New Syracuse coach Gerry McNamara received a commitment Friday from Class of 2027 forward Moussa Kamissoko, just the second five-star recruit for the Orange in the past decade.
The 6-foot-7, 180-pound Kamissoko attends SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio. The 247Sports composite lists him as the No. 5 small forward and the No. 14 overall player in the nation in the class. He played last season at Long Island Lutheran.
The competition had been fierce for Kamissoko. He already took official visits to Illinois, BYU, Florida State, Virginia and Oklahoma State. Programs such as Alabama, NC State, Penn State and Providence also were trying to get his commitment.
A scheduled visit to UConn on Friday presumably was canceled. He also had visits to Baylor and Louisville arranged for next month.
Kamissoko is the first five-star prospect to pick the Orange since forward Donnie Freeman in 2024, per ESPN.
He is the second player to commit to Syracuse in the 2027 recruiting cycle, joining Jack Donohue, a 6-8 forward from The Newman School in Boston.
McNamara led Siena to a near-upset of No. 1 overall seed Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last March. His name began swirling immediately when Syracuse fired Adrian Autry at the end of the season. Between his Siena success and his status as a program icon — McNamara shared the court with fellow freshman Carmelo Anthony on the 2022-23 NCAA championship team — he became the choice for the Orange.
McNamara is being tasked with returning Syracuse basketball to national prominence. A team that seemed to be a virtual lock for the tournament each season hasn’t been there since 2021.
Syracuse finished last season with a 15-17 record (6-12 Atlantic Coast Conference).