Syracuse Recruiting Update

VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: Mike Jones, F (Lower Richland, SC)

Projected 2006-2007 Roster:

Seniors: Louie McCroskey (G), Demetrius Nichols (SF), Terrence Roberts (F), Daryl Watkins (C), Matt Gorman (BF)
Juniors: Josh Wright (PG), Dayshaun Wright (F)
Sophomores: Eric Devenderf (G), Arinze Onuaku (BF/C), Andy Rautins (G)
Freshmen: Paul Harris (G), Mike Jones (F)

Note: SU has also picked up early 2007 commitments from Johnny Flynn (PG) and Antonio Jardine (G)

Previous SU Orange recruiting features: August 12, July 14 report and June 28 Report. Also, the July 25 Round-Up.

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As we expected from earlier in the week, Syracuse has added Mike Jones to their 2006 recruiting class. Jones, who visited SU earlier in the month, hosted hall of fame coach Jim Boeheim for an in-home visit earlier this week and decided Syracuse was where he wanted to call home over in-state South Carolina. He also was considering Miami and UNC-Charlotte late in the process, but it was really just a 2-horse race at the end.

The good news did not stop there, and if the scenario of a 2006 wing and a 2007 point guard for SU sounds familiar, well, it is...because aboiut 2-months ago, we went through a similar scenario with Paul Harris and Johnny Flynn, this time, it was Antonio "Scoop" Jardine, from Neumann-Goretti HS in Philadelphia, to also pledge to the Orange. Jardine was set to be one of the most highly recruited guard prospects in the country for 2007 and he pulled a surprise by choosing early. He also visited Syracuse earlier this month, with highly regarded HS teammate Rich Jackson, and decided not to wait and pulled the trigger.

Here is the Syracuse Post-Standard article from this morning's edition on the Jones and Jardine commitments: Orange Hit Daily Double with Jones & Jardine.

Jones is an excellent addition. At 6'6 and about 210 lbs, Jones is an ideal small forward for Syracuse because he has the athletic ability to play inside and outside. He also averaged 12 rebounds a game last season for Lower Richland HS. This is an important note because the small forward in Jim Boeheim's 2-3 zone is called on to rebound and play defense on the block on many instances. He should really fit prefectly on their roster and compliment Paul Harris.

Jardine was a surprise. Not that he chose the Orange, but he had the makings of a player that was going to be wooed by everyone on the east coast and beyond. Also, Syracuse already has a 2007 PG commitment from Johnny Flynn, so the common beleif was Jardine would look around a little more in the process, but Syracuse was going to remain a player in his commitment. Jardine considers himself a scoring guard and that would allow him and Flynn to play together. Jardine is nearly 6'2, so his size should not hurt if he does play off the ball. We have maintained all along that SU will be poised for a blockbuster class in 2007 and with two commitments and recent visits from Donte Greene, Taylor King and Richard Jackson, they seem to be well on their way.

In the class of 2006, they still have one scholarship left. I fully expected that scholarship to be Brad Sheehan's and I whiffed on that call from earlier in the summer. Sheehan, from the Albany-area, chose Georgia Tech eariler this week. I still feel they need to add a C/BF in this class, even if it is just a serviceable body. If they do not, that will mean just one player at that position in three classes (Arinze Onuaku). An athletic forward like Austin Wallace could still be a possibility, but Wallace, along with Niagara Fall's Tyrell Lynch (teammate of Flynn and Harris at NFHS), both might end up in the class of 2007. Damian Saunders from Connecticut and Justin Burrell from NYC are also a pair of athletic forwards that have, at one time or another, received some looks from Syracuse and could be in the mix, but they might not be exactly what the Orange are looking for to round out the class.

Earlier in the week, there was a little concern about the Syracuse recruiting among fans, it is funny how quickly things can change in the world of recruiting!