Syracuse Basketball Recruiting: Orange's Top Targets in '14 Early Signing Period

The Syracuse basketball season is just around the corner. Orange Madness is Friday night, and it will be the first opportunity for fans and media alike to get a look at the new members of the Syracuse squad.

The early signing period for high school athletes is fast approaching, so you can bet Jim Boeheim and his staff are hard at work on the recruiting trail. Are there any players Boeheim could lock up next month? Let's explore it a little deeper.

Boeheim already has four commits for his 2015 class, so there isn't much work left to do on that front. As of now, the Orange don't have any more available scholarships to offer for next year, so signing another player could be tricky. But things happen that cause scholarships to become available. Some players transfer, and others move on early to the NBA.

Either way, Boeheim is excited about next year's incoming freshmen. He had this to say about his 2015 bunch at a recent speaking engagement:

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I will tell you that next year's recruiting class will be the best that we've ever had here at Syracuse University. That's next year's class — 2015. We've got four guys (who've committed) and we're getting another, but I can't talk about that. It's going to be a great recruiting class, and I think you'll be excited about the future.

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So, Boeheim thinks he will be adding another player to next year's class. The most likely candidate is Thomas Bryant, a 6'10" center out of Rochester. ZagsBlog.com reported that Bryant has visited Syracuse but doesn't plan on making a decision until the spring. 

With that in mind, don't expect to see Bryant sign the dotted line this November. Since it's unlikely Syracuse will target anyone else in 2015, that moves the focus to 2016.

Tyus Battle, a 6'6" guard out of New Jersey, recently visited Syracuse. According to Donna Ditota of Syracuse.com, Battle's dad said the visit went "as well as it can go."

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

However, Battle is the 14th-ranked player in the class, according to ESPN.com, and schools such as Kentucky, Duke, Arizona and Florida are all in the mix. So it's unlikely he will make a decision anytime soon.

But there is one player Boeheim may be able to coax a commitment out of in the next month or two. He is Sedee Keita (no relation to Baye), a 6'9" forward from South Carolina. 

Keita is a 4-star prospect, according to 247Sports. Mike Waters of Syracuse.com recently wrote a feature on Keita. Waters talked to Keita's AAU coach, Terrell Myers, who said Keita has grown three inches a year each of the last three years.

"He's gone from being a guard to a 6'9" forward," Myers told Waters. "If Keita has the ball-handling skills of a guard with forward size, he could be tough for other forwards to check." 

So far, the recruiting powerhouses haven't gotten on Keita. Per Waters, schools such as Iowa State, Connecticut, Memphis and VCU are interested in Keita. If Syracuse can coax a commit out of Keita before the Dukes and Kentuckys of the world catch wind of him, it would be a major coup for Boeheim.

But even Keita's decision seems far off. Waters said Keita is deciding on a new prep school and then will focus on his college choice.

From the looks of things, Syracuse might end up being quiet during the early signing period. But who knows? Boeheim may surprise us all again. Either way, the college hoops season can't get here soon enough.