Right now Syracuse basketball only has two recruits coming in for the class of 2016 (a number which could obviously change), but while both were passed over for the McDonald’s All-America game, each was selected as their respective state’s Gatorade Player of the Year. Tyus Battle won the POTY for New Jersey, while Moyer won the Connecticut POTY award.
Battle, just in case you aren’t familiar, is a 6-foot-6 swing player who will almost certainly be handling some of the point guard duties next year, as well. Basically, he’s the guy who will be expected to step in and replace much of Michael Gbinije’s production. This year, he averaged 19.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 2.7 steals per game while leading his St. Joseph squad to a Public A championship.
Battle is an explosive playmaker who, while he still needs to get more consistent on his jumper, can fill it up in a hurry. He’s a prototypical NBA shooting guard who just happens to be in line for some floor general responsibilities for Syracuse. He’s extremely athletic, with leaping ability and quickness to spare. Right now, I’d wager that Kid Mamba will be a one-and-done player for Syracuse next year. He’s that talented.
Moyer, who I’m sure you’re also very familiar with, is a 6-foot-8 combination forward who is probably best suited, in the long run, for small forward but who rebounds well enough to help out at power forward for the Orange. Moyer, who is originally from Columbus, Ohio, spent his senior season at South Kent, playing in the NEPSAC – widely argued to be the best prep league in America.
Moyer averaged 16.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game and took South Kent to the NEPSAC semifinals, and averaged 21.5 points during the team’s playoff run. Moyer is also about as well-rounded an individual as you’ll find in the entire 2016 recruiting class. He’s a concert violinist who also boasts a 3.61 GPA, and he’s a member of the National Honor Society. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: he’s your mom’s future favorite player.
From a basketball standpoint, I didn’t get a chance to watch Moyer during his senior season, but from watching him his junior year I said he reminded me very much of a more athletic version of Ryan Blackwell. As he expands his game to become a better perimeter player, he could become a dynamic inside-outside player for the Orange.
[…] has decided, at long last, to commit to Jim Boeheim and the Orange. The top 100 power forward joins Tyus Battle and Matthew Moyer in Syracuse’s recruiting class, and brings the number of scholarship […]
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