Syracuse’s Midnight Madness extravaganza Friday night was much different than previous ones, and there‚Äôs a solid chance it will pay recruiting dividends for the Orange down the road. The Fizz caught up with several recruits on hand for the festivities.
Surely, both fans and participants had a blast. The legends game was a once-in-a-lifetime type of event, Melo brought his superstardom back to the Salt City, and the the Three Amigos made their Carrier Dome-playing debut.
But this was less about the past or the present, and more about the future. The most important people in the building were by far the recruits. As long as the bright lights, the famous alumni, and the lipsyncing of rapper Meek Mill endeared Syracuse to them, that’s all that matters.
Here’s a roundup of how their evenings went, and how each of them are feeling about SU:
Nerlens Noel – 6’10’’, 205 lbs, Center
School: Tilton School (Tilton, NH)
Hometown: Everett, MA
Class: 2013
On the Carrier Dome atmosphere: “It’s real crazy, it’s just a great experience coming out here. It’s just a great environment. The fans are into it, and that’s just something to look forward to if you want to play at a school like this, and I really enjoyed the night.”
On what makes the Orange stand out: “They just got a great coaching staff, they’re honest, upfront, and they just keep it real. I love the fans, they’ve got a great environment here, and great tradition. You see all the alumni come back playing in the [legends] game, and it’s just a great experience to come out here.”
On the timetable for his decision: “I’m just slowly narrowing down some schools. But it’s more of a wide open thing, just talking to some schools, getting a good feel for them.”
The top center in his class still appears to be in the early stages of the recruiting process, but it’s a fantastic sign that he chose to attend Syracuse’s Midnight Madness over a number of other options. He can pretty much take his pick of Final Four contenders, he has offers from elite programs like Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and UConn as well.
Goodluck Okonoboh – 6’9’’, 215 lbs, Center
School: Tilton School (Tilton, NH)
Hometown: Boston, MA
Class: 2013
On what he took from the visit: “I talked to Carmelo, Hakim Warrick, Donte Greene, and they all say ‘Cuse is the place to be. I’m still keeping my options open but I like the ‘Cuse a lot.”
On how much he has narrowed down his school choices: “I’m not breaking it down by list yet, but over the summer I should come out with a definite at least top 15, top 10.”
On his conversations with the coaches: “I talked to Coach Boeheim. He’s just a real nice guy, telling me that we could fit into Syracuse’s defense and offense very well.”
The uniquely-named big man recruit has a much lower profile than his high school teammate, Noel. But that doesn’t mean he’s not highly sought after – he says he has so many scholarship offers that he can’t even count them. Goodluck holds an SU offer, and like Noel, has a long way to go before he picks a school. It will be interesting to see if Okonoboh wants to attend the same college as his Tilton School pal, or if he would rather emerge from Noel’s shadow and choose a different program.
Tyler Ennis – 6’2’’, 180 lbs, Point Guard
School: St. Benedict’s Prep
Hometown: Brampton, ON, Canada
Class: 2013
On what he learned from spending time with the team all day: “It just shows how college is and how serious that you practice, and how much of a family it is.”
On what he specifically likes about SU: “It’s close to home. I like how they have a family atmosphere. Even when you graduate, you’re still a part of the Syracuse family.”
If he chooses the Orange, Ennis would join Kris Joseph and Andy Rautins as recent Canadians for SU. He’s a pass-first player and a steadying influence on offense. None of the major recruiting services even list Syracuse as a possibility for Ennis, so it was a surprise that he attended Midnight Madness.
When asked if the Orange has offered him a scholarship, Ennis said that he had no idea. He claimed that his father handles that aspect of the recruiting process. That’s hard to believe, but it’s still unknown if he holds a ‘Cuse offer. Judging by the fact that Ennis chose to spend last Friday night in Syracuse, and not somewhere else, it stands to reason that Boeheim has extended him an offer. He would be an impressive get – he’s a consensus top ten point guard in his class.
Isaiah Briscoe – 6’1’’, 185 lbs, Point Guard
School: St. Benedict’s Prep
Hometown: Union, NJ
Class: 2015
On whether Ennis’s eventual decision will impact his: “It doesn’t really influence my decision, but we talk about colleges and stuff. He tells me what’s good and what’s not good and what are point guard schools and what aren’t point guard schools.”
On what it felt like being around the Syracuse program: “My sister goes here, so I know a lot of [the players]. It feels good, I feel welcome, like family.”
On if he spends a lot of time in Syracuse because of sister: “Every time I get a break I’m up here working out, having fun.”
Briscoe has two interesting family connections. As he mentioned, his sister, Iasia Hemingway, attends Syracuse and plays on the women’s basketball team. The young point guard also happens to be the second cousin of Kyrie Irving, the number one overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.
He says that Ennis, his high school teammate, is “like a brother” to him. Briscoe has the potential to be an even better prospect that Ennis. He’s an explosive player, and tells The Fizz that his doctor said he’ll grow to 6’5’’. A similarly tall point guard, Michael Carter-Williams, is a Syracuse freshman. Amazing to think this far in advance, but the Orange has the inside track to land MCW’s replacement.
