Over the past week, Class of 2024 point guard Mikey Lewis has seen his recruiting stock rise. The Oakland native played in a showcase in Atlanta last weekend with talent including UNC-commit Elliot Cadeau, and offers have been flying through the roof since then. Lewis had already received them from plenty of schools including Cal, San Diego State, and Illinois. After this past weekend, Lewis has caught the eyes of Providence, Arizona State, TCU, and of course, Syracuse.
After a not-so-riveting job done with the Class of 2023 (William Patterson’s upside isn’t talked about enough though), Syracuse appears to be gaining recruiting momentum. Elijah Moore is already signed and sealed, as are old friends JJ Starling and Chance Westry via the transfer portal. With Donnie Freeman getting a crystal ball to Syracuse as well as this offer to Lewis, there’s legitimate optimism on the recruiting front for the first time in a long time.
So why does Lewis make so much sense? Starling is a lock to be a starting guard in the 2023-24 campaign, the second slot will be determined by where Judah Mintz winds up. Regardless, the latter will definitely be gone come 2024-25, and don’t be completely surprised if Starling is too. With that in mind, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that both Moore and Lewis could start in the backcourt two seasons from now.
But don’t think for a second that that’s a lock. There are three things in particular that could impede Adrian Autry’s path to securing Lewis’ services, and those three things are name, image, and likeness. It should not come as a surprise if a high-rising athlete like Lewis demands NIL money, and it’s been well-documented how much work Syracuse has to do on that front. However, if Autry, John Wildhack, and all parties involved resolve those issues, Central New York might be tough for Lewis to turn down. Especially if Freeman is inked too.
Even if Syracuse strikes out on Lewis, it’s a very good thing that it is tossing its name into the race. And since the Orange already have a pledge for the class, you would think that’s bound to attract a few more. Lewis’ future stock has been rising, and so has Syracuse’s. Moore, Freeman, and Lewis sound like an excellent trio for 2024, and Autry’s vision has put SU in position to potentially make that a reality.
