Monday Musings: July 18, 2022

Syracuse basketball and football recruiting news and notes.

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1. Jayden Bass

Still no word on a decision timeframe for 2023 offensive lineman Jayden Bass. Syracuse is the presumptive favorite here, and I am a little surprised last week was quiet on this front. Whether it be a decision or setting a commitment date. We will keep an eye on this moving forward, but the Orange still remains in a good spot. 

2. Naquil Betrand

Naquil Betrand has set a commitment date for July 30th, moving up his timeline from the August 20th date he stated following his Syracuse official. What does this mean for Syracuse? I actually think it should make Orange fans more hopeful about landing his commitment. The timeline change means no officials to Texas A&M or Georgia. Both are in the top six he is choosing between on the 30th but are the only two he has not visited. That leaves Penn State, Auburn and Kentucky as Syracuse's main competition. Each poses a different threat, but Syracuse offers the quickest path to playing time. Both Penn State and Syracuse are similar distances from home, meaning family will easily be able to travel to games. There are also rumblings at least some of those schools may be recruiting him as a defensive lineman, which could help the Orange as well. Stay tuned for this one. We will have full coverage either way. 

3. Reid Ducharme

Ducharme had a rough shooting outing in the Peach Jam play in game on Sunday. He was 0-9 from the floor and 0-4 from three point range in 24 minutes of action during BABC's 61-55 loss to Team Herro. This does not mean he is suddenly a bad shooter. Good shooters can have games like this. That aside, here is the latest in his recruitment. Each visit went very well for Ducharme, who will get into decision making mode after Peach Jam (BABC still plays against the other teams that did not make it). While Syracuse was considered a strong frontrunner following the official visit, Penn State and Xavier both made compelling cases during those trips. Xavier is the bigger threat as he has clearly connected with that coaching staff. In addition, his recent comments to ZagsBlog almost came across as if he’s already picked them. We will see how this plays out, but the Orange remains in regular communication.