Summer movement is reshaping the Syracuse basketball recruiting board, and a handful of the Orange’s top targets are changing schools before the 2026-27 season even begins.
The list includes several four-star and five-star prospects in the 2027 and 2028 classes, with first-year head coach Gerry McNamara and his staff staying active as those players settle into new programs. Some have already visited Syracuse, others have been re-offered, and a few are just now getting fresh attention from the Orange.
Rowan Phillips is one of the biggest names on the move. The 2028 four-star combo guard, a top-25 national prospect in his class, is heading back to Archbishop Wood High School in Warminster, Pa., after spending time at the Westtown School in West Chester, Pa.
Phillips took an unofficial visit to Syracuse in late August of 2024 for the Orange’s annual Elite Camp. Once the 2028 contact period opened on June 15, he heard from Syracuse again, and the staff was in to see him near the end of June at Philly Live in Philadelphia during a scholastic live period.
Kevin Wheatley Jr. is also changing scenery. The 2028 five-star wing, another top-25 player nationally in his class, is following his head coach, Jason Smith, from Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H., to the newly formed Masters Academy International in Stow, Mass.
That school will be part of the retooled 15-member Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Scholastic, or EYBL Scholastic. Wheatley visited Syracuse unofficially last December, around the time he picked up an offer from the previous Orange staff under then-head coach Adrian Autry.
He has since heard from McNamara’s staff after June 15.
Zion Green, a 2027 four-star power forward ranked No. 15 overall in his cycle by Rivals, recently announced a transfer from Mt. Zion Prep in Lanham, Md., to AZ Compass Prep School in Chandler, Ariz. Syracuse has re-offered Green, who took an unofficial visit to the program in late August of last year.
Will Brunson, a 2028 five-star wing/small forward and top-20 national prospect, has also been re-offered by the new Syracuse staff. He is moving from Rutgers Preparatory School in Somerset, N.J., to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., for the 2026-27 campaign. Brunson took an unofficial visit to Syracuse last December.
Another 2027 target, point guard Payton Jones, is leaving Beaumont United High School in Beaumont, Texas, for Dynamic Prep in Carrollton, Texas. Dynamic Prep is coached by former NBA star Jermaine O’Neal and has reached at least the semifinals of the season-ending Chipotle Nationals in each of the past two seasons. Syracuse coaches saw Jones this spring during a live period on the Under Armour Association circuit.
Two more 2028 five-star wings are headed to Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla., an EYBL Scholastic program. Isaiah Hamilton is coming from Crestwood Preparatory College in Toronto, while Xavier Skipworth is transferring from the Bullis School in Potomac, Md. Both players held offers from the former Syracuse staff, and McNamara’s group is also pursuing them.
Isaiah Clarke and Ahmed Nur received Syracuse basketball offers a few days ago. Nur, a top-30 national prospect in the 2027 class, landed his Syracuse offer last month.
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