer and has officially visited the program. He may take a second visit to Syracuse basketball.

In his early top 25 for the 2025-26 stanza, national analyst/scout Samad Hines places Dynamic Prep, CIA Bella Vista and Spire inside the top 15 overall.