Monday Musings: Nigel James, Sadiq White, Jail Bethea

The latest on Syracuse basketball recruiting.

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1. Nigel James

The 2025 point guard took an official visit over the weekend and it went extremely well. James bonded with the current Syracuse players as well as met with the coaches about how he would be used and developed. That all made an impression on the explosive athlete. Marquette and Rutgers are probably Syracuse's biggest threats right now, but the Orange positioned itself well this weekend. I would consider SU the favorites as of now, but there are still more visits to go and a decision does not seem imminent. 

2. Sadiq White

The 2025 forward took an unofficial visit over the weekend and it also went well. White came away extremely encouraged by what his role would be and how his skill set fits into that. Syracuse pitched being a positionless forward, essentially, where he would be a three/four combo that would have the ball in his hands a lot. The visit certainly enhanced White's impression of the Orange and he says Syracuse will definitely get an official visit. He may even come down for another unofficial to attend a game during the season. White has his share of suitors and Duke is even poking around, but the Orange certainly made an impression on White this weekend. 

3. Jalil Bethea

Bethea will announce his decision Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. at his school. All signs point to Miami here. Syracuse was scheduled to go in last week to meet with him at his school, but cancelled those plans after he cancelled his official visit. During his trip to get a closer look at Miami, what he saw sealed the deal. It is unfortunate for the Orange as they had put a lot of resources into that recruitment, identified him very early well before he blew up this spring/summer and was even in the driver's seat seemingly close to a commitment multiple times. That is how recruiting can work sometimes, but it still stings from a Syracuse perspective. How does SU respond in the 2024 and 2025 classes? We will have a full breakdown after his decision becomes official.