CIA Bella Vista’s 2026-27 roster is coming together in a big way, and Syracuse basketball is right in the middle of the picture.
The Phoenix-based program already owns a national title after winning the season-ending Chipotle Nationals in Fishers, Ind., during the 2025-26 high school season. Now, with preseason buzz building, the Bears look positioned to sit near the top of the national rankings again after adding several major pieces for next year.
Two of the newest names are familiar to recruiting watchers in Michigan. Carter George, a 2028 four-star wing, and Jordan McDaniel, a 2029 four-star point guard, are both transferring from Roseville High School in Roseville, Mich., near Detroit, to CIA Bella Vista.
George, listed at 6-foot-6, checks in at No. 70 overall in his class, No. 19 among small forwards and No. 6 in Arizona, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. McDaniel, who stands 5-foot-10, is ranked No. 46 nationally, No. 5 at point guard and No. 1 in Michigan by the industry-generated Rivals Industry Ranking.
CIA Bella Vista also added 2028 wing Josh Jones in late June, according to the program’s X page. Jones is a 6-foot-7 guard/small forward who drew attention after a standout showing at Section 7 and picked up two high-major Division I offers.
That kind of roster haul matters to Syracuse. First-year Orange head coach Gerry McNamara and his staff have been recruiting CIA Bella Vista hard, and the Bears’ 2026-27 roster includes four players who already hold Syracuse scholarship offers.
Those Orange targets are 2027 five-star wing/forward Ahmed Nur, 2028 five-star point guard Liam Mitakaro, 2028 four-star forward Settimo Yugu and 2028 four-star forward Isaiah Clarke.
Nur is the headliner to watch. The 6-foot-9, 190-pound prospect is a top-25 player in the high school senior class and one of several priority targets for Syracuse in the 2027 cycle. He’s scheduled to take an official visit to Syracuse from August 28 to August 30, with other visits also on his calendar.
His stock took off earlier this summer when he was named MVP at the NBPA Top 100 Camp in Rock Hill, S.C., with McNamara and other college coaches in attendance. Most recently, Nur played for the 17U team of the Milwaukee-based Power 5 in the Adidas 3SSB league.
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