When Cardinal Hayes High School hoops star Elijah Moore announced he would attend Syracuse University many thought Adam Weitsman’s $1 million NIL deals and a ride on his private jet did the trick. But Ty Moore, Elijah’s father, said his son had already planned to commit and wasn’t swayed by the NIL deal.
“That wasn’t the reason Eli picked Syracuse,’’ Ty Moore told Syracuse.com. “There were schools that had bigger [NIL] plans. Eli picked Syracuse because of the relationship with Griff [assistant coach Allen Griffin], sitting in coach [Jim] Boeheim’s office and talking to him. We’re in love with Syracuse. It had nothing to do with NIL. We weren’t worried about NIL. There were NIL opportunities at every school.’’
Who Is Adam Weitsman?
Elijah Moore flew on a private jet provided by Weitsman, a Syracuse booster, to attend Syracuse’s game against North Carolina at the JMA Wireless Dome. Joining Moore on the flight were rappers Fabolous and A Boogie wit da Hoodie.
Weitsman, an entrepreneur connected to many high-profile celebrities, has not been forthcoming on the details of any potential NIL deals with Syracuse players, only that he plans to offer them.
But Ty Moore said none of that motivated his son, instead it was the relationship they built with the Syracuse staff over the past few years.
“Eli and Coach Griff talked about two or three times a week for the past year,’’ Moore said. “That commitment to a relationship separates most schools from Eli right there.’’
Who Is Elijah Moore?
Moore is a four-star 6-foot-4 shooting guard ranked 69th nationally and fourth in the state of New York. Like all recruits that are able to realize their dream and play at the next level, a lot of hard work led him to this moment. The work continues, but it is nice to enjoy some of the spoils of your success.
“Eli’s made a lot of sacrifices,’’ Ty Moore said. “All he did through middle school and high school was go to school and work out. He never went to parties. We got up at 4:45 in the morning to work out at 5:45. He’s not someone who is interested in hanging out with rappers, but flying up for the game was a great experience. The best thing about it was just going to the game. Our other two trips to Syracuse were outside of basketball season. He got to watch the game and watch the coaches. It was a great experience.’’
Elijah echoes his dad’s sentiments about the relationship he was able to build with the staff at Syracuse and how they made him feel like family during his official visit.
“The visit was really fun,” Elijah Moore said after his official visit. “I enjoyed the time I spent with the coaches and players. They treated me with love and definitely had a lot of good parts to it. I had a couple meetings with people from the school. I saw the campus, ate breakfast with the coaches, watched the team practice. I went to their orange and white game. I definitely did a lot.”
Moore chose Syracuse over Alabama, Arkansas, Miami, Oklahoma State, Illinois, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, St. John’s, and Xavier.
