With incoming freshmen starting to trickle into their University Village apartments and get to work at the Melo Center, Syracuse is now fully recruiting for the classes of 2023 and 2024. With the class of 2022 taking up loads of time and priority throughout the year, now is the time for SU coaches to go after their top targets for the future.
Maybe the most prominent, and the one the Orange have the best chance at is Reid Ducharme, of Brewster Academy. The 6’4 wing weighs in at 165 pounds according to 247 Sports and is the 91st overall player in the class according to the 247 composite rankings.
The primary recruiter for Ducharme has been Gerry McNamara, who has been in constant contact throughout the Spring and as tournaments continue this summer. Things have gone so well between the two that Ducharme is taking an official visit to Syracuse from June 14th-16th.
The Orange offered Ducharme last August by Jim Boeheim and said it was something that meant a lot to him. ‚ÄúHe went over to me and my dad and just said that he wanted to make sure I knew that I had an offer from him,‚Äù Ducharme said. ‚ÄúI was really excited when I heard say that because Syracuse is definitely a school I could see myself playing for. For it to come from a legendary coach like Boeheim was really cool.”
Ducharme also holds offers from schools like Providence, Iowa, Stanford, and Penn State. He would be a great pickup for SU to start their 2023 class, and very similar to when Justin Taylor committed to Syracuse last June. Both players fit the mold of a wing who can score, and has a long, athletic frame to defend in the zone.
The Orange are a little behind in the class recruiting-wise. Even though they also did not have a firm commitment at this time last year (because Kamari Lands ended up not honoring his commitment), look at other ACC teams. Duke has five players on board for next year including four-five stars.
North Carolina is right behind Duke with two five stars of its own, including former Syracuse target GG Jackson. Louisville also has a four-star on the books for 2023, and with new coaches Kenny Payne and Nolan Smith on the trail, they’ll be in contention for everyone, including the top player in the class, DJ Wagner.
Ducharme is not a must get for the Orange, but looking at the competition for him, his position, and the rest of the ACC, it would be beneficial to have someone on board for 2023 to communicate with his fellow classmates and bring in even more players to the 2023 class for the Orange.
With his Brewster Academy roots, Ducharme could continue a trend that started a long time ago for Syracuse and continued with Buddy Boeheim just recently. The 2023 recruiting rush is starting now, and the Orange have t0 get in on the action before they fall too far behind, and that starts with Reid Ducharme.
