Jim Boeheim’s Syracuse Orange has landed another top recruit for 2022. Forward Chris Bunch, a 4-star recruit, has committed his future to the Syracuse Orange. Bunch will join up with the Orange and four other top recruits for the 2022 season. Boeheim beat out the competition to land Bunch for next season as the long-time Syracuse head coach searches for a second-ever NCAA Championship.
Syracuse tip off the season on November 9 against Lafayette at the Carrier Dome. The Orange are unranked going into the new NCAA basketball season after last season’s 18-10 regular season record. The Orange went 9-7 in the ACC before reaching the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Basketball fans can use the best betting apps to wager on NCAA basketball all season long for sports betting in New York.
Who is forward Chris Bunch?
Bunch is a senior at Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah. The wing/small forward is a highly regarded basketball player by the national sports media. He is the country’s No. 72 ranked basketball recruit currently. Bunch also ranks as the No. 19 small forward recruit in the United States and is Utah’s No. 3 recruit.
The Wasatch Academy player was recruited by a number of schools including Florida State, Creighton, Washington, and USC. Each of those top universities made offers to Bunch according to 247Sports. The lure of Syracuse and the chance to play meaningful minutes from day one were obviously reasons for Bunch to commit to the Orange.
Bunch previously played high school basketball for De La Salle in Concord, California, but will play at Wasatch Academy this season. At 6ft 7in, Bunch is a wing that can shoot from the perimeter and is a threat from long-range.
What will Syracuse Orange look like with Bunch?
According to CBS Sports, Bunch is a highly coveted Class of 2022 prospect. Bunch is Syracuse’s fifth 2022 basketball commitment. He is also the highest ranked recruit of the incoming 2022 group. The 6ft 7in wing has a lot of upside. Boeheim will hopefully be able to get a lot out of Bunch’s current untapped potential, helping the teenager take the next step of his basketball career.
At 190 pounds, it is expected that Bunch will need to put on some weight to excel at the top NCAA basketball level. He has all of the tools on the court, but muscle needs to be improved upon to keep Bunch from being pushed around.
Boeheim’s 2022 recruiting class will be a part of the rebuild job the coach is doing on the squad. Bunch joins fellow Syracuse commitments of forward Maliq Brown, center Peter Carey, point guard Quadir Copeland, and shooting guard Justin Taylor.
Ahead of the 2021-22 season, Syracuse has seven seniors on the team. Five of those players are redshirt seniors. Seven players departed the team prior to the new season tipping off. Only one of those players (Alan Griffin) declared for the NBA Draft.
Griffin went undrafted and is currently a free agent. His inability to be drafted and the departure of six others shows the weakness in recent recruiting classes at Syracuse. Bunch and company could be the start of four special years for the ‘Cuse.