The top tier of high school basketball is getting a smaller, sharper look next season, and a handful of Syracuse targets are right in the middle of it.
The Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Scholastic, home to some of the country’s best independent academies and prep programs, will shrink to 15 member schools in 2026-27 after operating with 20 this past season, according to social media posts.
That means seven programs from the 2025-26 group are out for the upcoming campaign: Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H. ; CATS Academy in Boston; Christ School in Arden, N.C.
; Link Academy in Branson, Mo. ; Spire Academy in Geneva, Ohio; Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kan.; and Utah Prep in Hurricane, Utah.
The new 15-school lineup includes a familiar collection of heavy hitters: AZ Compass Prep School, CIA Bella Vista, Dream City Christian School, Faith Family Academy, Iowa United Prep, La Lumiere School, Long Island Lutheran High School, Masters Academy International, Monarch Academy, Montverde Academy, Oak Hill Academy, St. James Academy, Tennessee Collegiate Academy, Veritas Academy and Wasatch Academy.
For Syracuse, the relevance is obvious. Several Orange recruiting targets are set to suit up in that league, giving the new staff a close look at some of the best young talent in the country.
At AZ Compass Prep School in Chandler, Ariz., Zion Green is one of the names to know. The 2027 four-star forward already has an Orange scholarship offer and has taken an unofficial visit to the Hill.
CIA Bella Vista in Phoenix has the deepest Syracuse footprint. Five players on its 2026-27 roster have already landed offers from the new Syracuse staff: 2027 four-star big man Ahmed Nur, 2028 four-star forward Isaiah Clarke, 2028 five-star point guard Liam Mitakaro, 2028 four-star forward Settimo Yugu and 2029 big man Mamadou Issa Sow.
Iowa United Prep features 2027 four-star forward Godson Okokoh, a player the Orange coaching staff is showing interest in.
Long Island Lutheran is another key stop for Syracuse recruiting. The Crusaders are home to 2027 five-star wing/small forward Moussa Kamissoko, who remains a major target for the Orange.
And at Masters Academy International in Stow, Mass., Kevin Wheatley Jr. is still on Syracuse’s radar. The 2028 five-star wing previously held an offer from the prior SU staff under then-head coach Adrian Autry, and the new Orange staff led by first-year head coach Gerry McNamara is also showing interest in him.
In Other News...
Buffalo Prospect Left His First Syracuse Visit Wanting More
Alex Davis got an early look at Syracuse this summer, and the Buffalo defensive lineman came away with a clearer sense of why the Orange have been on him so soon. The Canisius High prospect attended the programs Franchise Camp in June after landing an offer from Syracuse, spending time around coaches John Scott Jr. and Jeremy Hawkins as they talked through his development and what comes next. For a young lineman still early in his recruiting process, the visit gave him a chance to see how the Orange are building relationships well before the usual pressure points of a recruiting race.
What stood out to Davis was the culture Fran Brown has put in place and the way Syracuse sells growth beyond just football. He has said the programs emphasis on development on and off the field fits what he is looking for, which matters for a prospect from Buffalo who already has a local connection to the Orange. The first in-person stop did what a good visit is supposed to do: confirm the interest, sharpen the picture and leave him wanting another look. [Read more 🡒]
Gerry McNamaras First Syracuse Schedule Already Looks Absolutely Brutal
Gerry McNamaras first Syracuse schedule is already shaping up like a crash course in life as a head coach. The Orange are preparing for the 2026-27 season with a slate that could feature a long list of preseason top-25 opponents, including Duke, Virginia, Louisville, North Carolina, Miami, Indiana and St. Johns, based on early rankings from ESPN, CBS Sports and Jon Rothstein.
For Syracuse, the challenge is obvious before the games even arrive. Rothstein has the Orange at No. 43, while ESPN and CBS Sports leave them out of their preseason polls altogether, which means McNamaras team may spend much of the year trying to prove it belongs in the same conversation as the programs on its schedule. The upside is just as clear: if Syracuse can navigate that kind of gauntlet, it will have earned every bit of attention that comes with it. [Read more 🡒]