There are few rising high school seniors with more buzz these days than 2026 five-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr., the Syracuse basketball priority target from New York City.
Over the past few months, the 6-foot-2 Rippey has played at an ultra-high level on the AAU circuit and at other showcases, both in the United States and overseas. The Orange staff is recruiting him extremely hard these days, watching him in countless settings, including over the past two weekends amid NCAA-permitted live periods as Rippey has suited up for the 17U team of the New York-based New Heights in the Adidas 3SSB league.
Shout out to Kamsi, Sean, Toussaint, Derrick, & Ron Ron!
— New Heights Youth Inc. (@NewHeightsNYC) July 18, 2025
Well done boys 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽#NEWHEIGHTSNYC🔵🔴⚪ https://t.co/61uOIbxJ3m
This weekend, Rippey is earning high praise as he's playing well for New Heights at the Adidas 3SSB's Earn Your Stripes Invitational in Ladera Ranch, Calif. Syracuse basketball head coach Adrian Autry and 'Cuse general manager Alex Kline have been on hand for Rippey in California, I've been told.
Based on analysts and scouts I've spoken with, and various articles I've read of late, Rippey is trending toward a 2026 rankings bump. He's already in the top 20 overall, and the country's No. 2 point guard, according to several recruiting Web sites.
However, some experts say that Rippey, an excellent student and selfless teammate, is likely to make a run toward the top 10 nationwide, and perhaps even the top five.
Syracuse basketball is in the thick of it for 2026 5-star PG Deron Rippey Jr.
Rippey, who has received more than 40 offers, recently trimmed his list down to a dozen college teams still in contention. They are the Orange, Alabama, Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, N.C. State, Tennessee and Texas.
As I first reported, Rippey will take an official visit to Syracuse basketball in late September. He unofficially visited the Hill in late February of 2024, on Jim Boeheim Day. The 'Cuse offered Rippey a scholarship in late August of 2023 and has prioritized him ever since.
Rippey, who has numerous other official visits scheduled for the coming months, is a standout rising senior at the Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J. Last month, he was one of 18 finalists for the USA Basketball U19 national team that was competing at the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Recently, CBS Sports senior writer Matt Norlander had this to say about Rippey: "If you told me he wound up moving up 5-7 slots by the time the 2026 class finalizes, I'd believe you. Rippey, who plays on the Adidas side, is a well-rounded point guard with a nose for timely defense and knack for big plays in big moments. I didn't know anything about him a week ago and am now convinced he'll eventually be an All-American if he's in college by his junior season. Apparently the entire world is now recruiting him."
I agree with Norlander in that Ron Ron has a flood of big-time suitors. Syracuse basketball has a shot to prevail for Rippey, as the Orange has shown its loyalty to him for quite a while.