The connections between Syracuse basketball and the DMV have been strong for a few years now, and Adrian Autry is trying to solidify them further. With a top 10 class early in the 2024 cycle and plenty of offers already pouring in for 2025, SU has thrown its hat into the 2026 ring.
Syracuse has offered Anthony Brown, a 6’1 point guard from Fairfax, Virginia. Brown is a member of the Team Takeover program based in the DMV and formerly coached by new Syracuse assistant Brendan Straughn before he became an assistant at George Washington.
Team Takeover is the same program that has produced Donnie Freeman, Syracuse’s top recruit in the class of 2024. Freeman will play his senior year of high school at IMG Academy and the power forward is a top 50 player in the nation.
He combined with New York City native Elijah Moore are two top 100 four star players. They’re SU’s only commits in this recruiting cycle. The Orange are trying to add to what is already an outstanding 2024 group, with 247Sports ranking them as the 10th best class in the country.
Even in today’s NIL era, connections are still incredibly important when it comes to recruiting, and Syracuse has plenty in the DMV. As an assistant, Autry earned a reputation as a good recruiter, especially in that part of the country.
He was the lead man in the chase for both Benny Williams and Judah Mintz. Williams was a borderline five star prospect while Mintz was a consensus four star. They were both top 40 players in their respective classes and are both from Maryland.
They’re two of the most highly touted recruits Syracuse has gotten in the last decade, and they arrived at SU thanks in large part to Autry and his relationships. That strategy has only gotten more defined with the hiring of Straughn to fill the spot on the coaching staff vacated by Jim Boeheim’s retirement and the promotion of his three former assistants.
It’s already shown signs of success, which is obviously the end result, but the fact that there is a strategy is already encouraging. At the height of Syracuse basketball during the Boeheim era, the hall of famer knew where he was going to find his best players: New York City.
