The summer has been good to Syracuse. Kamari Lands started it off right, as a top 25 player nationally committed back in April. That allowed the perennially critical summer months to be a little less pressurized. Then 4-star sharpshooter Justin Taylor followed suit, making the ’22 class one of the nation’s best. And Taylor stated he would help lure other recruits to the Hill, including Kyle Filipowski and Quadir Copeland.
“Flip” has offers from a handful of blue bloods including Duke, which has left Copeland overlooked by many in this equation. In fact, for most of his recruitment Copeland has been overshadowed by the entire class. The 6’6″ combo guard is ranked #142 nationally by 247 Sports for his class, and the 6th best player in his own state. Rivals is more complimentary, pinning him at 85th in the nation overall.
But scroll through message boards, YouTube videos, and social media and you’ll find a vocal group of believers. Many believed Copeland was headed to SU even before Taylor made his claim. A video by Jamie Shaw, who has more than 2.5K subscribers, asked whether Copeland is the Class of ’22’s “best kept secret?”
The talent and playmaking is obvious. He has creative finishes at the basket, and an explosion to the hoop. He loves to find the open teammate. He has an array of moves that he uses to shake defenders, and can dish or score even off balance.
But this isn’t just recent attention. More than a year ago, in February ’20 before the pandemic struck, Raw Sports Films declared Copeland “the best kept secret in Pennsylvania.” RSF has over 25K subscribers. It’s another sizzling highlight reel of Copeland’s shot making and offense creation.
He recently had an “amazing” official visit, and even Taylor raved about the connection Copeland has to the Orange staff. Copeland says SU is “very high” in his personal rankings, and the visit went extremely well. He considers himself a pass-first guard, and says the SU staff has told him he can step in and be their point guard. Perhaps it’s because he’s not into his own personal stats. Maybe it’s because he prefers to set up others. But Copeland is an elite prospect, and certainly is flying under the radar of many. He just may be one of the best secrets in prep hoops.
