Kaleb Joseph Commits to Syracuse

by James Finneral

On his visit to Syracuse University this weekend 6'3" point guard Kaleb Joseph verbally committed to Syracuse University. Joseph is currently attending Cushing Academy where they won the NEPSAC AA Championship. Before hand Joseph only had Providence, West Virginia, and Syracuse on his list of choices. Out of those choices the Syracuse program has been more successful over the years especially with head coach, Jim Boeheim still commanding the Orange. Syracuse has a pretty bright future ahead this is already their second commitment for the class of 2014. Along with Joseph they also have 6'10" big man Chris McCullough who is currently ranked 7th in the nation. This one two punch combination gives the Orange the #4 recruiting class for this year. Kaleb Joseph is ranked 51st overall in the nation for his class. He is a great addition to the Orange team because of his physicality and athleticism at the point guard position. Joseph is developing each and every month. If he can get his body ready for the college level over this next year, he will be a force for the Orange. Syracuse was able to steal an amazing prospect this week who has potential to even go to the NBA.

Kaleb Joseph, Cushing Academy Point Guard, and Syracuse Commit

The Potential of Michael Carter-Williams

        by James Finneral

     

 After four very successful seasons at Hamilton Wenham Regonal High School and St Andrews School, Michael Carter-Williams "MCW" committed to play basketball at Syracuse University. In his high school years he averaged over 20 points per game and went from being a shrimp at 5'9", to the towering 6'5" point guard he is today. The Orange were expecting a great young talent as Carter-Williams was a McDonalds All American and the 21st ranked recruit in the nation. It was obvious that MCW's heart was set on Syracuse as he committed to the school in his sophomore year over other nice programs such as Providence, Temple, and Virginia Tech. In his freshman year at Cuse he had the luxury of learning from their great backcourt consisting of Scoop Jardine and the fourth overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, Dion Waiters. The team went to the elite eight and the learning experience was exactly what Michael Carter-Williams needed.

      Anyone who is a college basketball fan heard about the success of Michael Carter-Williams in his sophomore season. He averaged 12 points per game as well as 7.7 assists per game (third in the nation). He was the heart and soul of the Syracuse team leading them to the Final Four, when most thought they would be upset early. Carter-Williams was named to the Big East second team. NBA took notice and his draft stock rose drastically.

        In most projection MCW was the second ranked point guard behind Trey Burke, who bested him the the Final Four. Most teams believe he has the potential to be a special NBA player with his 6'5" height giving him an advantage over any point guard he faces, and his tremendous length and athleticism. He was drafted 11th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers, where they have huge expectations for him to fill the shoes of Jrue Holliday, who was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans.

      Carter-Williams shined in his NBA summer league debut 8 assists and 7 rebounds. Multiple coaches who witnessed the game stated "That kid from Syracuse has a very bright future". This young man has a very bright future due to his skill set and his willingness to learn from his mistakes. The 76ers have a young team that could turn into one of the elite clubs in the NBA.  

Michael Carter-Williams in NBA Summer League Action!