Syracuse basketball has hosted or is about to host several elite prospects, and we caught up with Ryan Murray from Rivals.com to chat about where the Orange stands on the latest edition of The Juice on the Cuse Podcast presented by SNY.tv.
The Orange hosts 6-foot-6 point guard Quadir Copeland starting on Tuesday as they look for their second commitment to pair with five-star wing Kamari Lands in the 2022 class. Copeland is relatively unknown, having been unranked as of a few months ago. But that’s changed since the Orange offered him in November.
Copeland is now inside the Rivals.com top 150, and is a three-star prospect that holds offers from Maryland, Miami and Oklahoma State, among others.
“He’s a late bloomer,” Murray says. “He’s 6’6” and reminds you of Kadary Richmond. He’s got great (vision) and his offensive game is a little ahead of where Kadary Richmond was in high school at this point.”
Copeland isn’t the only point guard in 2022 that SU is pursuing. They are also among the favorites to land Syracuse native JJ Starling, currently a four-star recruiting at the No. 46 player in his class.
“They’ve had a great relationship with him since he was playing in Syracuse,” Murray says. “He is a very talented prospect. He’s got an offensive game that’s going to be there, and he’s going to be a top player at the college level.”
Starling will take his official visit to Syracuse from June 25-27, and also holds offers from Stanford, Duke and Maryland, among many others.
Another underrated prospect Syracuse is pursuing is Chris Bunch, a four-star wing from California. Bunch will be on campus from June 28-30.
Though only currently a three-star prospect and ranked 125th in 2022 according to Rivals, Murray believes that will change in the near future.
» Related: This year’s Boeheim’s Army has potential to be special
“His game is what Syracuse needs,” Murray says. “He’s the wing that can score, defend. My best comparison is CJ Fair. This kid is really going to jump up in the next rankings. He’s not going to be a guy that steps in right away as a freshman and sophomore year. But his junior and senior can be something special.”
The visits from the trio will wrap up a very busy recruiting season for SU. Recently, they’ve also hosted top prospects Donovan Clingan, Chance Westry, Kyle Filipowski, and Justin Taylor. All four are either inside the top 50, or in the case of Taylor (54), just outside.
Who will Syracuse ultimately end up with? Murray gives his mock class, but you’ll have to tune in to see where he stands.
Afterward, Brad Bierman calls in to break down the men’s lacrosse team hiring Gary Gait to be the next head coach of the Orange, and his decision to bring on former Johns Hopkins great Dave Pietramala on as defensive coordinator.
Catch up on all episodes of “The Juice on the Cuse Podcast,” a Syracuse Orange podcast, by subscribing to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.
For more Syracuse coverage, Like our Facebook page, follow us @TheJuiceOnline and listen to our podcast.
