Syracuse’s Class of 2018 recruiting ventures include everything. From decommits, reclassifications, standard recruits and even a kid from Mars! (Mars, Pennsylvania that is. Hello Robby Carmody.) The latest development for SU comes thanks to Ohio State. Four star recruit Darius Bazley announced a few weeks ago that he is decommitting from the Buckeyes. According to Scout.com and Syracuse.com, Bazley has reached out to the Orange and the interest is mutual from the coaches.
Bazley is a 6-foot-8 forward who ESPN pegs as the 47th best player in the Class of 2018. The Ohio native’s decision to decommit came largely because he did not think playing for the Buckeyes was the best way to get him to his ultimate goal, the NBA. All of this came in an interview with the Columbus Dispatch, where he later went on to criticize the OSU program by saying it could not put him on a big enough stage, nor was he high on the incoming recruiting class.
But the Buckeyes’ loss could be a huge gain for the Orange. We’ve seen SU get off to a slow start that has yet to really pick up for its 2017 class. If Syracuse strikes out on guys like Tremont Waters and Jordan Tucker, they definitely need to make a splash for 2018. Bazley would be a great starting point.
The forward is your prototypical SU player: long and athletic. However, Bazley provides a different type of skillset. He has great vision and can decently spread the floor with his lefty stroke. However, his jumper still needs to pick up some range to truly classify him as a stretch four. He certainly needs to bulk up if he wants to thrive at the college level and beyond, but that can be a natural fix as his body develops.
Overall, we may not see Bazley commit for quite some time. His return to the market has piqued the interest of a number of schools, however, Syracuse does have the NBA pipeline pedigree Bazley would desire by sending 10 players to the pros in the last five years, with one or two potentially heading to the league this June.
