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Update: On Tuesday, Wilbraham & Monson Academy (Mass.) center Goodluck Okonoboh narrowed his list of offers to (in no order) Duke, Florida, Indiana, Ohio State and UNLV. Syracuse was left off the list, so the Orange will turn its attention to other recruits. 
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While the football team returned home after their five-day trip to Fort Drum, Jim Boeheim and Syracuse basketball received some major recruiting news this weekend. Kaleb Joseph, a 6-3 PG from Nashua, N.H. gave a verbal commitment to play for the Orange during his official visit to the Hill.
Once Joseph¬†released his final three schools, many fans thought Syracuse had K-Jo 2.0 bleeding Orange. SU beat out West Virginia and Providence making Joseph the 2nd¬†commit of the 2014 class. However, there was not much debate for Joseph before committing to his ‚Äúdream school.” Joseph told the Syracuse Post-Standard:
‚ÄúIn the back of my mind it’s always where I wanted to be. I’ve always been a Syracuse fan. It just felt right.‚Äù¬†
Although he is currently ranked as the 51st best player in the country, the huge AAU circuit Joseph had this summer Рalong with another season at Cushing Academy (MA) Рwill likely give him a more favorable ranking. Look for Joseph to make a jump similar to Tyler Ennis’s player ratings surge last year.
Joseph’s commitment was huge for the Orange. He was one of the few prized guards left in the class who held Syracuse high. The Fizz has gone over how Syracuse’s backcourt could be in trouble this season with Ennis as the only true PG. Although Ennis is not likely a one-and-done, Joseph provides much needed depth at the PG position for future years.
Don’t be surprised to see Ennis and Joseph playing at the same time down the road. More of a pure scorer than a ball handler, Joseph will probably mold to whichever position the Orange needs. Based on his raw talent, Joseph could end up playing shooting guard and score off Ennis‚Äôs passes. Joseph likes to create his own shots rather than distribute the ball, while Ennis is more pass first, There could be a dangerous offensive connection between Ennis and Joseph brewing in the future.
All eyes turn to Isaiah Whitehead and Goodluck Okonoboh to see if there will be any icing on the cake. SU will probably only be able to add one of them based on scholarship limits. Even if neither chooses the Orange, Syracuse has fulfilled one of its biggest needs in Joseph.
Posted: Zephan Mayell
