The recruitment window for the class of 2028 officially opened on June 15, triggering a flurry of communications between college coaches and rising high school juniors. Among the programs making early moves is Syracuse basketball, whose first‑year head coach Gerry McNamara has already reached out to 2028 three‑star wing prospect Enmanuel Valera Melo.
Valera Melo, a 6‑foot‑6 forward of Dominican descent, currently attends The Phelps School in Malvern, Pennsylvania, where he competes for the PSA Cardinals in Nike’s EYBL circuit. His game has been sharpened by stints with the Dominican Republic’s senior under‑18 squad at the 2026 FIBA U18 AmeriCup in León, Mexico, where he logged 7.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.
This spring and summer, Valera Melo is posting modest but promising numbers for the PSA Cardinals, averaging 5.1 points and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 37.3 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from three‑point range and 71.4 percent from the free‑throw line. Those figures, while still developing, have not gone unnoticed by programs across the country.
The list of suitors reads like a who’s who of high‑major basketball schools. In addition to Syracuse, Valera Melo has drawn interest from Stanford, Northwestern, Marquette, Florida State, Mississippi State, Notre Dame and Illinois, each of which have extended early scholarship offers or shown strong intent to recruit the prospect.
A Competitive Landscape
Adding another layer to the narrative, Valera Melo’s PSA Cardinals teammate, 2027 five‑star wing/small forward Moussa Kamissoko, is also on the radar of the new Syracuse staff, according to recruiting analysts. The intertwined recruitment of the two prospects underscores the competitive nature of the market.
In the composite rankings, Valera Melo sits at No. 81 overall, No. 29 among small forwards and No. 6 within Pennsylvania, while Rivals places him at No. 89 nationally, No. 20 at his position and No. 6 in the state. Those placements reflect a rising profile that could see his stock climb as the summer evaluation period progresses.