Syracuse Basketball’s 2015 Recruiting Class Is Best Since 2002

This fall Syracuse will bring in their best recruiting class since Carmelo Anthony and Gerry McNamara moved to the snowiest city in the United States back in 2002. McNamara and Anthony would play major roles for Syracuse on the way to the 2003 National Championship; joining those freshmen were Billy Edelin and Matt Gorman. Now Syracuse will bring in the school’s best recruiting class since 2002 and could vie for best recruiting class of all time.

Despite all of the turmoil going on in the Syracuse program, all four commits in the 2015 class have pledged their allegiance to Syracuse and will fulfill their scholarships beginning this fall. The class includes Malachi Richardson, Tyler Lydon, Frank Howard and Moustapha Diagne, all ESPN 100 recruits.

Malachi Richardson:

Richardson is a lengthy, long-range shooter who can handle the basketball. Richardson possesses a picture perfect shooting stroke and connects at a high clip. Look for him to back up senior guard Trevor Cooney at the off-guard position. Richardson should make an immediate impact and has the potential to be a good defender at the top of the 2-3 zone.

Tyler Lydon:

Lydon is a prototypical Syracuse forward with great length and athleticism. Standing at 6-foot-8, he will earn minutes at the forward spot for Jim Boeheim next season. Lydon can take opponents off the dribble but shooting is his forte. Every time Lydon jumps it looks as though he will jump out of the gym; this allows him to rebound the ball effectively on both the offensive and defensive ends.

Frank Howard:

Organically, Howard is a shooting-guard, but the Syracuse coaching staff has recruited him as a point-guard. The combo-guard figures to earn some time at the point this season. Howard is underrated in his class as he missed his junior season with a torn ACL. He’s excellent in the open floor and will add another tall defender atop the 2-3 zone. Perhaps his best attribute is his passing ability. Howard prefers to take it off the bounce where he can finish around the rim or shoot the mid-range floater. He can also knock down the long ball.

Moustapha Diagne:

Diagne is a more polished big man than what Syracuse is used to getting. People will compare him with Baye Keita, but the two have different games. Diagne is more versatile and offensively adept than Keita was in his freshman season, but both bring high energy to the game. Diagne could play either the forward or center spot in the zone, but he will likely find more minutes in the middle. Look for Diagne to rebound the ball and bring energy to the game.