There‚Äôs a glaring piece missing here ‚Äì the presence of anyone from the ’12 recruiting class besides already committed Jerami Grant. Dajuan Coleman¬†chose to experience Kentucky‚Äôs Midnight Madness instead of SU‚Äôs, and Amile Jefferson went with UConn‚Äôs.
If the Orange can’t land either Jefferson or Coleman, then Grant might very well be the only incoming freshman in this class. Syracuse will have plenty of scholarship players next year regardless, but a one-man recruiting class would be disappointing.
Based on how things went at Midnight Madness, even if Boeheim pulls in a subpar class this year, big things should be expected in ’13. Some of the nation‚Äôs top recruits were wowed by the star power of Melo, the sounds of Meek Mill, and the excitement of Friday night‚Äôs festivities in the Carrier Dome.
Posted: Andrew Kanell
248 responses to “Talent Haul: Syracuse’s Midnight Madness Attracts Several Elite Recruits”
Good day! I know this is kind of off topic but I was wondering which blog platform are you using for this site? I’m getting sick and tired of WordPress because I’ve had issues with hackers and I’m looking at options for another platform. I would be awesome if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.
Greetings! Quick question that’s completely off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? My weblog looks weird when browsing from my iphone. I’m trying to find a theme or plugin that might be able to fix this issue. If you have any recommendations, please share. Appreciate it!
Wow, marvelous weblog structure! How lengthy have you been running a blog for? you make running a blog look easy. The full look of your website is great, as neatly as the content material!
Hello there! Quick question that’s completely off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? My website looks weird when browsing from my iphone4. I’m trying to find a template or plugin that might be able to fix this problem. If you have any recommendations, please share. Many thanks!
I was curious if you ever thought of changing the layout of your site? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having 1 or two pictures. Maybe you could space it out better?
Greetings! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a team of volunteers and starting a new initiative in a community in the same niche. Your blog provided us beneficial information to work on. You have done a outstanding job!
Heya! I’m at work browsing your blog from my new iphone 4! Just wanted to say I love reading your blog and look forward to all your posts! Carry on the fantastic work!
Dude. You mind if I link to this post from my own web site? This is just too awesome.
Howdy! Would you mind if I share your blog with my myspace group? There’s a lot of people that I think would really enjoy your content. Please let me know. Thank you
I was studying some of your content on this site and I conceive this site is very informative! Continue putting up. If you have more time, please visit my site: http://saobang.vn/rao-vat-d2014100408042628/dich-vu/chon-ao-cuoi-phu-hop-voi-voc-dang-moi-nguoi.html
Thanks on your marvelous posting! I genuinely enjoyed reading it, you are a great author.I will ensure that I bookmark your blog and may come back in the future. I want to encourage that you continue your great job, have a nice weekend!
Hello would you mind letting me know which webhost you’re utilizing? I’ve loaded your blog in 3 completely different web browsers and I must say this blog loads a lot faster then most. Can you suggest a good web hosting provider at a reasonable price? Kudos, I appreciate it!
Hello, Neat post. There’s a problem with your website in internet explorer, might test this‚Ķ IE still is the market leader and a good element of other folks will omit your excellent writing due to this problem.
Hey! Would you mind if I share your blog with my facebook group? There’s a lot of people that I think would really appreciate your content. Please let me know. Thanks
Hello this is kinda of off topic but I was wondering if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML. I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding skills so I wanted to get guidance from someone with experience. Any help would be enormously appreciated!
We absolutely love your blog and find nearly all of your post’s to be what precisely I’m looking for. can you offer guest writers to write content in your case? I wouldn’t mind writing a post or elaborating on a lot of the subjects you write regarding here. Again, awesome weblog!
I was curious if you ever considered changing the layout of your site? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having 1 or 2 images. Maybe you could space it out better?
Currently it seems like Drupal is the top blogging platform available right now. (from what I’ve read) Is that what you’re using on your blog?
Excellent blog! Do you have any hints for aspiring writers? I’m hoping to start my own website soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you suggest starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I’m completely overwhelmed .. Any recommendations? Thanks a lot!
If you are interested in envision a alter in distinct llife, starting up typically the Los angeles Surgical procedures fat reduction method can be a large movement to be able to accomplishing which normally concept. shed belly fat
Hi there! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a group of volunteers and starting a new project in a community in the same niche. Your blog provided us valuable information to work on. You have done a extraordinary job!
Please let me know if you’re looking for a article writer for your site. You have some really good articles and I think I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d really like to write some material for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine. Please send me an email if interested. Many thanks!
