Monday Musings: Syracuse Basketball Recruiting Update

The latest on this past weekend's visitors and an Orange signee.

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Syracuse basketball hosted three recruits (Matt Gilhool, Deron Rippey and Sadiq White) over the weekend for the game against Notre Dame. Here is an assessment on where the Orange stands with each as well as a strong weekend by a Cuse signee. 

1. Matt Gilhool (2025 PF/C)

Syracuse has been recruiting Matt Gilhool hard since he was offered this past fall following a strong Elite Camp performance. He has been on campus multiple times including for an official visit. He is one of the top priorities in the class. This visit was another good one and he has a strong relationship with the Syracuse staff. What are Syracuse's chances of landing him? Pretty good as of now. I do not get a sense that a decision is imminent, but could come over the summer or before the start of his senior season. Syracuse's top competition right now are Maryland and Penn State. Miami is also lurking a little bit. 

2. Deron Rippey (2026 PG)

Rippey is a class of 2026 guard and, as a result, nowhere near a decision. That said, Syracuse is one of the schools recruiting him extremely hard. The Orange is in constant contact and he is currently viewed as one of the top targets in the class for SU. With it still being very early in his recruiting process, it is hard to say what Syracuse's chances are to land him because he is likely a year to a year and a half away from a decision. A lot can change in that time. That said, getting in early and establishing relationships can only help. St. John's is a factor here at this point in his recruitment as well. Expect him to add more offers this summer. 

3. Sadiq White (2025 F)

White is one of the top forwards in the 2025 class and has a plethora of scholarship opportunities. Syracuse continues to recruit him hard but has a lot of competition. Schools like Alabama, NC State, Tennessee and others are prioritizing him. Syracuse is firmly in the mix and is expected to get an official visit this spring/summer. That said, a game changer would be in North Carolina or Duke extended an offer. Duke has already expressed some interest. The Orange has a real shot here, but the official will tell the tale. 

4. Elijah Moore (2024 G/F)

In the Overtime Elite playoffs, Elijah Moore played some of his best basketball to date for OSL JellyFam. Moore and JellyFam were playing in a best of three series against Cold Hearts. JellyFam was the six seed while Cold Hearts was the three. In game one, he scored 24 points, grabbed four rebounds, dished out four assists and had one steal on 10-21 shooting. In game two, he scored 29 points with three rebounds and two assists on 10-18 shooting including 6-9 from three point range. In game three, an elimination game that JellyFam lost by six, Moore scored 22 points with four assists and three rebounds. Moore was 6-15 from three in the game. While his team did not advance, the strong showing shows Moore could be ready to contribute from day one as a dead-eye shooter.