Tyus Battle Lands at Syracuse After Michigan Decommitment

Consensus five-star Class of 2016 guard Tyus Battle has announced his second commitment in just over two months. On May 11th, Battle committed to the Michigan Wolverines, but the marriage only lasted a month before Battle reopened his recruitment. Yesterday, Battle committed to Syracuse, seemingly ending a twisting recruiting process that has unfurled while Battle continues to raise his stock on the summer hoops circuit.

"Excited to say I have officially committed to Syracuse University!!"

Once news of Battle’s commitment hit social media, there was a swift dueling reaction. Michigan supporters showed their uglier side, bashing the teenager for his indecision. However, Syracuse fans responded with unbridled glee as they realized that Battle’s pledge is a subtle assurance of relevance after the impending end of the Jim Boeheim era.

More from Michigan Wolverines

Battle’s initial decision, subsequent backpedaling, and his latest decision have all been met with scrutiny. In the current landscape of college sports, foul play is always a relevant specter that haunts the “change of heart” stories that frequently dot national recruiting coverage. Yet, in this case, the reasoning for Battle’s indecision is understandable.

As an unapologetic Michigan fan (I was born in raised in Detroit, about an hour away from the campus in Ann Arbor), I remember being giddy over the Wolverines landing a big time recruit to stabilize the program’s talent pool. Quietly, the Wolverines have been somewhat depleted since the early departures of Nik Stauskas and Glenn Robinson III after the 2013-2014 season. Battle would have righted that ship before it got too far off course.

However, it is important to recognize a key aspect of this saga. Michigan was never truly Battle’s first choice. This is something that we often fail to consider when evaluating the decision-making of highly ranked recruits. Though it seems that the world is their oyster, even the best of the best are sometimes seemingly restricted by circumstance.

Live Feed

Syracuse Basketball: 4-star Elijah Moore not in top 100, and I don’t get that /

Inside the Loud House

Syracuse basketball 4-star west-coast recruit, in new rankings, into top 20Inside the Loud House

Syracuse basketball is hitting D.C. market hard in pursuit of 4-stars, 5-starsInside the Loud House

Syracuse Basketball: Orange has offered 4-stars who played at Elite CampInside the Loud House

Syracuse Basketball: 4-star PG joins 4-star Elijah Moore in Overtime EliteInside the Loud House

Syracuse Orange: Looking at On3 NIL Valuations of top-five 'Cuse playersInside the Loud House

The positive relationship between Battle and Syracuse has been well-documented even before his commitment to Michigan, but the Orange were a picture of instability over the past year.

The basketball program voluntarily withheld themselves from NCAA Tournament consideration towards the end of last season in anticipation of sanctions that they were sure to receive as a result of an NCAA investigation. It was determined that Boeheim “failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance” while leading the basketball program (a comprehensive look at Syracuse’s wrongdoings can be found here). The looming penalties caused uncertainty about Boeheim’s intentions to move forward with the program, and who would remain if Boeheim were to retire amidst the firestorm.

Though Boeheim would quickly dispel rumors of an immediate departure, there was also a scholarship availability concern that was created by the NCAA’s crackdown on the program. With sanctions limiting the Orange to 10 scholarships for the 2015-2016 season, it appeared that there would be no room for Battle on next year’s roster.

Technically, there isn’t room for Battle, who becomes the second member of a two-man recruiting class for a team that only has one available scholarship for next season. It has been reported since March that Boeheim has been adamant about making room for Battle, but that will require nudging a current player towards transferring (NBC Sports has suggested that the ideal candidate to be pushed out is DaJuan Coleman). Syracuse is also planning to appeal their loss of scholarships, which would be another way they could make room for Battle.

Live Feed

Syracuse Basketball: Boeheim's Army has added big-time players to roster /

Inside the Loud House

Syracuse Basketball: Tyus Battle's brother, in portal, prolific-scoring guardInside the Loud House

Syracuse Basketball: Top 3 free throw shooters in Jim Boeheim-era historyInside the Loud House

Syracuse basketball recruiting triumphs over UConn in recent yearsInside the Loud House

Syracuse basketball has won a few recruiting wars vs. Duke, more aheadInside the Loud House

Syracuse Basketball: Revisiting top epic battles vs. Mike Krzyzewski, DukeInside the Loud House

The combination of uncertainty surrounding the future of the coaching staff and the future of the program was surely daunting. Amid scholarship penalties and recruiting restrictions, there was more than enough of a reason for Battle to turn to Michigan, a program that has become a model of consistency and stability under the leadership of John Beilein.

Unfortunately for the Wolverines, the tempest soon settled for the Orange, and it became clear that the NCAA’s idea of coming down hard on the program wasn’t very debilitating at all. There was also a definitive answer to the questions surrounding Coach Boeheim’s future with the program. Long-time assistant Mike Hopkins was named the successor to the head coaching position, which Boeheim will vacate at the end of the 2017-2018 season.

The move to formally pass the baton to Hopkins came less than a week after Battle decommitted from Michigan. From that moment, it became clear that Battle was probably heading north, sending a quality player and person to play for the Cuse.

(SNY featured Battle in this segment in November 2014)

Once the Orange presented as being on solid footing, Battle was able to feel comfortable about falling in love with the program. As a New Jersey native, Battle felt connected and familiar with Syracuse. It has also been speculated that it was the preferred choice of his father, Gary Battle, all along. It was Gary who initially convinced his son to back out of the Michigan commitment and visit Syracuse, the decision that ultimately swung the entire process. With those factors being considered, Battle’s actions can be viewed in clearer perspective.

Ultimately, the significance of this addition is clear. With a talent like Battle firmly committed for next year, the Orange can look forward to a two-year last hooray from Boeheim with pieces in place for the legendary coach to make one last run at a national championship.

Next: Pan-American Games Final Roster

More from Busting Brackets

Home/Michigan Wolverines