Monday Musings: What Syracuse Basketball's 2024 Recruiting Class Means For Adrian Autry Era

The Orange has set a foundation for future years.

Mike McAllister | Nov 13, 2023

Monday Musings: What Syracuse Basketball's 2024 Recruiting Class Means For Adrian Autry Era /

In this story:

Syracuse Orange

Are you looking for the inside scoop on Syracuse basketball and football recruiting? Subscribe to All Syracuse, with in-depth and exclusive information brought to you by Mike McAllister, a name you can trust, and his staff. Subscribe today and get the first month of an annual membership for just $1, or a full annual membership at an almost 20% discount!

Syracuse basketball signed two top 100 players during the early signing period to solidify its 2024 recruiting class as one of the nation's best. Sharpshooting guard Elijah Moore signed on Saturday while elite forward Donnie Freeman signed Wednesday. That gives new head coach Adrian Autry a foundational class that signals the Orange will remain a serious player on the recruiting trail.

Freeman is the type of do it all forward that Syracuse wants to feature in its offense. He can shoot, score in the low post, face up, hit the mid-range and is good in transition. Moore is one of the best shooters in the class and has a ton of potential on the defensive end.

Moore is rated 52nd by 247Sports and 53rd by Rivals. On3 has him 79th while ESPN inexplicably has the Adidas AAU circuit offensive MVP outside of its to 100. Freeman is rated 20th by On3, 28th by 247Sports and 38th by ESPN. Rivals has him 51st. Two elite prospects that shows the Orange has recruiting buzz once again.

Both will have significant impacts on Syracuse basketball in future seasons. Both signal that Adrian Autry is an ace recruiter who recruits believe in. That is a positive sign for future recruiting classes.

Now, of course, coach Autry has to follow that up with strong recruiting classes in 2025 and 2026. But Syracuse seems to be in a good spot to have legitimate chances to land multiple big time prospects. That includes Kiyan Anthony, Nigel James and Derek Dixon, to name a few.

The 2024 recruiting class lays the foundation for roster development in the early stages of the Autry era. His efforts this past offseason landed some of the top players in the transfer portal. Efforts on the recruiting trail lands two of the most intriguing players in the recruiting class.

As coach Autry builds a roster in his image, that is a great base to build around.

Published Nov 13, 2023

MIKE MCALLISTER

Title: Publisher All Syracuse Education: Roberts Wesleyan College Location: Syracuse, New York Expertise: Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting. EXPERIENCE Mike McAllister has been covering Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting for more than a decade. Mike's career started with his own free blog as a way to vent following sporting events. Shortly thereafter, a network of basketball sites called Coast 2 Coast Hoops asked him to run their Syracuse site. That site was called Nation of Orange, and Mike quickly established it as a go-to for Syracuse fans. After running Nation of Orange for several months, a position with the Syracuse site on the Scout network became available. After one year as the recruiting expert with Cuse Nation, he was named the publisher. Mike oversaw the transition from Scout to 247Sports, and ran the site on that network for years. Presented with the opportunity to join one of the biggest names in the sports journalism industry, Sports Illustrated, Mike jumped at the chance. All Syracuse was started from scratch by Mike and the Fan Nation team. It has now become a staple for Orange fans of various sports. Mike has broken news on recruiting, Syracuse basketball and football team information and has established himself as the top recruiting inside in the market. He has appeared on local radio shows, television broadcasts, national radio shows and much more. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Information Management from Roberts Wesleyan College.