Basketball recruiting

Class of 2018 4-star forward Darius Bazley commits to Syracuse

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SU head coach Jim Boeheim picked up his first 2018 commitment Monday afternoon, securing No. 32 recruit Darius Bazley.

Four-star forward Darius Bazley has committed to Syracuse, according to multiple reports. The Class of 2018 recruit selected the Orange over Florida, Georgetown and Louisville, among others.

The news comes three days after SU lost out on Cole Swider, a four-star that committed to Villanova. Bazley, the No. 32 recruit in ESPN.com’s 2018 rankings, comes in 16 spots ahead of Swider.

The 6-foot-8, 195-pound forward from Princeton (Ohio) High School decommitted from Ohio State in late April. The No. 1 recruit out of Ohio told the Columbus Dispatch he didn’t feel OSU would give him a clear path to the NBA. Syracuse currently holds the third-longest streak of first-round selections in the NBA Draft (six), trailing Kentucky and Duke.

If no Syracuse players get injured, transfer or leave for the NBA Draft, Bazley will join Matthew Moyer, Oshae Brissett and Marek Dolezaj as the team’s forwards in 2018.

Bazley is SU’s first commitment in head coach Jim Boeheim’s 2018 class. He is also the Orange’s first top 100 recruit since 2016.







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