Recruiting Reset: Syracuse Basketball's 2022 Class
Syracuse basketball picked up a huge commitment on Tuesday when small forward Kamari Lands announced his decision. Here's a look at where things stand with the class for the Orange.
POINT GUARD
Syracuse will look to add at least one point guard during this class. Joe Girard and Symir Torrence would be an upperclassmen, and the Orange need a young point guard. There are three options at the position that Syracuse is actively recruiting.
Quadir Copeland: A 6-6 guard that is significantly underrated, Copeland looks like a prototypical Syracuse point. He is long, has good defensive instincts, can get out in transition and is a natural scorer. Copeland plays for Life Center Academy in New Jersey, the same school that produced Dion Waiters. Maryland, Oregon and Penn State are Syracuse's biggest competition.
JJ Starling: Starling is a local product who has moved out of the area in order to play against better competition. Syracuse remains in constant contact. Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Washington are the Orange's competition.
Chance Westry: Westry is a 6-4 combo guard who plays for Sierra Canyon in California, though he is originally from Pennsylvania. Westry has been high on Syracuse for quite some time. Maryland is the Orange's biggest competition here.
SHOOTING GUARD
Justin Taylor: Taylor has been arguable Syracuse's top priority in the entire class for quite some time. The Orange love Taylor's length, shooting and scoring ability, and believe he would be the perfect fit on both ends of the floor. Syracuse 2021 signee Benny Williams speaks with Taylor to help the Orange's recruiting efforts. He is eyeing a potential summer decision. Expect Syracuse to continue to recruit him hard. Virginia, Virginia Tech, Indiana and North Carolina are the threats.
SMALL FORWARD
Kamari Lands: Syracuse has Lands committed and should be all set at small forward as a result. Lands is a big get for the Orange.
POWER FORWARD
Maliq Brown: The talented power forward is seeing his recruitment start to gain more attention. Syracuse offered a couple months ago and have made him a priority ever since. We recently spoke to his head coach about where the Orange stands in his recruitment. You can check that out HERE. A long, bouncy, athletic forward, his high school coach compared him to Hakim Warrick. Brown is friends with Justin Taylor as well. Georgetown, Penn State and Texas A&M are Syracuse's competition.
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield: Currently in the 2022 class, there are a lot of rumblings that he could reclassify to 2021. Regardless, while Syracuse is an option, Tennessee and Ole Miss seem to be at the forefront here.
CENTER
Donovan Clingan: Clingan is one of the top players in the 2022 class regardless of position. He is a seven footer who can handle, shoot, run the floor and protect the rim. He is exactly what Syracuse has been missing over the last few years. A legitimate low post option offensively who Syracuse can run the offense through while also providing rebounding and shot blocking at the other end. Syracuse is heavily involved here, with UConn and Michigan viewed as the biggest competition.