Syracuse basketball can get a commitment from a recruit at any time, and at some points it can seem to come out of thin air (see Marek Dolezaj). It can consistently drive SU fans crazy, but every year there are a few target prospects to give the Orange faithful some sort of stability in following the Boeheim recruiting trail. In 2018, one of those key targets is Jalen Carey, and he just set a date for his official Syracuse visit.
Early this week Carey put SU in his top six, and Thursday he announced the dates for official visits to four schools, first reported by Rivals.com’s Corey Evans:
Miami – August 25
Connecticut – August 30
Syracuse – September 8
Kansas – September 29
The other two schools in Carey’s top six and without visits scheduled are Villanova and Rutgers. Carey can only schedule five official visits, so one of those two won’t get a chance to show its stuff to the rising point guard. Villanova has the advantage. Aside from the obvious reasons, Rutgers scored a pair of commitments from guards in the last week and could be done recruiting the position for this cycle.
Carey plays at new York City’s Immaculate Conception, where he goes into his senior season as the No. 55 recruit in the nation, per 247Sports.com. He just finished his summer season with the New Jersey Playaz, where someone with Syracuse attended every one of his games. That’s dedication. He’s the No. 11 point guard in the 2018 class, which has proven to be the most important position in Jim Boeheim’s system in recent years.
The Orange looks to be in a good spot to land Carey. SU has an edge in location over the rest of the top six save Rutgers, but Orange fans would hope Syracuse could beat out a team which hasn’t had a winning season since 2006 and hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since 1991. Carey grew up watching Big East basketball, and it shows with four of the old Big East’s schools (five, if you count Miami) making his top six. It’s hard to argue that a New York City kid with Big East roots wouldn’t choose SU over the other options from the conference.
Syracuse’s biggest competition is Kansas. It’s hard to argue with 11 straight seasons in the AP Top 10 and 13 straight Big 12 titles. Kansas is a blue-blood, and the only school on Carey’s list with a prestige advantage over the Orange. With five top 10 picks since 2012, the Jayhawks have the advantage in NBA potential as well.
Carey is expected to make a decision sometime this fall and sign in November. If Syracuse does land him, he’d join Darius Bazley in the Orange’s 2018 recruiting class. If SU does end up getting Buddy Boeheim to go with, the future looks good in the Carrier Dome.
Posted: Nathan Dickinson
