JP Estrella Recaps Syracuse Basketball Official Visit

The culture of the Orange made an impression on the coveted big.

One of the top bigs in the 2023 class is JP Estrella, who runs with the Middlesex Magic in AAU ball and will play for Brewster Academy this upcoming high school season. Estrella took officials to Marquette and Tennessee in June followed by Iowa at the end of July. Next up is Syracuse, who Estrella visited over the last few days. 

"The visit went really well," Estrella said. "I got to do a lot of fun stuff. My favorite part was going to coach's house and hang out with the guys, play some. hoops with all of them, watch the managers one v one each other. It was pretty fun going to his house. Overall the visit went really great." 

Going into the visit, Estrella wanted to get a closer look at the culture of Syracuse basketball. He was able to do just that during his time on campus. 

"The biggest thing that stood out is that they're one really big family," Estrella said. "They all hang out on and off the court. They're all really close to each other. The coaches as well. They're all really close in general. It was awesome to see and it was awesome to be a part of that during the visit to try to mesh in and hang out with all of them." 

The Syracuse coaching staff spent a lot of time with Estrella, reiterating his importance to their 2023 recruiting efforts and how he is a perfect fit for what they want to do on both ends of the floor. 

"Their big message to me was that I'm one of their biggest priorities," Estrella said. "They want to do whatever they can to get me. I really appreciate that. We did a lot of fun talks, went through a lot of stuff. They want me to play either the five man to help stretch the floor or a four man as another big that can run with them too because I can shoot the ball really well. They think I can mesh into that really well and mesh into their defense as well." 

Estrella was also impressed by what he saw during practice. 

"I watched a ton of practice and a ton of guys looked really good," Estrella said. "Like Hou(mir), Jesse, all the freshmen. All of them look really good. They're looking like a really good team."

In addition to JP being on campus for the visit, so were his parents and brother. They also left with a strong impression of Syracuse. 

"They all really enjoyed it," Estrella said. "Cameron (JP's brother) always tries to join in really quickly. He's something else is all I can say about it. He was just trying to blend in with everyone and having a good time. Family was having a good time. My mom really liked hanging out with coach Boeheim's wife. My dad liked hanging out with coach Boeheim, Red and G-Mac, all of them. Cameron really enjoyed hanging out with the players too. So they all really enjoyed the visit too."  

Overall, Estrella said the visit enhanced his impression of Syracuse. 

"Honestly it helps a lot more," Estrella said. "I really enjoyed it. It went good. I thought it really stood out to me a lot and I really did enjoy it. It just made me think much, much higher of it I think." 

What is next for Estrella with four officials in the rearview mirror?

"I think right now I need to go home, digest it a little bit," Estrella said. "Talk with my family, talk with my coaches and see if I'm ready to set a date and just get this thing started." 

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