This past weekend, during a live period on the AAU circuits, the Syracuse basketball staff was in for 2028 five-star wing Isaiah Hamilton from Canada.
The elite 6-foot-7 shooting guard/small forward, who is the No. 2 national prospect in his class per 247Sports, picked up a scholarship offer from the former Orange staff, led by then-head coach Adrian Autry, in July 2025, according to Hamilton's Instagram page.
NEWS: Isaiah Hamilton, Canada’s top prospect and 2028’s No. 2 ranked recruit, is transferring to U.S. powerhouse Montverde Academy, he tells @247Sports.
— Travis Branham (@TravisBranham_) May 12, 2026
Story: https://t.co/6hV5jgWJzn pic.twitter.com/vLaDDilg9Y
Based on comments from recruiting analysts, it appears that the new 'Cuse staff, under first-year head coach Gerry McNamara, remains in pursuit of Hamilton, who will play for a powerhouse high school program this coming season.
Hamilton had been suiting up for the Crestwood Preparatory College in Toronto. However, about a week ago, he said that he would transfer to the Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla., which is part of the loaded 20-team Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Scholastic ("EYBL Scholastic").
In the 2025-26 campaign, Montverde went 23-7 overall, reached the championship game of the Chipotle Nationals and was ranked No. 2 around the country by media outlets such as ESPN and MaxPreps. The Eagles' head coach is Steve Turner, who previously led Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C.
Over the years, Syracuse basketball has recruited players from both Gonzaga in the DMV and Montverde, which is a top-flight independent basketball academy. Given that Turner leads the Eagles, it wouldn't surprise me at all if more and more Montverde players are recruited by the new Orange staff.
Syracuse basketball watched numerous prospects this past weekend in grassroots hoops.
The contact period for 2028 prospects will open on June 15, enabling college coaches to begin initiating direct communication with players in this cycle. Still, Hamilton's early scholarship offer sheet includes schools such as the 'Cuse, Alabama, Florida State, Missouri, Georgia Tech, Oregon, Villanova, St. Bonaventure and Arizona State, among others.
Amid the live period, Syracuse basketball was one of various teams to be in for Hamilton. Others included Florida, Michigan and Villanova. Hamilton competes for the 16U team of the Toronto-based Canada Elite in the Under Armour Association ("UAA") league.
From May 15 to May 17, during the evaluation period, the UAA held a spring session at the Spooky Nook Champion Mill in the Cincinnati area. According to box scores on the UAA Web site, in three games last weekend, Hamilton averaged 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per contest.
Through two spring sessions on the UAA circuit so far, Canada Elite owns a record of 7-1. The UAA's next session will take place from July 9 to July 12 at the LakePoint Champions Center in Cartersville, Ga., near Atlanta.
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