Syracuse landed a five-star recruit when Moussa Kamissoko committed to Gerry McNamara and the Orange last week.

But one evaluator believes Syracuse may have landed something even bigger.

Brian Reichert of MADE Hoops described Kamissoko as a “potential program changer,” a striking assessment of the 6-foot-7 wing from the Bronx. And another evaluation of Syracuse’s newest commitment helps explain why his arrival could mean so much to McNamara’s rebuild.

This isn’t only about basketball talent.

It’s about New York.

“I think Moussa is a guy who wears NY on his sleeve, so going to Syracuse means something to him,” MADE Hoops analyst Trent Watson told Inside the Loud House. Watson also said “the sky is the ceiling” for Kamissoko because of how much room he still has to develop.

For McNamara, that’s exactly the point.

Since taking over at Syracuse, G-Mac has seemingly made it a priority to reestablish the Orange throughout the territory where the program once built its identity.

Syracuse is returning to Madison Square Garden this season to play St. John’s. The Orange will also play UConn at Mohegan Sun, Providence at TD Garden and Rutgers at Barclays Center.

The geography isn’t an accident.

For decades, Syracuse’s basketball identity stretched far beyond Central New York. New York City and the old Big East footprint were fertile recruiting territory. Madison Square Garden felt like a second home. Some of the most important players in program history came from New York City.

McNamara has spent his first offseason trying to reconnect those dots.

And now he’s landed a five-star prospect from the Bronx who, according to an evaluator who knows his game, “wears NY on his sleeve.”

That’s what makes Kamissoko potentially different from simply adding another highly ranked name to a recruiting class.

His basketball credentials are significant on their own.

Kamissoko averaged 16.6 points and 9.4 rebounds on the EYBL circuit with the PSA Cardinals this summer. At Adidas ABCD Camp, he put together a 20-point, seven-rebound, four-assist performance that caught the attention of NBA.com’s scouting coverage.

PSA Cardinals coach Donovan Jones has praised Kamissoko’s competitive edge, toughness and versatility, while SPIRE Academy coach Kevin Boyle Jr. described him as a major transition threat who can defend multiple positions and continue developing as a shooter.

That’s the player Syracuse is getting.

But the larger significance may be where Syracuse got him from.

McNamara doesn’t need Syracuse to recreate the old Big East. That world doesn’t exist anymore. But he can try to restore what made Syracuse so powerful during that era: a program in Central New York with enormous relevance downstate, particularly in New York City.

One five-star commitment doesn’t rebuild a pipeline by itself. McNamara still has to stack recruiting classes and, most importantly, win games.

But Kamissoko is evidence that this isn’t merely nostalgia or marketing.

When an evaluator calls Syracuse’s newest five-star a “potential program changer,” that’s exciting enough.

When another says the Bronx native “wears NY on his sleeve” and that choosing Syracuse means something to him?

That might be even more important.

Gerry McNamara wants Syracuse to matter in New York City again. Landing Moussa Kamissoko suggests New York City may be starting to notice.