Syracuse missed out on these 2022 recruits. How are they doing?
With four of the top seven average scorers for Syracuse being freshmen, Jim Boeheim is relying on his young core now more than ever before with this year’s team.
Boeheim could've been relying on a few different freshmen since the Orange missed out on several are making an impact across college basketball.
Here are updates on some these players that were close to playing in Orange this season:
JJ Starling, Notre Dame
Syracuse was one of the first schools to recruit, JJ Starling, a Central New York native. From there, he received offers from Duke and Alabama before eventually landing on Notre Dame.
On an underperforming Irish team, Starling averages 11.8 points, which ranks third on the team, and is shooting 42.9 percent from the field.
Starling has struggled to shoot the ball from the perimeter consistently during his first year with Notre Dame, at just 30 percent from the arc. He's mainly relied on slashing to the rim to produce on offense.
A lot of question marks remain for Notre Dame including the return of head coach Mike Brey.
Missed Opportunity Level: 6/10
Kyle Filipowski, Duke
Syracuse recruited Kyle Filipowski from the beginning and landed in his top 5 before he ultimately chose Duke. So far this season, the big man has proven why he was so high on elite program’s radar’s.
The center has been a dominant force in the ACC for Duke in what has been a down year for Duke’s standards. The Blue Devils are seventh in the conference and unranked.
Filipowski leads Duke in points, rebounds, and steals, and averages 14 points and 9 rebounds a game.
With impressive performances such as 29 points and 10 rebounds against Virginia Tech, the freshman has gained national attention and has consideration to go late first to early second round in mock NBA drafts.
Missed Opportunity Level: 9/10
Donovan Clingan, UCONN
Heading into the season ranked outside of the top 10 recruited centers in the country, Donovan Clingan has had early success at UCONN.
Syracuse was one of Clingan’s four official visits, but he ultimately chose to stay at home in Connecticut and it has paid off. Clingan has helped lead the Huskies to as high as No. 2 in the national rankings.
He's currently shooting over 67 percent from the floor and averages over 6 rebounds a game. The 7’2" big man looks to continue to develop beside a loaded roster with championship aspirations.
Missed Opportunity Level: 8/10
Chance Westry, Auburn
Chance Westry, a four-star combo guard, visited Syracuse, LSU, and Nebraska before signing with Auburn.
The 6’6" Westry is positionless, and has shifted from point guard to small forward. But Westry has failed to see much playing time because Auburn has four guards in at least their third year under head coach Bruce Pearl.
As a result, Westry has averaged just 2.5 points in eleven games played with the Tigers.
Missed Opportunity Level: 5/10
Kamari Lands, Louisville
At 6'8", Kamari Lands has size and rebounding skills that the Orange were looking for when they extended him an offer. The Phoenix native committed to Syracuse and decommitted, ultimately settling on Louisville, where he has mostly come off the bench, averaging 20 minutes a game.
Lands has struggled with his shot at 32 percent from the field for 6.2 ppg, but he's also shooting 43-46 from the free throw line.
The Cardinals have played historically poor for their program’s standards, at 3-22 so far this season with only one conference win.
Missed Opportunity Level: 4/10
Zion Cruz, DePaul
Four-star shooting guard Zion Cruz had a long list of offers, including Syracuse, Oregon, Xavier and Georgia before the score-first guard chose Depaul.
DePaul has struggled, losing six straight conference games to drop to 3-11 in the Big East after beating a top 10 Xavier team. Cruz has played in almost every game this season off the bench for DePaul, averaging just 2.3 points a game.
Cruz averages around 10 minutes per game, and has just 68 shot attempts, but 23 of them are from the perimeter.
Missed Opportunity Level: 3/10
Roddy Gayle, Jr, Ohio State
Syracuse, along with 15 other schools, offered Niagara Falls native Roddy Gayle Jr. He ended up choosing Ohio State despite not taking his official visit beforehand. As a strong, athletic wing ranked in top 50 of his cycle, Gayle was a key addition to the Buckeyes' freshman class.
After starting 10-3, Ohio State has lost 11 of their last 12 games, and they're second to last in the Big Ten after being ranked earlier in the season.
Gayle has averaged just under 4 points a game in a limited role, though he played in nearly 30 minutes in a recent loss to Michigan State.
Missed Opportunity Level: 5/10
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