BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: SYRACUSE

October 23, 2008

VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: Baye Moussa Keita, (C) from Oak Hill Academy (class of 2010)

Projected 2009-2010 Roster:

Seniors: Paul Harris (G), Arinze Onuaku (BF/C), Eric Devenderf (G), Andy Rautins (G)
Juniors: Johnny Flynn (PG), Richard Jackson (BF), Sean Williams (C), Wesley Johnson (F)
Sophomores: Kris Joseph (F), Mookie Jones (G/F), Antonio Jardine* (G)
Freshmen: Brandon Triche (G), James Southerland (F)
2010 Commitments: C.J. Fair (PF), Dion Waiters (G), Baye Moussa Keita (C)

* Will sit out 2008-2009 as a medical redshirt


Syracuse keeps the 2010 recruiting train rolling as the Orange Picks Up 6-foot-10 Recruit (Syracuse Post-Standard) Baye Moussa Keita out of Oak Hill Academy, via Senegal.

Keita is the second prospect from the class of 2010 to choose the Orange in a week, joining Baltimore's C.J. Fair as Syracuse Basketball Keeps it Snappin' (closer look at Fair and Wiaters via Ron Bailey) on the recruiting trail.


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The latest commitment for Syracuse in the class of 2010 is a bit of an unknown. Baye Moussa Keita has been in the United States for a short period of time, but the athletic 6-foot-10 big man from Senegal has the tools to be a very good player down the road and Jim Boeheim and staff are banking that he will develop into a by the time he arrives in central New York.

Keita definitely will be well tutored as he will be playing at powerful Oak Hill Academy in Virginia under coach Steve Smith. Keita began to make some noise last spring when he competed in the Jordan Brands international Game at MSG and then got some additional exposure in the Nike Global Challenge this past August.

With most young big man, adding muscle and weight is one of the most immediate needs for Keita. With a listed weight of under 200 pounds on the Nike Global Challenge roster, Keita has a ways to go to be ready for the Big East battles, but time is on his side. Coach Smith at Oak Hill believes he is more along than previous Senegal natives at the same time when they entered Oak Hill, including DeSagana Diop who went right into the NBA Draft from Oak Hill.

It was an exciting weekend around Syracuse as the basketball program kicked off their official start of practice and the return of Carmelo Anthony to the Carrier Dome took place Friday night as well. The former Orange star was in town with his Denver Nuggets teammates for a pre-season match-up against Shaquille O'Neal, Steve Nash and and rest of the Phoenix Suns.

Taking in all the excitement of a weekend was a 6-foot-8 forward hoping to follow in Carmelo's footsteps. C.J. Fair, a highly touted member of the class of 2010, was making an unofficial visit and liked what he saw and the opportunity ahead of him and decided to pledge for the Orange.

Like Anthony, Fair will come to the 'Cuse via Baltimore. The left-handed shooter has the ability to score from the perimeter and put the ball on the floor and attack the rim. Weighing in at a slight 186 pounds, Fair will have to work on adding muscle and weight to his frame before lacing them up in the Big East, but the potential to fit very well in the Syracuse system under Jim Boeheim at forward is very clear to see. Others interested included Louisville, Maryland, Georgetown, Virginia and others. Fair missed the summer AAU circuit due to ACL surgery, but the Orange had no hesitation in making their move to secure a commitment.

Fair was the second commitment for the class of 2010 for SU as they already have a big time commitment from guard Dion Waiters out of Philadelphia. Waiters is a BIG-TIME offensive talent and is a cousin of current Orange guard Antonio Jardine. Waiters committed to SU a year ago, before ever playing in a Varsity high school game. He spent last season at South Kent in Connecticut and will be playing this year at Life Center Academy.

