Syracuse women’s basketball: The status of the 2021 recruiting class

With the 2020-21 season officially over, it is time to turn our attention to next year’s Syracuse Orange women’s basketball roster.

As of March 29, the Orange are set to be without Tiana Mangakahia (WNBA), and Kiara Lewis, Amaya Finklea-Guity, Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi, Digna Strautmane, Emily Engstler, Taleah Washington, Faith Blackstone, and Lauren Fitzmaurice (did not participate in 2020-21 season) (transfers).

To address these roster spots, Syracuse has started by signing guard Shalexxus Aaron from the University of Southern California. Aaron is a redshirt junior and has two years of college eligibility left.

Coach Quentin Hillsman will also look to fill holes in his roster with the incoming freshman class which includes five players and is ranked 11th in the country by ESPN. The five verbal commits are Latasha Lattimore, Shayeann Day-Wilson, Amani Bartlett, Nyah Wilson, and Julianna Walker.

Latasha Lattimore

Position: Forward

Height: 6’4”

Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

High School: Crestwood Secondary High School

Bio: Lattimore, a four-star recruit, is ranked No. 38 nationally and No. 6 in her position by ESPN. CROWN Scout ranks Lattimore at No. 3 overall and No. 1 at the forward position. Lattimore is high school teammates with fellow Orange recruit Shayeann Day-Wilson. Lattimore and Day-Wilson led Crestwood to back-to-back OSBA Championships. Lattimore averaged 17.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game last season.

ESPN Evaluation: “Athletic front court performer brings superior length, wingspan, defensive presence in the paint; rebounds and initiates the fast break, runs the floor like a guard and finishes the play in traffic; soft touch in the paint, plays near the rim; continues with a dominant interior game; a difference maker on both ends of the floor.” (Dan Olson, ESPN Recruiting Expert)

How’d she get here?: California, UCLA, Florida, Notre Dame, Kentucky, Michigan, Baylor, and Tennessee offered before she chose ‘Cuse.

Shayeann Day-Wilson

Position: Point Guard

Height: 5’5”

Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

High School: Crestwood Secondary High School

Bio: Day-Wilson, a four-star recruit, is ranked No. 41 nationally and No. 9 in her position by ESPN. CROWN Scout ranks Day-Wilson at No. 1 overall and No. 1 at the point guard position. Day-Wilson and Latasha Lattimore led Crestwood to back-to-back OSBA Championships. Day-Wilson averaged 13.2 points, 5.1 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per game last season. She contributed 14.4 points, 8.7 assists, and 4.9 rebounds in the playoffs, including 18 points, eight assists, and six rebounds in the Championship game.

ESPN Evaluation: “Athletic floor-leader with a scorer’s mentality in the back court; a penetrator, collapses the defense and distributes with flair; elusive floor game, 1 on 1 creator with offensive game beyond the arc; best in uptempo; a disruptor, gambler on defense.” (Dan Olson, ESPN Recruiting Expert)

How’d she get here?: Florida, Notre Dame, and Michigan offered before she chose ‘Cuse.

Amani Bartlett

Position: Forward

Height: 6’3”

Hometown: Houston, Texas

High School: Houston Christian High School

Bio: Bartlett, a four-star recruit, is ranked No. 51 nationally and No. 12 in her position by ESPN. Her accolades include SPC Most Valuable Player, VYPE Private School Player of the Year, All SPC First Team, and All SPC South Team.

How’d she get here?: Florida State, Houston, LSU, Oklahoma, SMU, Tennessee, and Texas A&M offered before she chose ‘Cuse.

Nyah Wilson

Position: Guard

Height: 5’8”

Hometown: Duncanville, Texas

High School: Duncanville High School

Bio: Wilson, a four-star recruit, is ranked No. 99 nationally and No. 42 in her position by ESPN. She averaged 10.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.8 steals per game and helped lead Duncanville to a Class 6A State Championship.

ESPN Evaluation: “Athletic guard with smooth mid-range game; quick off the dribble, rises over the defense and delivers; 3-point opportunist; explosive in transition, attacks the rim; aggressive on-ball defender, anticipates, pressures the defense, makes plays through turnovers.” (Dan Olson, ESPN Recruiting Expert)

Julianna Walker

Position: Point Guard

Height: 5’6”

Hometown: Tacoma, Washington

High School: Annie Wright High School

Bio: Walker was ranked in the top-25 of most impactful players in the state of Washington. She averaged 34.3 points, 7.1 assists, and 7.4 steals per game and amassed over 2,500 points in her high school career.

Fun Fact: Walker chose Syracuse because she hopes to be an ESPN anchor one day.

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Who do you think will be the next freshman standout for Syracuse? Do we have another ACC Freshman of the Year in this class? Let us know in the comments!