Syracuse Basketball: Orange secure commitment from Darius Bazley

The Syracuse Orange got their 2018 recruiting class off to a blazing start with a commitment from four-star Darius Bazley.

Consensus four-star forward Darius Bazley became the first player from the class of 2018 to commit to the Syracuse Orange on Monday. The Cincinnati native is rated as a top-50 prospect in his class by 247 Composite, Scout, and ESPN.  He had previously committed to Ohio State though he decommitted in April.

“To me, it was like no other,” Bazley said. “A big part of the commitment was the coaches. I felt really comfortable around them and then felt really comfortable around me. Everything I’ve played for in basketball, I’ve been extremely cool with the coaches. Not only with basketball but as far as life.

Bazley chose Syracuse over several other high-major programs. Cincinnati, Florida, Georgetown, Indiana, and Louisville were among the other teams expressing interest in Bazley.

The 6’8” combo forward is long, athletic, and versatile. He has a lot of upside, as he has yet to fully mature physically. The southpaw projects as a stretch-four who can score a variety of ways though he does need to continue to improve his range.

Here is what ESPN Insiders said about Bazley.

"“He is very versatile from the high post or facing the basket because he can jab, put it on the floor, or shoot it with a high release and soft touch. He is also excellent in transition where he can grab a rebound and push the break himself. Physically, he’s long and fluid for his size and also has a good second jump. He can also provide a shot-blocking threat from the four-spot.”“Right now he can be limited against other highly talented prospects by his lack of strength and consequent physicality, but he has a significant upside and proven learning curve that suggests he’s going to be in a much different place a few years down the road and could be just scratching the surface of his potential.”"

Bazley had a strong AAU spring tour, producing a double-double for C2K Elite in the Under Armour tour. He is currently playing for Meanstreets on the Nike EYBL circuit, averaging 15.4 points and 9.4 boards a contest.

Bazley was an excellent get for Jim Boeheim and Syracuse. Boeheim who is a fabulous recruiter did not nab a top-100 recruit in 2017, marking the first time that has occurred in the last 10 years. However, Boeheim did bring in three four-star recruits this year in his four-man 2017 recruiting class. Small forward Oshae Brissett leads the Orange’s incoming recruiting class. 6’10 center Bourama Sidibe and 6’2″ point guard Howard Washington are also rated as four-star recruits. Marek Dolezaj is the Orange other 2017 recruit.

Syracuse will be very young this upcoming season. Graduate transfer Geno Thorpe and seldom used guard Mike Sutton are likely the Orange’s only seniors.  Boeheim also brought in East Carolina transfer Elijah Hughes. Hughes will have to sit out the 2017-18 campaign.

Unless players depart from the Orange after this upcoming season they will have few scholarships left.  Still, the Orange appear interested in adding some guards to the 2018 recruiting class. According to Syracuse 247, point guard Jalen Carey and combo guard Eric Ayala top the Orange’s wish list. They also have a significant interest in four-star shooting guard Jeenathan Williams.

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Syracuse missed out on 2018 target Cole Swider. Swider a 6’8″ forward, committed to Villanova on June 30.