Syracuse women's basketball is in mix for 5-star PG, nation's top player, ESPN analyst says

More than a dozen suitors remain in the mix for 2027 five-star point guard Kaleena Smith, including Syracuse women's basketball, according to an ESPN recruiting analyst.

On August 20, ESPN's Shane Laflin discussed the recruitment of the 5-foot-6 Smith, who is characterized by the national media outlet as the top high school player regardless of class designation.

Laflin writes: "UConn, USC, UCLA, Notre Dame, Baylor, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Louisville, LSU, Cal, Oklahoma, Georgia, Washington and Arizona State are all in the mix. Smith will visit many of these programs over the next couple of months."

Last month, 247Sports national analyst Dushawn London wrote that Smith had locked in 11 official visits, although the Orange wasn't on that particular list. However, she has visited the 'Cuse in the past.

Syracuse women's basketball faces big-time competition for 2027 five-star PG Kaleena Smith.

Smith is heading into her senior year at the Ontario Christian School in Ontario, Calif., near Los Angeles. She has already put forth a ridiculous prep career. As a junior in the 2025-26 campaign, Smith averaged 31.5 points, 6.9 assists, 4.5 steals and 3.7 rebounds per game and was named the MaxPreps national player of the year.

In 2025-26, Ontario Christian sported a 34-2 overall mark and was crowned last season's national champion by MaxPreps. SU head coach Felisha Legette-Jack and her staff have pursued Smith for more than a year, first offering her a scholarship in July 2025. This past February, Smith went on an official visit to Syracuse women's basketball.

Unsurprisingly, Smith is an extremely marketable high school hoops prospect. She has NIL deals in place with ESPN and Adidas (and likely others, too). Smith is the unanimous No. 1 national player in the 2027 class, according to all the main recruiting services.

In June, Smith was a key contributor as the USA Basketball junior national team went undefeated and captured the gold medal at the 2026 FIBA U18 Women's AmeriCup in Irapuato, Mexico. Named to the tournament's All-Star Five, Smith averaged 24.1 minutes, 19.8 points, 6.4 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game while connecting on 46.9 percent from the field, 47.6 percent from beyond the arc and 82.6 percent from the free-throw line.

With so many schools involved, it's tough to gauge where Syracuse women's basketball sits in Smith's recruitment these days. Let's see if Legette-Jack and her staff can get the ultra-talented floor general to Central New York for another visit before Smith makes her college decision.

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