As Jim Boeheim’s class of 2018 has some building blocks already in place, a chance to add another piece is on the horizon. Three-star power forward Nate Roberts, who recently trimmed his school list down to five, scheduled official visits with four of the schools. Roberts will be in Central New York from September 22-24, the third visit in the cycle. He is set to visit Mike Hopkins’ Washington Huskies to begin September, followed by a trip to Nebraska two weeks later, then to Syracuse and it’s rounded out with a visit to Wake Forest in late September stretching into early October. UConn is also in Roberts’ final five, but his visit is still to be determined.
Roberts is a Brewster Academy product, a school that has been an SU pipeline in recent memory. The likes of C.J. Fair and Taurean Thompson have played for the New Hampshire prep school. Along with Fair and Thompson, Boeheim’s son and soon-to-be 2018 Orange commit, Buddy, is attending Brewster in the fall.
Roberts is one of two power forwards that has recently listed Syracuse as a finalist for its services. Along with Roberts, Dimon Carrigan is also interested in turning Orange for 2018.  However, their bodies are a bit different. Carrigan stands at just 6-foot-9, meanwhile Roberts has sprouted to 6-foot-11, despite the fact that many recruiting sites list him at 6-foot-9.
With an offensive-minded start to the 2018 class with Darius Bazley and the lights out shooting Buddy, defense is certainly an important part of what the Orange is looking for moving forward. The 2-3 zone needs its length, and Roberts certainly would provide that down low with his lanky frame to anchor down the defense.
Unfortunately for Roberts, he won’t get to experience Dino Babers’ “basketball on turf” in the Carrier Dome since the football team is away for the weekend. But it may be for the better since Syracuse draws LSU during his official visit.
