ESPN 100 forward Darius Bazley has committed to Syracuse, he told ESPN on Monday.
Bazley, a 6-foot-8 forward from Ohio, decommitted from Ohio State in late April, and a long list of schools immediately got involved. Florida, Maryland, Xavier, Illinois, Louisville and others were targeting him entering July. Syracuse made a strong push over the last month, though, and hosted Bazley for an unofficial visit Friday.
Bazley is ranked No. 32 in the ESPN 100 for 2018.
He had a strong spring playing AAU, averaging a double-double for C2K Elite on the Under Armour circuit before switching to Meanstreets on the Nike EYBL circuit and averaging 15.4 points and 9.4 rebounds.
Bazley is Syracuse's first commit in the 2018 class, and comes on the heels of the Orange losing out on ESPN 100 forward Cole Swider, who chose Villanova on Friday.
The news was first reported by Syracuse's Scout.com affiliate.