A pair of 2022 recruits in Justin Taylor and Kyle Filipowski have already made their official visits to the Hill earlier this month. How’d they go?
Here’s the undoubtable truth: both look good in the Orange threads. But that’s not enough to drive players to their possible four-year destination. Great official visits will though. Both Taylor and Filipowski spoke with Sports Illustrated’s Mike McAllister about their recent experiences and there were a lot of positives to come of it.
Between playing three on three with Joe Girard and Buddy Boeheim, to enjoying a barbeque at the Boeheim household, and even pulling out the spikeball and Kan Jam sets, the two recruits enjoyed their time in Central New York.
Filipowski emphasized how “normal” it felt hanging with the current players. He also enjoyed the tour aspect of the entire campus, including the Melo Center, facilities, apartments and classrooms. The experience included a copious amount of time with coaches, and in the 6’10” four star’s case, they spent it talking to him about the impact he could make in bringing a championship to Syracuse.
It was much the same with Taylor, as he enjoyed the developmental aspect of the visit (a.k.a seeing G-Mac coach the current players in person). The recurrent sentiment and a main selling point was of how the guard fits into an open slot currently occupied by Buddy.
The coaches opened up to the guard about his immediate impact, just as they did with Filipowski. Even Boeheim disclosed that speculations of his retirement are just rumors and he’d be at the helm if a successful 2022 recruiting class included Taylor.
These privileges add an imaginative quality to a visit. Instead of just showing off the program, individuals within it will treat the recruit as one of their own. The process is very intricate and planned out, but the biggest takeaway is how both players viewed their visits as “natural”.
“I’m still not planning on cutting my list for a while. I want to get out and see some other schools. I’m sure things are always bound to change with where schools rank on my list and stuff. I’ll just leave it at I really enjoyed the visit to Syracuse. It felt natural. I loved everything they showed me.” – Filipowski to SI’s Mike McAllister
“I think the visits have helped and it could speed up the process, but we’ll see. I have Indiana after this one. That’s my last official. Taking these three visits will help me narrow it down and hopefully come to a decision pretty soon.” – Taylor to SI’s Mike McAllister
Either way the reviews were positive, which is a good omen for the Orange regarding these two recruits, as well as utilizing official and unofficial visits to entice players that Syracuse is the right spot for them.
