Syracuse Orange assistant coach Mike Hopkins was on the recruiting trail on Wednesday where he offered a few prospects in the 2018 class.
After watching class of 2018 four-star forward Cole Swider go off for 33 points, Mike Hopkins called him and officially offered a scholarship.
“We actually didn’t get a chance to talk after the game because he had to catch a flight,” Swider told TNIAAM. “He just talked about how I fit in perfectly with their system and how he loves my game. He mentioned my toughness, too.”
Swider, a 6-foot-7 forward, attends St. Andrews School in Rhode Island, right outside of Providence. 247Sports ranks Swider as a four-star recruit and the 23rd-best small forward in his class, while Scout has him as a three-star prospect.
He wouldn’t go into details about which schools stuck out his recruitment, but he did confirm he has high interest in Syracuse. SU was his 17th D-I scholarship offer. Swider attended Syracuse’s Elite camp back in August.
The other prospect that received an offer on Wednesday was A.J. Reeves of Chestnut Hills, Massachusetts.
Reeves, a 6-foot-6 guard/forward, attends Brimmer and May School in Massachusetts. Mike Hopkins formally offered A.J. a scholarship on Wednesday night.
He’s a very good shooter from behind-the-arc, and has very explosive athleticism. After watching some of his film, I can understand why Syracuse extended the offer. He’s the prototypical SU recruit — long, athletic, has great bounce, gets out in transition and plays hard on both ends of the floor. He’s an underrated passer from what I can see, but is more of a scorer.
With the proper work on his handle, A.J. could become a combo-guard down the line — but it’s unknown if Syracuse views him that way.
For the class of 2018, Syracuse has offers out to: Jahvon Quinerly, Brandon Slater, Reeves, Robby Carmody, Cam Reddish, Louis King, Hameir Wright, Khalid Moore, Swider, Simi Shittu, Jalen Smith, Naz Reid and Nate Roberts.
SU has also offered Eric Ayala, who is undecided on whether or not he’ll stay in the 2018 class, or reclassify to 2017.