Syracuse basketball big-man target, from national champs, poised to see recruitment soar

The Syracuse basketball staff, under first-year head coach Gerry McNamara, is recruiting the powerhouse CIA Bella Vista in Phoenix extremely hard these days.

Since McNamara took over the 'Cuse program in March, the new Orange staff has offered a scholarship to several players from CIA Bella Vista, which in the 2025-26 season won the high school national championship by claiming this past April's Chipotle Nationals in Fishers, Ind.

I've written about most of those Syracuse basketball recruits from CIA Bella Vista, but one that I came across more recently is 2029 big man Mamadou Issa Sow. According to his Instagram page, he was offered by the former SU staff under then-head coach Adrian Autry in July of last year.

More recently, the new Syracuse basketball staff, led by former legendary Orange point guard McNamara, re-offered a scholarship to the 6-foot-10 Issa Sow in April of this year, according to his X account.

His full offer sheet includes other college squads such as Georgia Tech, UNLV and Sacramento State. College coaches can't initiate direct communication with 2029 prospects, who are rising high school sophomores, until June 15 of next year, so we'll likely see Issa Sow's scholarship offer list significantly grow down the line.

Syracuse basketball's 2029 recruiting efforts are just getting underway.

CIA Bella Vista is part of the loaded Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Scholastic ("EYBL Scholastic"), which is expected to have 15 member schools in the upcoming 2026-27 campaign. Last season, the Bears went 26-4 overall and were the unanimous No. 1 team around the country.

In recent weeks, three other prospects who will suit up for CIA Bella Vista in 2026-27 have received scholarship offers from McNamara and his assistants. They are 2027 four-star big man Ahmed Nur, 2028 five-star point guard Liam Mitakaro and 2028 four-star forward Settimo Yugu.

National analysts and scouts say that Issa Sow has tremendous upside. He's athletic, agile and long. Issa Sow is known for his defensive prowess and rim protection. He can score with efficiency in the paint and around the rim, experts say, while he's also a high-energy guy and a solid ball-handler.

Most of the primary recruiting services have yet to publish comprehensive rankings for the 2029 class, although Issa Sow appears poised to be a high-four-star or even a five-star prospect.

Experts have noted that Issa Sow performed well at two recent showcase events, the Nike Elite 100 Camp in St. Louis and the Pangos All-American Camp in Las Vegas.

This spring and summer on the AAU circuits, Issa Sow is playing for the 15U team of the Phoenix-based Arizona Unity in Nike's EYBL league. He is averaging 7.1 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 blocks per game while connecting on 39.6 percent from the field.

The former Orange staff, under Autry, had offered a scholarship to at least two other 2029 prospects. They are 2029 five-star wing David Johnson out of the Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., and combo guard Isaiah Rider IV out of Higley High School in Gilbert, Ariz.

Rider is playing alongside Issa Sow for the 15U team of Arizona Unity this spring and summer on the EYBL circuit.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow