Friday turned into a big recruiting day for Syracuse basketball on both sides, and the common thread was impossible to miss: the Orange kept elite New York talent close to home.
That matters at Syracuse. It always has. For basketball, football, lacrosse and the rest of the department, landing top players from the Empire State carries real weight.
The men got their news first. Gerry McNamara and his staff landed 2027 five-star wing/small forward Moussa Kamissoko, a Bronx native who chose Syracuse after an official visit to the Hill earlier in September. The 6-foot-8, 180-pound prospect is spending his senior season at Spire Academy in Geneva, Ohio, but he made his name in New York first, at Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, and later this spring and summer with the Bronx-based PSA Cardinals’ 17U team in Nike’s EYBL league.
Kamissoko has been rated as high as No. 7 nationally in the senior class by Rivals, and he sits as a consensus top-20 player in the 2027 cycle. Syracuse had been pushing hard for him in recent months, and that effort paid off in a major way.
He also gives the Orange another New York connection in the same class. Syracuse already has three-star wing Jack Donohue, a senior at The Newman School in Boston who is from Albany. The 6-foot-8, 220-pound Donohue missed 10 months last season because of open-heart surgery, but multiple analysts and scouts who have evaluated him believe he could grow into a four-star prospect if he turns in a strong senior season.
Later in the day, Felisha Legette-Jack’s program picked up its own win. 2027 point guard Josephine Pinnock committed to Syracuse over Seton Hall, Hofstra and Stony Brook.
Pinnock’s path to the Orange was different from Kamissoko’s. Syracuse first offered her a scholarship on July 19, after she had taken an unofficial visit to the Hill.
She then returned for an official visit earlier this month, and Inside the Loud House first reported that trip. Pinnock announced her decision Friday night at Christ the King in Middle Village, N.Y.
On the floor, Pinnock has already built a strong résumé. Last season as a junior, she averaged 19.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game and was named the New York State Catholic High School Athletic Association (“CHSAA”) AAA player of the year. She is not nationally ranked yet, but Prep Girls Hoops has her as the No. 3 senior in New York state.
In Other News...
Syracuses New Staff Just Gave Orange Fans Another Reason To Believe
Ben Lees first offseason on the Syracuse staff has already brought a little outside validation. The Orange assistant was named to Hoop Heralds list of 35 assistant coaches under 35, a nod that reflects both his reputation on the bench and the recruiting reach he brings with him after stops at Siena and the University of Washington.
For a program trying to keep momentum building under a new-look staff, that kind of recognition matters because it signals there is more here than just a fresh face in the room. Syracuse has been looking for every edge it can find on the recruiting trail and in player development, and Lees network and background give the Orange another staffer with a profile that suggests he can help in both areas. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Still Has One Big 2027 Recruiting Question After 5-Star Pledge
Syracuses 2027 recruiting board already has some real shape to it after the pledge from five-star wing Moussa Kamissoko, with three-star wing Jack Donohue also in the fold. Even with those two commitments, the Orange are still working through what the rest of that class could look like, and the focus has started to narrow around the wings rather than spreading across multiple positions.
One name worth watching is four-star wing Ahmed Nur, who has already taken official visits to Syracuse and other schools. The Orange are also not viewed as a likely frontrunner for five-star point guard Nasir Anderson, which only adds to the sense that this class may stay small given the way the 2026-27 roster is expected to take shape. Syracuse can still supplement through the transfer portal and international markets, but the bigger question now is whether it lands one more high-end high school piece or simply leans into a compact recruiting class. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Is Trying To Turn An Early Recruiting Edge Into More
Syracuse got in early with 2028 tight end Colten Lis, extending his first college offer in January and making a point to keep the connection warm as his recruitment has picked up. Since then, Lis has added offers from programs including UMass, Duke and Wake Forest, but he has stayed in touch with the Orange staff and has already made a campus visit, a sign that Syracuse is still trying to turn that head start into something meaningful.
Lis has come away with a positive view of the program, particularly the way Syracuse uses tight ends, which matters for a prospect still sorting through a growing list of suitors. His recruitment is still in motion and several schools are standing out to him, so the Orange are far from alone in the chase, but they have positioned themselves as an early presence in a race that figures to keep developing. [Read more 🡒]