Theo Edema, a former Syracuse basketball recruit who visited the Orange last September, is headed to New York City for college.
The 2027 four-star big man has committed to Big East Conference member St. John's and will re-classify to the 2026 cycle, according to media reports. As the former SU staff, led by head coach Adrian Autry, recruited the 7-foot Edema last fall, several national analysts told me that he was a likely re-class candidate into 2026.
NEWS: Theo Edema, the No. 50 overall prospect and No. 7 center in the class of 2027, has committed to St. John's and reclassified to the class of 2026, @247Sports is told.
— Dushawn London (@DushawnLondon1) May 17, 2026
Story: https://t.co/8Z7R5CHp8o pic.twitter.com/4hIxTiUitI
A huge congrats to Theo, who will suit up alongside former Syracuse basketball sophomore power forward Donnie Freeman, who transferred to the Red Storm this offseason to play for head coach Rick Pitino, the former Orange assistant from the late 1970s.
Edema's rankings will shift to the 2026 class, but for now, the industry-generated 247Sports Composite has him at No. 41 nationally, No. 6 at center and No. 1 in Massachusetts within 2027. Per reports, before making his college decision, he had a top four of St. John's, Stanford, BYU and Maryland.
For a long period of time, the Terrapins were the rumored leader for Edema, although Pitino and the Red Storm ultimately prevailed for the talented big man, who plays for the Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, Mass.
Syracuse basketball will square off against a former recruiting target in the Big Apple.
The Orange is reportedly finalizing a deal to play St. John's this coming season at Madison Square Garden in New York City, as part of SU's enticing non-conference schedule that is coming together for the 2026-27 campaign.
Last September, Edema took an official visit to the 'Cuse, and Syracuse basketball appeared to be a significant player for him. The Orange staff's high school recruiting efforts, though, came to a relative standstill as the 2025-26 season carried on, and it looked like Autry and his staff might not be leading the program beyond the last term.
Edema has been a standout on the AAU circuit with the Boston-based Team New England Basketball Club. In the 2025-26 stanza at Cushing, he played with four-star point guard and Central New York native Ryan Moesch, who is committed to SU head coach Gerry McNamara and his staff in their 2026 prep cycle.
Cushing Academy & Team New England four-star big man Theo Edema just announced his commitment to St. John’s in the class of 2026 live at the @PRO16League.
— New England Recruiting Report NERRHoops (@NERRHoops) May 17, 2026
Edema helped Cushing take home a NEPSAC AA title this season, and was named to the National Prep All-American Second Team.… pic.twitter.com/ciPtOfi6H8
Cushing, in 2025-26, went 29-6 overall and 17-0 in New England Basketball League ("NEBL") competition, while also winning the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council ("NEPSAC") Class AA title. According to social media posts, Edema was named to the National Prep All-American second team.
The New England Basketball Journal also anointed him its NEPSAC Class AA defensive player of the year after he averaged 12 points, eight rebounds and three blocks per game for Cushing.
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