5-star guard Tyus Battle commits to Syracuse

Less than a month after reneging on a commitment to Michigan, five-star guard Tyus Battle has decided to play for Syracuse, he informed Jeff Goodman of ESPN.

Battle, a 6'6 guard who is ranked No. 14 on Rivals and No. 27 on ESPN among prospects in the class of 2016, told ESPN that he chose Syracuse for a number of reasons, one of which is the school's proximity to his hometown of Edison, N.J.

"I wanted to be closer to home," he said to ESPN. "Michigan is a great school, and I love the people, the staff and Coach Beilein. But the key was the distance."

Battle, who attends Gill St. Bernard's (N.J.), missed most of his junior season with an ankle injury but averaged 22.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game as a sophomore. He told ESPN that he chose Syracuse over Michigan, Louisville, Virginia, Kentucky and UConn.

"They told me I could be a versatile guard who could have the ball in my hands a lot," Battle said of Syracuse.

Battle also told ESPN that Syracuse's announcement in June that in three years Jim Boeheim will be handing over the reigns of the program to associate head coach Mike Hopkins played a role in his decision.

"It mattered," he said. "He's a great guy who will be a terrific head coach. He's high-energy, and I'm very comfortable and confident in Coach Hop."

Battle is the latest top recruit to commit to Syracuse, despite the 12 scholarships that the program was docked as part of sanctions for an academic impropriety scandal. Syracuse's 2015 class was ranked No. 14 in the country by 247Sports and Battle becomes the second top prospect from the class of 2016 to commit to the Orange, joining No. 51 ranked Matthew Moyer.