NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Syracuse pursuing two highly touted 2020 recruits
Class of 2020 NCAA Basketball recruit Kadary Richmond is at Syracuse for an official visit this weekend.
The Syracuse Orange are hosting one of their top NCAA Basketball targets in three-plus star recruit Kadary Richmond this weekend (Oct. 25-27). Richmond will spend all three days on campus and take in the Orange’s exhibition contest against Daemen College on Saturday night.
The Brooklyn (NY) native is a relatively new interest for Syracuse, which just offered him a scholarship on Oct. 5. He holds over two dozen offers overall and, prior to receiving the Orange’s overture, had whittled his list down to four schools. UConn, Oregon, St. John’s, and Seton Hall were on his previous finalist list per ZAGSBLOG.
Richmond is a capable scorer who excels at doing so off the dribble. He also possesses solid handles, rebounds his position well, and projects as a plus defender due to his length. The 6-5 combo guard is also versatile as he is capable of playing all three backcourt positions.
A former member of the 2019 recruiting class, Richmond is currently attending Brewster Academy (NH). He is a consensus three-plus star prospect who is widely considered a top-100 player in the class of 2020. 247Sports is the only one of the four primary recruiting services that do not have him rated four-stars or inside the top-105 players overall. Richmond is ranked as the 101st best player in the country by 247Sports Composite. Meanwhile, ESPN has him situated at No. 95, and Rivals has him at No. 96 in their rankings.
So what is Richmond looking for when making a school?
“I am going to be looking for a welcoming campus that makes me feel like I am at home,” said Richmond in a previous interview with National Recruiting Analyst Brian Snow. “Also, I am looking for a school with a great development program for their players. Not only on the court but off of it as well.”
UConn: UConn is possibly the only other publicized visit that Richmond has taken. The Huskies won the recruiting battle for four-star wing Andre Jackson, which is the main reason that the Orange offered Richmond in the first place, but they could still use some more help on the wing next season. Particularly, if freshman James Bouknight’s legal trouble causes coach Dan Hurley to dismiss him from the team. The Huskies currently have only one more scholarship available for next season.
St. John’s: The Red Storm, who offered Richmond at the end of July, makes sense for him due to the location of the school, plus as a result of how coach Mike Anderson likes to play. However, St. John’s doesn’t have any scholarships available for next season after obtaining commitments from guards Posh Alexander and Dylan Addee-Wusu.
Seton Hall: The Pirates also seem a logical destination. They do have another scholarship available, and while Seton Hall needs to add a wing, it seems that the Pirates are prioritizing other players. Guards Jahari Long and Dimingus Stevens currently are members of the Pirates recruiting class.
Oregon: The Ducks offered Richmond in late April. With Oregon being the only listed team not located in the Northeast, it doesn’t seem likely that they will win the recruiting battle. But coach Dana Altman still has all three of his projected scholarships available, and he has come up gold on the recruiting trail lately. The Ducks’ last two classes have ranked in the top-five of 247Sports Composite rankings.
Prediction: I believe that Syracuse, which is the heavy favorite for his services, will win out. Coach Jim Boeheim has had tremendous success recruiting New York City kids, and the Orange play in NYC quite a bit. Plus, Boeheim has gotten several Brewster Academy graduates, including son Buddy Boeheim, to come play for him. If the ‘Cuse is not able to secure his services UConn and Oregon seem to be the most likely destinations.
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Syracuse does not technically have a scholarship available for 2020 as they have a commitment from 6-8 forward Woody Newton. Still, the Orange are in desperate need to upgrade their talent, which is why they are pursuing Richmond and five-star Isaiah Jackson hard. SU has not had a top-20 recruiting class since 2016, and Chris McCullough was their last five-star recruit in 2014.
Jackson has the Orange along with Kentucky and Alabama in his final three. The Waterford (MI) native has taken a visit to all three places. He was at Syracuse for the weekend of Sept. 27.
“I believe he can fit in the system Syracuse has,” Jackson’s father, Wes, told Michael McAlister of 247Sports. “They have some guys who can get up, and down the floor, they have good passers from the one to the five. Offensively, I see him thriving in the way coach allows all of his players to set picks, to pop, to set picks and roll, off the ball motion dives, it’s just a lot of action going on offense.”
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“On defense, of course, a kid like Isaiah with his gifts on defense, it would allow him to block a lot of shots. They trap a lot. Although it’s a zone, it’s more of a trap and man to man zone more than what people think. Just watching the kids’ movement and everything, they’re fast in the zone. All of those things offensively and defensively fits Isaiah’s game.”