Reviewing Syracuse's Past Recruiting Classes

With today being National Letter of Intent day, it was a good time to look back at Syracuse’s past recruiting classes and how they’ve panned out:

2012 — The Orange got a pair of four star recruits in Jerami Grant and DaJuan Coleman.  Considering the season is one game old, it’s going to be hard to grade this year.

2011 — This is an important class for Syracuse. They picked up four star Michael Carter-Williams and Rakeem Christmas.  Both are players who will be counted on for the Orange’s success this season. Christmas was modestly disappointing last season while Carter-Williams played sparingly.  If the athletic guard can find his jump shoot and speed then the Orange will go far.  Three star Trevor Cooney was also added.  His three point shooting will be important.

2010 — Four players joined the school this year.  The jewel was Fab Melo who was five stars in the eyes of Rivals.com.  Melo ended his career on a disappointing note being suspended for academic issues leaving his team high and dry when they needed him in March.  It turned out that four star Dion Waiters was the best piece.  Waiters made his impact in two seasons in New York.  He was then picked up by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Draft.  C.J. Fair and Baye Moussa Keita were also inked.  Both are valuable pieces and will be counted on to continue helping out this year.

2009 — This was a disappointing year outside of the addition of Brandon Triche.  His leadership has been a steadying effect on Syracuse and is arguably better then the three star rating he got from many recruiting services.  James Southerland and DaShonte Riley were added, but Riley made no impact and eventually transferred to Eastern Michigan.  Southerland has been the team’s sharpshooter and is good for offense in spurts.

2008 — Kris Joseph came to Syracuse in this class.  Joseph was rated three stars by Rivals, but his impact has been bigger then that.  Joseph was the best player on the team in his four seasons there.  Mookie Jones joined him and was four stars.  He came nowhere near to this potential.

We’d go back even farther, but it starts to get ugly from there.  Names such as Dayshawn Wright, Josh Wright, Devin Brennan-McBride and Kristof Ongenaet litter the remains.  The sky is the limit for the school if they continue to pick up these big names.