Syracuse basketball’s staff is right in the middle of the July recruiting grind, and this weekend’s stop is Las Vegas.
With an NCAA live period underway from July 9 through Sunday, Orange coaches are out checking on targets across the grassroots scene. A second live period is set for July 16 to July 19, when the shoe-sponsored AAU circuits finish up their current seasons.
What we know for certain is that Syracuse is on the ground at Nike’s EYBL session in Las Vegas. SU assistants Arinze Onuaku and Ryan Daly both indicated on Instagram stories that they were there, and Onuaku’s post confirmed the staff’s presence at the event.
The Las Vegas session has also drawn a familiar face in Carmelo Anthony. The Syracuse legend is in attendance, and his son, Kiyan, is a sophomore guard on the ‘Cuse roster for the 2026-27 campaign.
The EYBL stop is just one piece of a busy weekend across the AAU landscape. Adidas 3SSB is in Bryan, Texas, New Balance P32 is in Chesterfield, Mo., Puma’s PRO16 is in Richmond, Va., and the Under Armour Association is in Emerson, Ga.
In Vegas, several Orange recruiting targets turned in strong performances on the first day, according to Inside the Loud House. One matchup Syracuse coaches watched, based on a post from Jeff Rabjohns of 247Sports, was Miami-based Nightrydas Elite against Baltimore-based Team Melo.
That game featured a pair of Syracuse offers: 2027 five-star center Lewis Uvwo, who plays for Nightrydas, and 2027 four-star power forward Ian Condon, who suits up for Team Melo.
And those two aren’t the only EYBL names on Syracuse’s radar. Other targets the Orange could be tracking in Las Vegas include 2027 four-star point guard J’Lon Lyons, 2027 wing/small forward Moussa Kamissoko, 2027 four-star shooting guard RJ Moore, 2027 five-star point guard King Gibson, 2027 four-star small forward Carson Crawford, 2028 five-star wing/small forward Will Brunson, 2028 five-star center Logan Chwastyk, 2028 four-star wing Isaiah Carter and 2028 three-star power forward Damian Mojica.
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Kiyan Anthony Opened Up About His Emotional Adrian Autry Goodbye
Syracuses frustrating 2025-26 season ended with a 15-17 record and six straight losses, and the final blow came in the ACC tournament against SMU. The next morning, the university moved on from Adrian Autry, closing out a tenure that had plenty of pressure attached to it long before the last game was over. For Kiyan Anthony, the change landed with the kind of emotion that usually follows a season spent around a coach every day, not just the kind of news cycle that follows a bad finish.
Anthony said he had a real relationship with Autry and spent the season getting a closer look at what the job demanded, even through the rough patches. He also addressed the benching at Virginia, saying Autry framed it as a basketball decision rather than a punishment, which gives a little more context to how the year unfolded behind the scenes. With Syracuse now heading into a new era, Anthonys perspective is one more reminder that the end of a coachs run is never only about wins and losses. [Read more 🡒]
Fran Browns Biggest Syracuse Fix Is About To Be Tested
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One of the most important additions is Vince Kehres, brought in from Toledo to help reshape the unit with an emphasis on effort, tackling and teamwork. His previous defense was far sturdier than Syracuses was a year ago, and now the real test is how much of that can carry over once the Orange start sorting out the details in camp, from the corners role in supporting the run to whether the pass rush can be rebuilt with help from the transfer market. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Adds Another Overseas Guard As Backcourt Questions Keep Growing
Syracuses backcourt continues to take shape with another overseas addition, as the womens basketball program has signed French point guard Claine Ricco for the upcoming season. Ricco arrives with a steady international rsum and is in the middle of representing France at the under-20 EuroBasket Tournament, where she has remained part of the national team pipeline after previous runs with Frances under-18 and under-19 squads.
For Syracuse, the move fits an offseason that has leaned heavily on players with international ties while the roster still has room to grow. The Orange currently list 13 players, and with SMU transfer Tyi Skinner expected to be the lead option at point guard, Ricco looks like another piece in a backcourt picture that is still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]