Pendant la période récente, les enfants de tous les groupes d’âge vont online et sont désireux d’interagir avec de nouveaux amis. Mais, en effet, l’Internet est un endroit dangereux. Meme s’il est la plaque tournante de l’information moderne et peut enrichir les connaissances de votre enfant, il peut également servir comme une plate-forme pour lui présenter aux harceleurs, aux kidnappeurs ou r des personnes avec des fins malveillantes. En utilisant l’outil de pirater un compte facebook facile r utiliser, vous serez en mesure de se connecter r leur profil et de lire le contenu stocké r l’intérieur. Vous pouvez converser avec des gens qui vous semblent suspectes dans la liste de leurs amis, et vérifier si ces personnes sont authentiques ou d’essaient de faire des choses nuisibles r vos proches. Vous pouvez faire tout cela r l’insu de vos enfants adolescents qui assurent qu’ils ne se sentent pas mal r propos de vous, pour violer leur vie privée.
Hi there! I’m at work browsing your blog from my new iphone! Just wanted to say I love reading your blog and look forward to all your posts! Keep up the superb work!
Hey! Do you know if they make any plugins to protect against hackers? I’m kinda paranoid about losing everything I’ve worked hard on. Any tips?
When I initially commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get three emails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove me from that service? Cheers!
First off I would like to say superb blog! I had a quick question which I’d like to ask if you don’t mind. I was curious to know how you center yourself and clear your mind before writing. I’ve had a tough time clearing my mind in getting my ideas out. I truly do enjoy writing but it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are generally lost simply just trying to figure out how to begin. Any recommendations or hints? Many thanks!
I like what you guys are usually up too. This sort of clever work and reporting! Keep up the good works guys I’ve incorporated you guys to our blogroll.
Hey! Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that would be ok. I’m undoubtedly enjoying your blog and look forward to new posts.
hello!,I really like your writing very a lot! proportion we keep up
a correspondence extra approximately your post on AOL?
I require a specialist in this space to solve my problem. Maybe that’s you!
Taking a look ahead to look you.
I’ve been surfing online more than three hours these days, yet I never found any fascinating article like yours. It’s pretty price sufficient for me. In my opinion, if all site owners and bloggers made just right content as you probably did, the internet will be much more useful than ever before. “I think that maybe if women and children were in charge we would get somewhere.” by James Grover Thurber.
There is certainly a great deal to find out about this issue.
I really like all of the points you’ve made.
Hey there! This is kind of off topic but I need some guidance from an established blog. Is it very difficult to set up your own blog? I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty quick. I’m thinking about creating my own but I’m not sure where to begin. Do you have any tips or suggestions? Appreciate it
Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you relied on the video to make your point. You obviously know what youre talking about, why waste your intelligence on just posting videos to your site when you could be giving us something enlightening to read?
My partner and I stumbled over here different page and thought I might check things out. I like what I see so now i’m following you. Look forward to exploring your web page repeatedly.
This web site really has all the information I needed about this
subject and didn’t know who to ask.
Hey there just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The words in your post seem to be running off the screen in Chrome. I’m not sure if this is a formatting issue or something to do with browser compatibility but I figured I’d post to let you know. The layout look great though! Hope you get the issue fixed soon. Many thanks
As I website possessor I conceive the written content here is rattling wonderful, thanks for your efforts.
Hi there would you mind sharing which blog platform you’re working with? I’m going to start my own blog in the near future but I’m having a tough time choosing between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal. The reason I ask is because your design seems different then most blogs and I’m looking for something completely unique. P.S Sorry for getting off-topic but I had to ask!
First off I would like to say superb blog! I had a quick question that I’d like to ask if you don’t mind. I was curious to find out how you center yourself and clear your head prior to writing. I’ve had trouble clearing my mind in getting my thoughts out there. I truly do enjoy writing but it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are wasted simply just trying to figure out how to begin. Any recommendations or hints? Thank you!
Howdy! Someone in my Facebook group shared this website with us so I came to look it over. I’m definitely loving the information. I’m bookmarking and will be tweeting this to my followers! Terrific blog and wonderful design.
Nice post. I was checking constantly this blog and
I’m impressed! Extremely useful info specially the last
part 🙂 I care for such info a lot. I was looking for this
certain info for a long time. Thank you and good luck.
I really appreciate this post. I have been looking all over for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You have made my day! Thank you again!
I am curious to find out what blog platform you happen to be utilizing? I’m experiencing some small security problems with my latest blog and I would like to find something more safe. Do you have any recommendations?
For latest news you have to visit world-wide-web
and on world-wide-web I found this web site as a most excellent site for most recent updates.
Hi there! This is my 1st comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and say I genuinely enjoy reading your blog posts. Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums that deal with the same subjects? Many thanks!
I’m curious to find out what blog platform you’re working with? I’m having some minor security issues with my latest site and I would like to find something more risk-free. Do you have any solutions?
Sweet blog! I found it while surfing around on Yahoo News. Do you have any tips on how to get listed in Yahoo News? I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Thank you
I was wondering if you ever considered changing the page layout of your site? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having 1 or 2 images. Maybe you could space it out better?
Hello! This post couldn’t be written any better! Reading this post reminds me of my previous room mate! He always kept chatting about this. I will forward this write-up to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read. Thank you for sharing!