Syracuse basketball 5-star recruit is on the move within the EYBL Scholastic super league

For the upcoming 2026-27 season, a Syracuse basketball recruit in the 2028 class is headed to another school within a top prep conference.

Per a post on X from national analyst Sam Kayser, 2028 five-star wing Kevin Wheatley Jr. is transferring to Iowa United Prep in Des Moines, Iowa, for the 2026-27 campaign. The 6-foot-7, 202-pound Wheatley, who is from Rahway, N.J., near New York City, holds a re-offer from SU first-year head coach Gerry McNamara and his staff.

Wheatley, a top-25 national prospect in the high school junior class, took an unofficial visit to the Orange last December and also held a scholarship offer from the former 'Cuse staff under then-head coach Adrian Autry. In total, Wheatley has picked up more than 20 offers at this stage in his recruitment.

Iowa United Prep is part of the loaded Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Scholastic ("EYBL Scholastic"), which will have 15 members in 2026-27. Last season, Wheatley attended the Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H., but he didn't play due to an injury.

Syracuse basketball 2028 five-star target Kevin Wheatley Jr. is transferring to a new team ahead of his junior year.

Brewster's legendary head coach, Jason Smith, is now the head coach of the newly formed Masters Academy International in Stow, Mass., which is also an EYBL Scholastic member. Wheatley had joined Smith at the Masters Academy International, but now the 2028 wing is on the move to another EYBL Scholastic school, Iowa United Prep.

In a statement to Inside the Loud House, Smith said, "I’d like to thank Kevin for his brief commitment to MAI and wish him the best in the future." Smith says that he plans to add to his 2026-27 roster before the upcoming season begins.

Iowa United Prep's roster for this coming campaign also includes another transfer, 2028 four-star point guard Malik Moore, who has heard from the Orange coaching staff since the contact period for his class opened this past June 15.

The EYBL Scholastic's 15 members in 2026-27 are:
•AZ Compass Prep School in Chandler, Ariz.
•CIA Bella Vista in Phoenix
•Dream City Christian School in Glendale, Ariz.
•Faith Family Academy in Dallas
•Iowa United Prep in Des Moines, Iowa
•La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind.
•Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y.
•Masters Academy International in Stow, Mass.
•Monarch Academy in Kansas City, Kan.
•Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla.
•Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va.
•St. James Academy in Springfield, Va.
•Tennessee Collegiate Academy in Millington, Tenn.
•Veritas Academy in Santa Fe Springs, Calif.
•Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah

Several other 2027 and 2028 prospects, who will play in the EYBL Scholastic this coming season, have also landed an offer from the Syracuse basketball staff.

They include 2027 five-star wing/forward Ahmed Nur, 2028 four-star forward Isaiah Clarke, 2028 five-star point guard Liam Mitakaro and 2028 four-star forward Settimo Yugu of CIA Bella Vista, which won this past season's high school national title. Nur is an Orange priority target in 2027 and took an official visit to the Hill last week.

At Montverde, the 'Cuse staff is in touch with two 2028 five-star wings, Canadian product Isaiah Hamilton and Xavier Skipworth from the DMV. Devin Cleveland, a 2027 four-star guard at La Lumiere, has the Orange in his top seven, however, Inside the Loud House has reported that the Syracuse basketball staff isn't prioritizing Cleveland as it is three other 2027 recruits, including Nur.

Isaiah Carter, a 2028 four-star wing offered by McNamara in late June as he played well at DMV Live in Hyattsville, Md., recently transferred from the Highland School in Warrenton, Va., to the St. James Academy in Springfield, Va., which is part of the EYBL Scholastic.

In the latest AAU season, Wheatley suited up for the 16U team of the Bronx, N.Y.-based PSA Cardinals in Nike’s EYBL league. Three of his teammates were Moore, 2028 guard/wing Kingsley Rogers and 2028 four-star power forward Damian Mojica.

Rogers has also heard from the 'Cuse since June 15, while Mojica holds an offer from Syracuse basketball and took an unofficial visit to SU in late June, as first reported by Inside the Loud House.

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