On paper, the Syracuse roster is full for the 2009-2010 season with their verbal commitments received to date. The make-up of the Syracuse roster showed a need for a point guard and the Orange did not have to go very far to fill that void as Jamesville-DeWitt star Brandon Triche decided to stay close to home and chose the Orange over finalists Georgetown, Connecticut and Georgia Tech last night. Triche showed at the Reebok Summer Championships the ability to get into the lane and use his size and strength to get to the rim and score. Triche does need to add a more consistent jump shot as it was evident throughout the summer that his perimeter touch needs work.

The Orange get a tough local kid with a high basketball IQ in Triche. He has shown outstanding court vision in high school and is an excellent passer. He has recovered from an ACL injury that cut short his sophomore season and he is looking to finish his career at J-D with a big season now that the injury problems are behind him.

Recently, the NBE Basketball Report spent some time Catching Up With Brandon Triche and this is what he had to say about the Orange:

“The location is a factor. It’s like five minutes from my house. The coach is a Hall of Famer, and Johnny Flynn will probably head to the NBA after the season, so that will open up a spot for me.”

For now, Triche joins previous commit James Southerland in the SU class of 2009. Southerland was originally expected to be part of the 2008 class, but he will attend a second year of prep school at Notre Dame Prep. The 6-foot-7 forward has an excellent perimeter game and is working on adding strength and a more well-rounded arsenal. Despite rumors circulating late on the AAU circuit, Southerland seems to have re-affirmed his commitment to SU and the presence of Mike Hopkins at every game Southerland played with the Albany City Rocks in the Desert Duel showed how much the Orange were still interested in him. SU Looked in on Southerland at the Desert Duel and he was very offensive minded, again showing his needs to round out his game.


Triche and Southerland are not the only newcomers for the 2009-2010 season as SU will also add an important transfer. When Wesley Johnson informed the staff at Iowa State he was transferring they were not happy with the news. Losing a quality player is very tough and Johnson is definitely, at least, a quality player. As his list of potential destinations grew and was fine-tuned, it was clear that many schools believed he would be making a big impact wherever he ended up. After taking a visit to Syracuse, Johnson found his next home and decided there was no need to take any additional visits. Johnson also considered West Virginia, Pittsburgh and Ohio State as finalists.

Johnson is a 6'7 combo forward with plenty of length and athleticism, perfect for Jim Boehiem's style of play. His sophomore numbers were a little less than expected after an excellent freshman campaign in the Big 12, but a stress fracture in his foot, which forced him to miss five games and eventually led to an April surgery, took away much of his trademark explosive athletic ability.

As a freshman at Iowa State, the Texas native averaged 12.3 points and 7.9 rebounds. As a sophomore, he contributed 12.4 points a game, but the rebounding total dipped in half, but a lot of that was due to the injuries that had him on the perimeter more than going inside to battle.

The projected 2009-10 Syracuse roster is now full with 13 players. Players like Eric Devendorf, Jonny Flynn and Paul Harris could be candidates to test professional waters after the next season. This has led a few to speculate that Syracuse could become the team to beat for Oak Hill's Lamont 'MoMo' Jones. Jones is an exciting scoring lead guard who could be looking for a situation like Syracuse if Johnny Flynn looks to be going professional in the next year or two. However, expect SU to turn their attention more toward the class fo 2010 and that attention has paid off with the quick commitments from Waiters, Fair and Keita.

Still, top targets in the class of 2010 include Albany guard Taran Buie of Bishop Maginn High School, Keita and Jones' Oak Hill Academy teammate Doron Lamb, who is a NYC native. Also, small forward Shaquille Thomas out of New Jersey, nephew of former Villanova star Tim Thomas, is very high on the Orange and has been close to committing. New England big man Carson Desrosiers, Canadian product J.P. Kambola and Long Island star Tobias Harris are also receiving a lot of attention from Syracuse on the recruiting trail. Michigan shooting guard Isaiah Sykes has also entered the SU radar screen in the class of 2010.

After back-to-back NIT appearances and two one and done NCAA's prior to that, it is time for Syracuse to get back into the mix of a nationally elite program. Recruiting at a high level is a way to do that quickly and the return of a March Madness participant will get the train rolling again in central NY.