Judah Mintz Discusses Syracuse Commitment: 'It Was Just a Great Opportunity'
Syracuse basketball picked up a big commitment on Thursday in 2022 combo guard Judah Mintz. Mintz, who stars for Oak Hill Academy and Team Durant AAU, is ranked the 33rd best player in the cycle by SI All-American.
"It was just a great opportunity for me to come and be able to play to make an impact as a freshman," Mintz said. "I had a really good connection with coach Red Autry and with coach Boeheim too. Everything just came into play and that was the best fit for me."
The recruiting process was a long one for Mintz. He originally committed to Pittsburgh, but elected to reopen his recruitment rather than sign early with the Panthers. He received plenty of interest from high major programs from there, and scheduled one official visit in January (Xavier) and four in February (DePaul, NC State, Syracuse, Wake Forest). After the visits, it was decision making time.
Ultimately he picked Syracuse, and it was watching a postseason tournament that solidified that decision.
"It kind of clicked when I saw the ACC Tournament," Mintz said. "The stage, even though they were missing Buddy that game, how competitive they were. Even though they were missing their best player, it just showed me how competitive coach Boeheim was and the will to win."
Almost immediately after his final visit, rumors started swirling that DePaul was the choice. The buzz stayed that way until about 24-48 hours before his announcement.
"I really don't know where it started," Mintz said. "I'm kind of used to it. People make up stuff about me all the time. It didn't really shock me. I saw it and I was confused. It didn't bother me or anything."
When Mintz made his decision, he informed the Syracuse coaches and received quite the reaction. Juli Boeheim even got in on the celebration when hearing the news.
"I told them about two and a half weeks ago," Mintz said. "Coach Boeheim was really excited. Even his wife was in the background screaming for me. They were really happy. Coach Red too. He called me after coach Boeheim told him I committed, and he was really excited. Their spirits were really high."
Mintz fits in well with Syracuse's previous five commits. In fact, he knows several of them well and bonded with current Orange players during his official visit.
"It's really exciting," Mintz said. "I know all of those dudes, so it should be really fun. I'm really excited to get there."
With the addition of Mintz, along with a highly regarded incoming recruiting class and returning players, Syracuse fans are setting their expectations high for next season. That is something Mintz welcomes.
"They're not hyping it up too much, not at all," Mintz said. "We want to win the ACC. We want to be the best team in the ACC, that's what we want to do. Everybody's on the same page. I don't think there's anything wrong with having high expectations."
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